Keck Graduate Institute

KGI’s Industry Speaker Series continues Thursday at noon PST with Thomas McKissick, Former Managing Director, Trust Company of the West. Register to attend by visiting kgi.edu/speaker-series

Dr. Bill Gruber, Pfizer’s Senior Vice President of Vaccine Clinical Research and Development, will serve as the keynote speaker at KGI's Commencement on May 15! I am honored for the opportunity to share in the celebration as the KGI community recognizes its Class of 2021 and Class of 2020, Gruber said. The past year has challenged the scientific community to think beyond our traditional ways and the KGI academic programs greatly contribute to these efforts. The Commenceme...nt Ceremony on May 15 will be a remarkable milestone for each of these graduates as they enter into each of their journeys for healthcare and the life sciences. Read more about Dr. Gruber and KGI's Commencement: https://www.kgi.edu//kgi-announces-pfizer-executive-dr-bi/

Thanks to all of our healthcare heroes! Members of the KGI PharmD community are helping at the Jewel City Vax Clinic, a new mass vaccination site with the capacity to administer up to 10,000 COVID-19 shots per week. The site opened Sunday at Glendale Community College. Featured in this photo (left to right): Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy student Tina Abramian, KGI fourth-year pharmacy student Veronica Sanchez, and KGI Associate Professor of Clinical Sciences Dr. ...Rebecca Cheung Tran. Adventist Health Glendale, which is running the Jewel City Vax Clinic, is also the practice site for Dr. Tran and KGI Professor of Clinical Sciences Dr. Talia Puzantian. KGI is grateful for the Adventist Health Glendale pharmacists, who serve as preceptors for many of KGI's students!

Congrats again to students in KGI's Master of Engineering in Biopharmaceutical Processing program, who presented on day two during the Team Design Project day! The project designs develop the next generation of biomanufacturing facilities for the future industry.

KGI’s Industry Speaker Series continues next Tuesday, April 20 at noon PST with Pran Patel, VP and General Manager at AstraZeneca. Register to attend by visiting kgi.edu/speaker-series

Prospective students: Join us for our Virtual Visit Day on April 16! You will meet the President and Dean of Admissions, speak with program directors and current students, receive advice from alumni, and so much more. Register at kgi.edu/event/virtual-visit-day-2

KGI Research Associate & Cardea Bio Inc. Scientist Sarah Balderston: "Through Dr. Kiana Aran’s connections to both academic and industry collaborators, I have also been able to get involved in many business and project planning meetings with both industry and academic collaborators. My experience in the Aran Lab has helped me hone my hard research skills and my 'soft' interpersonal skills necessary for effective teamwork, leadership, and self-confidence. "In addition to immersing myself in the novel field of CRISPR-electronics, I have learned how to maneuver both personal and professional obstacles, take advantage of the opportunities available to me, and be a more independent and critical thinker." Read Sarah's story here: https://www.kgi.edu//sarah-balderston-reflects-on-her-car/

KGI is hiring for the position of Program Director for the new Master of Science in Regulatory Affairs program, which starts this fall. For more details, visit kgi.edu/employment today!

Congratulations to students in the Master of Engineering in Biopharmaceutical Processing program who presented their Team Design Projects today! The capstone project designs develop the next generation of biomanufacturing facilities for the future biopharmaceutical industry. The students will continue their presentations on Friday. Thanks to keynote speaker Barry Buckland, Executive Director, NIIMBL, and CEO, BiologicB, LLC, for his talk on "Innovation & Manufacturing for COVID Vaccines".

For Max Zocchi, MEng '22, KGI has opened the door to a world of possibilities in the bioprocessing industry, first through a summer program and now his two-year master's program. Read more: bit.ly/Max-Zocchi

On #NationalBeerDay, we get a chance to celebrate the fact that KGI has a beer fermentation lab! The Bioprocessing Fermentation Labs at KGI focus on industrial and food-based fermentations, both of which employ similar scientific strategies to successfully generate commercial products. The Fenton Fermentation Laboratory at KGI is home to the production of beer and wine from various types of yeast strains.... During summer in the BSUITE program, interns have the opportunity to learn more about fermentation from the comfort of their own home, by preparing a fresh batch of kombucha! #bioprocessing #fermentation #biotechnology

KGI is celebrating #NationalVolunteerWeek! Today we’re featuring Noa Park, a PhD candidate at KGI and also a 2020 graduate from the Master of Business and Science program. Q: Why is it important for you to volunteer your time at KGI? Noa: Volunteering my time and energy to KGI is the least I could do, for all that the community has done to support me in my research and academic endeavors for the past two and a half years. I am happy to do it and also love getting to know oth...ers who volunteer. Q: How do students benefit from the work of volunteers? Noa: If students feel supported and appreciated regularly, we often feel better about pushing forward in our classes, projects, and other responsibilities. The same applies to prospective students who end up speaking with KGI volunteers (e.g., Student Government, Student Ambassadors), and realize how much KGI values its students. -- Thank you to Noa and all of our volunteers!

After being out of school for 25 yearsraising and homeschooling her five children during the interimTamerisa Dyer, MSGDA '22, is finishing up her first year in KGI's MS in Human Genetics and Genomic Data Analytics program. Read more: bit.ly/Tamerisa-Dyer

Prospective students: Join us for our semi-annual Virtual Visit Day on April 16. You will have a chance to meet the President and Dean of Admissions, speak with program directors and current students, receive advice from alumni, and so much more. Register at kgi.edu/event/virtual-visit-day-2

"I think throughout this pandemic we learned that we really have to take the technologies that are developed to the next level to commercialization and bring it in the hands of people who can utilize them." - Dr. Kiana Aran, KGI Assistant Professor and UC Berkeley Visiting Scientist #crispr #diagnostics #innovation

KGI has added a new summer program for 2021: The Biotech Career Speakers Series. The online, five-week program will introduce students to potential careers in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and other biomedical industries. Read more: bit.ly/BCSS-summer

KGI Assistant Professor and UC Berkeley Visiting Scientist Dr. Kiana Aran first introduced the CRISPR-Chip technology in 2019. Now just two years later, she has expanded on its application to develop CRISPR-SNP-Chip, which enables detection of single point mutations without amplification in Sickle Cell Disease and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Dr. Aran: The field of CRISPR-based diagnostics is rapidly evolving due to CRISPR programmability and ease of use. However, th...e majority of CRISPR-based diagnostics platforms are still relying on target amplifications or optical detections. The reprogrammability of CRISPR combined with optics-free highly scalable graphene transistors will allow us to bring the diagnostics power of the CRISPR to its full potential." Read more about her research, published today in Nature Biomedical Engineering: https://www.kgi.edu//crispr-snp-chip-enables-amplificatio/

KGI's Industry Speaker Series continues next Thursday, April 8 at noon PST with Sequella Inc Founder and CEO Carol Nacy. Register to attend by visiting kgi.edu/speaker-series