The Crescenta Valley High School (CVHS) Biotechnology program started in the 2005-2006 school year.  It fulfills the 10th grade technical class requirement for the Academy of Science and Medicine at CVHS.  This course is made possible by contributions from Dr. Wendie Johnston from Pasadena City College (PCC) who provides equipment and materials and Dr. Sherry Tsai who provided training through the Amgen-Bruce Wallace Teacher Training workshop at Huntington Botanical Gardens. (In 2013, A-BW was renamed Amgen Biotech Experience under Dr. Sherry Tsai).

The Biotechnology program became a ROP class in 2005 and was UC-approved during the 2006-2007 school year.  Ellyn Daugherty developed the textbook used during the course of the program.  The program became articulated with PCC in 2008; the curriculum aligns with course Bio102A. In February 2011, CVHS’s Biotechnology was one of two courses awarded "CPA A-G Program Status" from UC, which will allow many other CPAs (California Partnership Academies) to enjoy that status without having to go through the individual application process.

During the school year long program, biotech students:

• Learn soft skills and general lab skills
• Work with DNA – using the Amgen equipment, reagents, materials (extraction, separation by gel electrophoresis)
• Analyze/Quantify DNA (Restriction digest – DNA and enzymes)
• Amplify/Clone by PCR
• Work with proteins
  • Bacterial Transformation
  • Growing Bacteria
  • Isolation by Column Chromatography
  • Analysis by PAGE

Under Orenda Tuason’s direction the CVHS biotech students attend:

(1)  Attend workdays at Pasadena Bioscience Collaborative making reagents and pouring agar plates under the guidance of Dr. Wendie Johnston and PCC Biotech technicians and students  

(2)  Presentation on Stem Cells by PCC Biotech interns

(3)  Day-long workshop on Cell Cultures by Dr. Pamela Eversole-Cire at PCC

(4)  Students learn how to use equipment such as: spectrophotometer, fermentation tanks, distillation tanks, and gas chromatograph through partnership with Occidental College (TOPS Program)

(5) Participate in a 2 week workshop at the PCC Stemcell mobile lab

Biotechnology students, as part of the CVHS Academy of Science and Medicine are also required to attend weekly lunch presentations by researchers, medical doctors, and health care professionals from different institutions including Caltech, UCLA, and PCC.  Students also get the opportunity to attend field trips to different college campuses and research facilities such as the House Ear Institute, FDA, Cadaver Lab, to name a few.  Students are also offered the opportunity to attend academy movies (ex: Jurassic Park, GATTACA, Extraordinary Measures, etc) to see the applications (and mis-applications) of biotechnology in popular films.

Biotechnology Instructor: Orenda Tuason, M.S., M.Ed., CLS, MT (ASCP)

·      Academy of Science and Medicine Coordinator

·      Biology/AP Biology teacher at CVHS since 2003; at Glendale USD since 1998

·      Clinical Laboratory Scientist/Microbiologist since 1982; at USC/Norris Cancer Hospital since 1993

·      BioBuilder Master Teacher 2012-2014