FUNDED PROGRAMS AWARDED 02/03

Project Title: A Burst of Biotech
Project Director: Melody Ricci
Organization: Victor Valley College
Phone: (760)245-4271, ext.2226

This project titled "A Burst of Biotechnology" is intended to provide a 3-tiered level of collaboration in order to promote the biotech industry and profession from the community college level. The project is intended to carry the community college student from classroom on to a work environment in industry to perform an internship. After gaining practical experience in the biotech setting, the community college student will then disseminate the information down to the high school level in order to: 1) share their experience in Biotech industry 2) explain the community college biotech program, and 3) demonstrate future career paths in biotechnology to the high school student. This program will impact not only the community college student, but the area community as well. Students enrolled in the college biotech program will receive practical training in the classroom, which will be applied through an internship setting in the biotech industry. The involvement of the companies collaborating with the college biotech program will gain a temporary employee and their involvement will contribute to the development of our future curriculum, and the high school student will be exposed to the many different avenues that a career in biotechnology may lead to. The Biotechnology industry is "bursting" with many diverse career paths, and our overall intent is to increase awareness of this exciting profession and the many career opportunities it has to offer as well as attract biotech industries to the California high desert region.

Project Title: Bridging the Business Digital Divide: Victor Valley College and Underrepresented Businesses of the High Desert
Project Director: Dr. Eric Mayer
Organization: Victor Valley College
Phone: (760) 245-4271

In order to prepare underrepresented businesses to compete in the 21st century market, online and technology programs must be utilized. As part of our mission, Victor Valley College would like to improve computer technology training to provide underrepresented business owners the opportunities of obtaining proficiency in technology and online delivery of goods and services . To operationalize "Bridging the Business Digital Divide", Victor Valley College seeks from the Verizon Foundation funds for eight new computers and software such as Oracle Database, Microsoft Office XP, and Microsoft FrontPage.
Therefore, Victor Valley College requests $25,000 to purchase eight computers with the aforementioned software applications. The funds will accomplish the following objectives: (1) Eight underrepresented business owners per month will complete the Bridging the Business Digital Divide course in order to enhance their delivery of goods and services, and ultimately compete on a global basis on the Internet; (2) Computer Information Technology faculty will develop "Bridging the Business Digital Divide" course designed to introduce underrepresented business owners in the use of technology and the world wide web and enhance their delivery of goods and services via the Internet.

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