career exploration for high school students

Biotechnology Youth Apprenticeship Program

In partnership with the Dane County School Consortium, the BTC Institute has been actively involved in the development and implementation of the Dane County Youth Apprenticeship Program in Biotechnology, launched through the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development in 1993. Students may elect to complete a two-year apprenticeship or a one-year senior internship.

The program includes paid training in an industry or UW-Madison research lab. Students receive high school credit for their work experience (450 hours required per year) and for participation a specialized biotechnology course held weekly during the Academic Year at the BTC Institute.

For more information, please visit www.dcsc.org/yap

Our recent blog for Promega Connections highlights the value of this experience for all participants: Playing it Forward: Biotechnology Youth Apprenticeship and Mentorship

Second Year Seniors

Abagale Davis
School: Verona Area High School
Worksite & Mentor:
CRI International Center for Biotechnology
Dr. Steve Tardif

Sophia Liu
School: Waunakee High School
Worksite & Mentor:
UW-Madison Dept. of Chemical and Biological Engineering
Taylor Cook, in the lab of Dr. Brian Pfleger

Bren Myers
School: Waunakee High School
Worksite & Mentor:
UW-Madison Department of Biochemistry
Dr. Ronnie Frederick, in the lab of Dr. John Markley

Ava VanDommelen
School: DeForest High School
Worksite & Mentor:
Morgridge Institute for Research
Amani Gillette and Tiffany Heaster, in the lab of Dr. Melissa Skala

First Year Seniors and Juniors

Robin Alcorta
School: Middleton High School
Worksite & Mentor:
UW-Madison Deptartment of Entomology
Dr. Christelle Guédot

Anna Batchenkova
School: Middleton High School
Worksite & Mentor:
UW-Madison Deptartment of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Amy Ellis, in the lab of Dr. Shelby O’Connor

Calvin Coyne
School: Jefferson High School
Worksite & Mentor:
Ganser Scientific
Dr. Joe Beck

Jack DeMarco
School: Verona Area High School
Worksite & Mentor:
AmebaGone
Dr. Amy Jancewicz

Kaylee Finseth
School: Verona Area High School
Worksite & Mentor:
Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center
Evan Glasgow, in the lab of Dr. Brian G. Fox

Emma Fischer
School: Oregon High School
Worksite & Mentor:
UW-Madison Department of Entomology
Dr. Sean Schoville

Isabel Jones
School: Verona Area High School
Worksite & Mentor:
Morgridge Institute for Research
Dr. Alex Walsh, in the lab of Dr. Melissa Skala

Elias Kemna
School: McFarland High School
Worksite & Mentor:
Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center
Evan Glasgow, in the lab of Dr. Brian G. Fox

Quinlyn Klade
School: Oregon High School
Worksite & Mentor:
UW-Madison Department of Entomology
Dr. Christopher Cole, in the lab of Dr. Richard Lindroth

Garrett Larsen
School: McFarland High School
Worksite & Mentor:
Wisconsin Crop Innovation Center
Mark Thompson and Michael Petersen

Travis Leuzinger
School: Mount Horeb High School
Worksite & Mentor:
UW-Madison Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Abel Ingle, in the lab of Dr. Daniel Noguera

Alexandra Lightner
School: Stoughton High School
Worksite & Mentor:
UW-Madison Department of Horticulture
Shelby Ellison, in the lab of Dr. Philipp Simon

Nicole McCafferty
School: Sun Prairie High School
Worksite & Mentor:
UW-Madison Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology
Ruth Isenberg, in the lab of Dr. Mark Mandel

Alexander Moen
School: Monona Grove High School
Worksite & Mentor:
UW-Madison Department of Genetics
Dr. Shih-Heng Su, in the lab of Dr. Patrick Masson

Emma Neumann
School: Middleton High School
Worksite & Mentor:
UW-Madison Deptartment of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Hadjer Namous and Dr. Rodger Wiseman, in the lab of Dr. Dave O’Connor

Trevor Pitcel
School: DeForest High School
Worksite & Mentor:
UW-Madison School of Pharmacy
Yun Hwa Choi, in the lab of Dr. Seungpyo Hong

Erin Spierings
School: Oregon High School
Worksite & Mentor:
UW-Madison Department of Entomology
Dr. Christopher Cole, in the lab of Dr. Richard Lindroth

Dante Sprecher
School: McFarland High School
Worksite & Mentor:
UW-Madison Department of Bacteriology
Joseph Skarlupka, in the lab of Dr. Garret Suen

Noah Welke
School: Sun Prairie High School
Worksite & Mentor:
UW School of Medicine Department of Medicine and Public Health
Dr. Mari Iida, in the lab of Dr. Deric L. Wheeler

“I have always been interested in the combination of medicine and biotechnology, and I got the chance to personally explore that because of the Youth Apprenticeship Program. The amount of hands-on, real-world experiences you can get in this program is unparalleled. I’m fortunate to have such a great mentor who is always eager to teach me more about otolaryngology and support me through everything. After having the opportunity to conduct my own research in laryngeal microbiology and collaborating on papers, I know I want to continue this work in college. I can truly say that the YAP-Biotechnology program has been the highlight of my high school academic career.”

- Madhu Gowda, 2017 graduate and winner of the GRAND PRIZE at the 2017 Capital Science and Engineering Fair

read Madhu's story: Promega Connections