New Breed of Youth Delves into Biotech Thanks to Innovative Boarding Camp

Ponce, Puerto Rico – Recently, high school students successfully completed the Center for Teaching and Research in Biotechnology and Agrobiotechnology (CEIBA) camp, living unique experiences and learning more about the field of agricultural biotechnology as a professional career.

The Biotech Summer Camp is an initiative of the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico in which the Puerto Rico Agricultural Biotechnology Association (PRABIA) serves as a collaborator each year.

Sol Rosado, President of PRABIA, said that “for us it is important to reiterate the Association’s commitment to arousing interest in the biotechnology sector among young people. The Biotech Summer Camp accomplishes this through a rich curriculum that integrates educational activities, lectures, bioinformatics workshops, and the conduct of a variety of research and practical studies. The main objective is that young people know the scope and impact of this sector and that they see it as a possible academic and/or professional career”.

The executive also highlighted that PRABIA takes support for education very seriously to equip innovators and leaders of the future with the skills, talents and diversity to contribute to the creation of a better world. “Every day, our biologists, agronomists, engineers, and scientists actively participate in different projects that positively impact the communities in which we work, live, and we are passionate about empowering people,” added Rosado.

The Biotech Summer Camp lasts four weeks and is made up of students from public high school systems in the southern area. It also has the sponsorship of other member companies of PRABIA, whose facilities are visited by camp participants. The Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico established CEIBA in 2011 and today it is a unique research center with a special focus on agrobiotechnology.

About PRABIA

Founded in 1995, the Puerto Rico Agricultural Biotechnology Industry Association, for its acronym in English, PRABIA, is a non-profit organization that brings together agricultural biotechnology companies that operate in Puerto Rico – AgReliant Genetics, BASF, Bayer, Corteva AgriSciences , Syngenta, Illinois Crop Improvement, and RiceTech. The Association aims to strengthen the Agricultural Biotechnology ecosystem on the Island in light of the challenges of global food production. The operations of the companies that are part of PRABIA promote economic development by generating over 5,000 direct and indirect jobs, promoting education, supporting communities, providing support to the academic community and establishing programs aimed at future scientists and agronomists.

For more information about PRABIA, access www.prabia.org or the official Facebook page at http://bit.ly/2dva988