COC Recognized for INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY USE

The College of the Canyons Biological and Environmental Sciences Department was awarded the State Chancellor’s Office Innovative Use of Technology Award at the Chief Information Systems Officers Association (CISOA) Technology Summit in San Francisco. This award recognizes cutting-edge advancements in the department’s microbiology laboratories.

Spearheaded by Dr. Shane Ramey, a microbiology instructor at the college, the department created an innovative laboratory environment that is capable of achieving the highest safety standards for teaching labs set by the American Society of Microbiology (ASM), commonly referred to as “paperless” labs. The term “paperless” refers to the ability of students to access all necessary

COC RECEIVES $25,000 STANLEY

resources in the lab without ever handling anything that will leave the lab with them, such as a paper lab manual, notebook, and pens or pencils. This is particularly important in a microbiology laboratory where students work with live microbes, and such items could potentially become contaminated.

“I am honored to receive this award on behalf of the biological and environmental sciences department and College of the Canyons,” said Ramey. “Paperless microbiology laboratories are extremely rare at the academic level, even among four-year colleges and universities, primarily because of the technological burden of operating such labs. Nevertheless, the benefits that such a paperless lab environment provides our microbiology students are multifaceted