Skyline College’s Bio Manufacturing Club was the main attraction at the Club Blitz on Sept. 24, 2025 in Building 6. Examples of what they manufacture were on display, and gave meaningful insight into the work involved in pursuing a biotechnology major (BTEC).
Fabiola Moreno, a club member who is pursuing a BTEC at Skyline, explained that one particular item on display was an agar plate.
“Agar plates are used to grow and study microorganisms like bacteria and fungi,” Moreno said.
The plates are similar to what is seen on investigative TV shows — like “CSI” and “NCIS” — where doctors have a tube and are squeezing solutions or liquids into a small, clear, and round container.
Having a good understanding of chemistry, biology, microbiology and math is necessary for learning in this field of study. Moreno’s advice to anyone interested in BTEC is that patience, discipline, and consistency are great traits to have.
“If you like science, you can do it,” Moreno said.
According to Skyline Professor Nick Kapp, who has a Ph.D. in cell-molecular biology from the University of Illinois Chicago, it’s hard for students to gain the experience they need by only doing small lab projects.
“The biotech program is designed to give students real, practical knowledge and [help them] gain experience in large-scale manufacturing,” Kapp said.
BTEC students manufacture cost-efficient parts of agar plates on campus, then distribute them to local schools with science programs. Kapp explained that this gives students experience with manufacturing large-scale products with actual deadlines for shipping. He also said that students can’t gain this level of experience by working on small projects.
Skyline’s Biotechnology program works with the Bay Area Bioscience Education Community (BABEC). Professor Kapp is one of the board members of the organization, which consists of high-level educators and gives curriculum to High school teachers. BABEC rents science equipment and materials to schools and works to provide valuable assistance by saving money on products and services that are costly. The work done by Skyline students helps them prepare for the next steps in their careers.
For more information, go to the Skyline Biotechnology Department located in Building 7, room 204, or visit the BABEC website.
