Students visiting Genentech.
Benefits
BTI offers a unique high school experience. In addition to a science-centric curriculum in three core classes, students gain these additional benefits:
Sense of community:
There are many factors that contribute to the deep personal connections our students share: they take three to four classes together each year, they share a love of science and wonderful sense of curiosity, and we nurture their relationships through monthly lunchtime bonding events. Our strong sense of community makes students feel more confident participating in class. Discussions naturally go deeper and collaboration is more productive.
Cross-curricular connections and projects:
Students complete three significant projects, which they work on in their biotech, English, and social studies classes and present to the community at Open House. BTI staff are also always looking for ways to collaborate on cross-disciplinary assignments.
Students explore biotechnology's connection to the humanities and influence in the world in their English and social studies classes.
Field trips:
Students tour both start-ups and pioneering companies in the biotechnology industry. New cohorts go to the Exploratorium for a bonding day.
Networking with professionals in the biotechnology industry and other scientific fields:
Mentor program: Junior students are each matched up with a mentor who has a career they are interested in exploring. They connect with their mentor each week by phone, text, or email and also have opportunities to get together on and off campus. Shadowing a mentor at work one day is a highlight of the mentor program. Read an article about how a BTI student's mentor helped her get an internship at NASA: Student receives 'out of this world' experience through Biotechnology Institute connections.
Sophomore symposium: Sophomore students attend a symposium on campus in the fall semester. This includes a breakfast, a keynote speaker, career presentations by professionals working in biotech and other fields of science, and roundtable discussions on hot topics in science.
College courses offering dual credit:
The senior Biomanufacturing course is co-taught by a Carlmont teacher and a professor from Skyline College. This course is only offered to BTI senior students, who receive dual credit for it. Pending approval, Biomanufacturing will receive honors status, and our students will receive an extra grade point for the course.
BTI students also receive dual credit for Biotechnology 1-2 and Biotechnology 3-4. Biotechnology 3-4 is a four-unit class, so students receive a grade bump when applying to CSUs and UCs. Ultimately BTI students graduate with nine units of community college credit. Read more about dual-enrollment credit here.
Student presenting a research project at Open House.
