Corporate/Community Partners

Department of Biology Partnerships

The Department of Biology has partnerships with several professional organizations, corporations and individuals from the biomedical and biotechnology community. Listed here are some of the examples of these partnerships that add vitality, purpose and connectivity for our students and our program.

The Center for Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences

Merrimack College’s Center for Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences is distinctive in its offering of academic programs that provide an excellent foundation in both the theory and practice of science within the context of a strong liberal arts education. The graduates of the Center’s programs will thus be 'Thinker/Doers'; workers who have the academic background and skill sets necessary to carry out the daily 'hands-on' activities of the scientific enterprise, and the ability to trouble shoot experiments, critically read and analyze the scientific literature, draw valid conclusions based on a available data, and perhaps most importantly, successfully adapt to the rapidly changing industry demands and technologies of the 21st century.

In Spring 2007, the Department of Biology established a Biotechnology/Biomedical Sciences Advisory Board comprised of the following distinguished members:

• Mark Abelson, M.D., Founder/Chief Scientific Officer, ORA Clinical Research and Development, North Andover MA
• Mike Agostino, Ph.D., Principal Scientist , Manager, Bioinformatics Client Services, Wyeth, Cambridge MA
• Sylvia L. Beaulieu, Director of Client Development, Columbia Construction, North Reading MA
• Dr. Laurence M. Demers, Distinguished Professor of Pathology and Medicine, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, The M. S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey PA Susan Evans, Ph.D., Vice President/General Manager, Agencourt Bioscience Corporation, Beverly MA
• Richard J. Gregory, Ph.D., Senior Vice President & Head of Research, Genzyme, Framingham MA
• Andrew Lake, Ph.D. Senior Research Scientist II, Cambridge, MA
• Steve Lombardi, President and Chief Operating Officer, Helicos BioSciences Corporation, Cambrigde MA
• Judith Oestreicher, Ph.D., Senior Research Biologist, Gene Expression Technology Group, Eisai Research Institute, Andover MA
• Donna Welch, R.N., B.S.N., Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, ORA Clinical Research and Development, North Andover MA

In spring 2008, the Biology Department was a recipient of a major equipment donation from Wyeth Corporation in Andover, Mass. The equipment will be used for a dedicated laboratory for faculty/student research in Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences.

Massachusetts Biotechnology Council

The Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MBC), founded in 1985, is a not-for-profit organization that provides services and support for the Massachusetts biotechnology industry. The MBC is committed to advancing the development of critical new science, technology and medicines that benefit people worldwide. Representing over 500 companies, academic institutions and service organizations involved in life sciences and health care, the MBC works with public leaders to advance policy and promote education, while providing member programs and events, industry information, and services.

Faculty Research Partnerships

• Dr. Josephine Modica-Napolitano’s research collaborators include, Dr. June Aprille at Washington and Lee University and Dr. Keshav Singh at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y.
• Dr. Mark Birnbaum has been collaborating with Dr. Paul Odgren in the Department of Cell Biology at UMASS-Medical School in Worcester. He also has collaborated with Dr. Baruch Frenkel at the Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Orthopedic Surgery, Institute for Genetic Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California.
• Dr. Janine LeBlanc-Staceski has been collaborating with the Tufts University Dental School, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine.
• Dr. Jon Lyon is a co-principal investigator on an Environmental Protection Agency/Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Grant entitled the Martins Pond Shoreline Restoration and Sediment Reduction Project. This is a $218,000 project located in North Reading, Mass. Dr. Lyon works in partnership with the Town of North Reading and the Martins Pond Association on the project. The 3-year project runs through 2010. He has also been involved in a long-term collaboration with Community Conservation, a not-for-profit organization that promotes global biodiversity and sustainable land use, by catalyzing, facilitating and empowering local people to manage and conserve natural resources within the social, cultural and economic context of their communities.

Sigma Xi – The Scientific Research Society

The Department of Biology at Merrimack College has an active Sigma Xi chapter on campus. Sigma Xi was founded in 1886 to honor excellence in scientific investigation and encourage a sense of companionship and cooperation among researchers in all fields of science and engineering. The Merrimack College chapter sponsors a symposium each year highlighting the best senior thesis research projects. Selected individuals are nominated for Associate Membership into the Society. Students have also been successful in obtaining Grants-in-Aid-of-Research for their research project

Campus Ecology Program

The Campus Ecology Program of the National Wildlife Federation promotes climate leadership and sustainability among colleges and universities by providing resources and technical support, creating networking opportunities and organizing education events. The Biology Department is a member of this group and is using the Merrimack campus as a site for both ecological investigation, and for developing new sustainability initiatives.

Marine Studies Consortium

Merrimack College has been an active member the Marine Studies Consortium for over two decades. The consortium teaches evening undergraduate courses in marine/aquatic sciences and environmental management. The consortium is an association of Massachusetts’ higher education and research institutions whose mission is to increase understanding of coastal and marine ecosystems, and to promote policies that protect aquatic resources. Their undergraduate academic program offers unique learning opportunities in marine and aquatic sciences, environmental policy, and environmental management.