MBP offers a sequence of seminar series that focus on the non-technical aspects of biotechnology education. Seminars cover a variety of topics such as intellectual property, compliance and regulatory affairs, cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practices), GLP (Good Laboratory Practices), process development, communication skills, inter-personal skills, and career development. These seminars are presented by experts from the biotechnology and related industries. Students get an opportunity to interact individually and in groups with the speakers during and after the seminars.

A representative list of seminars from previous years is given below:

2007-2008 Seminars

Fall
11/13    Biotech Careers Roundtable

BioScience R&D: Expectations of Companies for Employees and Employees for Companies
Thomas F. Holzman, Ph.D.
Vice President of Research, Protein Sciences
Nanosphere, Inc.

Process Development and Manufacturing at Genencor
Aaron Kelley, Ph.D.
Senior Engineer, Biomass Applications Group
Genencor International, Inc.

Diagnostic & Medical Devices Industry
David M. Kelso, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Northwestern University

11/20    Personality Types and the Workplace
Jeanne Herrick, Ph.D.
Lecturer, WCAS Writing Program
Northwestern University

Winter

1/8        Basics of Patent Procedures
Igor Kourkine, Ph.D.
Associate Director, Master of Biotechnology Program
Northwestern University

1/15      GMPs for Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
Eric Emery
Vice President Manufacturing (Retired)
PDL BioPharma

1/22      Writing Workshop I - Effective Business Writing
Barbara Shwom, Ph.D. / Kathleen Carmichael, Ph.D.
College Lecturer, WCAS Writing Program / Adjunct Lecturer, WCAS Writing Program
Northwestern University

1/29      University Career Services Overview
Thy Nguyen
Assistant Director, University Career Services
Northwestern University

2/11      Writing Workshop II – Introduction to MBP Progress Reports
Barbara Shwom, Ph.D. / Kathleen Carmichael, Ph.D.
College Lecturer, WCAS Writing Program / Adjunct Lecturer, WCAS Writing Program
Northwestern University

2/19      Fundamentals of Biotech Product Regulation
Jesse Seidman, M.S.
Sr. Manager, Global Regulatory Affairs
Baxter Healthcare Corporation

2/26      Writing Workshop III - Guided Practice to Improve Progress Reports
Barbara Shwom, Ph.D. / Kathleen Carmichael, Ph.D.
College Lecturer, WCAS Writing Program / Adjunct Lecturer, WCAS Writing Program
Northwestern University

3/4        Biologics Discovery & Development
Susan Casnocha, Ph.D.
Associate Research Fellow and Group Leader
Pfizer Global Biologics

3/11      Good Laboratory Practices in the Biotechnology Industry
Lisa Fink
Manager II, Quality
Baxter Healthcare Corporation

4/8         Plant Agricultural Biotechnology
Maria Fedorova, Ph.D.
Crop Genetics Research and Development
Pioneer Hi-Bred International

5/20         Intellectual Property: Reading and Understanding of Patent Claims
Igor Kourkine, Ph.D.
MBP Associate Director and Lecturer