Antibiotics quest could bring big rewards
Clark adds more courses as hunt for new antibiotics ignite interest in STEM
Biology instructor Ryan Kustusch, Ph.D., (standing), helps students in the Small World Initiative course study antibiotics.
When antibiotics were first introduced in the 1930s, they seemed almost magical in their ability to save people from previously fatal infections. But recently, the medical community warned that bacteria are evolving to resist current drugs, creating an urgent need for new antibiotics. Clark College introduced a pilot course last year to search for those antibiotics, while getting students interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at the same time.
The pilot was such a hit that the college will offer two sections of its Small World class (BIO 280) in winter and spring quarters of this academic year. The Vancouver-based financial service, iQ Credit Union, provided funding for the initial curriculum development.