Troubleshooting, Hands-On Experience, and Vegetable Beef Soup

10/14/22 • 28 min

Former interns Mike Delisi and Amanda Brown join the podcast in conversation together because they interned at ABI at the same time! They share their unique life experiences that led them to Austin Community College, and explain how they came across the ACC Bioscience Incubator during their time studying bioscience.

One experience that both Mike and Amanda share is that ABI gave them critical hands-on experience that helped them get their first jobs after graduation. This exposure to a laboratory environment and the instruments and processes within that environment lent them the confidence they needed to try new things outside of the classroom in professional settings. Critical thinking, problem-solving, and being comfortable making mistakes are not skills that are easily acquired in a classroom, and both former interns explain how ABI internships helped them hone these important attributes which gave them an edge in the job market.

In addition to soft skills, ABI exposed Mike to the ACTA machine, an instrument that he uses today in his role in Downstream Processing at XBiotech. He and Amanda explain what an ACTA Machine is, and how it is used in the process of manufacturing medication at XBiotech. This hands-on experience earned during their internships at ABI plus the soft skills gained there combined with their Associate’s degrees helped secure their positions after graduation. Mike and Amanda point out that many of their colleagues have a Bachelor’s degree, but because of their experiences at ABI they were able to avoid possessing this “requirement” and instead compensate with real-life experience in laboratories.

We close out part 1 with a conversation about how to secure job interviews after graduating, especially with an Associate’s degree, and Mike and Amanda share their tips for creating a resume that the bioscience companies in town can’t say no to.

Learn more about XBiotech.

Learn more about ACC Bioscience Incubator.

This is a founding_media podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn more about XBiotech.

Learn more about ACC Bioscience Incubator.

This is a founding_media podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Attitude is Everything

Marcia McCallum is back for another episode of “Science in the Mall, Y’all”, but this time she is joined by her supervisor David Medina. David is the Upstream Processing Manager at XBiotech, and Marcia works under him in Upstream Processing. XBiotech manufactures and develops medication from human monoclonal antibodies – and Marcia and David kick off their episode by explaining what that actually means. They talk about what the “upstream” side of the operations entails, from development to cultivating and mass producing cell culture with the antibody cells before it can go to “downstream” for purification and synthesis. They share the dynamic in their lab and what a day-in-the-life is like for Upstream Processing teams at XBiotech as they work with each other and the cell cultures. They even have some funny stories to tell about epic fails they turned into wins.

As a hiring manager, David talks about the kinds of attributes he looks for when he’s recruiting. While skills and knowledge are important, a good attitude, work ethic, and eagerness to learn are the most important things that David looks for when he’s interviewing prospective candidates. David and Marcia discuss their unconventional educational backgrounds and how they combined those things with their hobbies, attitudes, and humility to secure their positions at XBiotech and thrive in their fields. Their inspiring journeys reveal how the right mindset and drive is essential to success, and David and Marcia give us an honest insight into the interview process and the hiring process, from the perspective of being hired and being the person doing the hiring. Marcia and David’s experiences and stories show that you can have a successful career in bioscience regardless of the degree that you hold provided you possess the work ethic, drive, and passion for the work. They talk about how they learn everyday in their job even though they are not in an explicitly academic setting, what students can do to augment their educational experiences to get hands-on skills, and why each employees’ character traits are crucial to a successful lab team. This episode is full of interesting anecdotes and great advice for anyone considering pursuing a career in the biosciences.

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Next Episode

Fancy Plumbers and Quality Control

In part 2 of this conversation, Mike and Amanda talk about what they’re doing now in the job force. Mike is in Downstream Processing at XBiotech, and Amanda secured a new job recently in quality control and assurance at National Resilience in Florida. While they don’t work together, they are familiar with each other’s roles because both roles exist in both companies, and so they give us unique insight about what each person’s job is like from the perspective of having that job, and interacting with that job.

XBiotech manufactures and researches medications, and more specifically antibody therapies. This means they find people with a resistance to an illness or affliction and use the human matter with those antibodies to create medicine. Mike uses the ACTA Machine we learned about last episode to filter and refine a big vat of material that contains the antibody in it - although he describes what he does as a “fancy plumber” since it is so dependent on the instrument itself!

Amanda’s career began at Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies in Texas, and she has since moved to Florida to pursue a new opportunity at National Resilience. In both companies she found her niche in Quality Control and Quality Assurance where she audits documents and processes to ensure that everyone is following regulations and best practices.

Mike and Amanda confess that they would not want to work in the other person’s job, but that their respective roles fit their unique personalities. They explain the many different roles in a biotechnology company and how there is a position fit for every type of person. They also vouch for the importance of finding a job that fits your personality and your preferences, in addition to fitting your passion for science.

Mike and Amanda hold a discussion about the business side of working in biotech, especially for newer Biotech companies or companies that contract out their facilities, and close out the podcast episode with advice for aspiring scientists and those interested in bioscience careers.

Learn more about XBiotech.

Learn more about ACC Bioscience Incubator.

This is a founding_media podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.