About the Foothill Technology High School BioScience Academy

FTHS BioScience Academy:

The BioScience Academy was established in 2003 with a Specialized School Program grant from the State of California. These funds allowed the development of a three year program that designed to provide students who are interested in preparing for a career in health care or bioscience access to advanced coursework and lab skills. Entrance to the Academy is quite competitive and is based on academic performance, teacher recommendation and an extensive interview during the spring of freshman year. Students who are accepted to the program typically are strong in the math and sciences and clearly indicate an interest in a future in the sciences.

Academic Scope and Sequence:

The Academy program begins sophomore year with a specialized course that exposes students to the vast world of health care and bioscience in order to help students see the possibilities that are available to them. The world of health care is the focus of the junior year via Honors Physiology and Medical Technology – two courses that together provide students with the academic knowledge and the development of patient care, first aid and clinical lab skills. The students, during their junior year, are all provided the opportunity to shadow multiple professionals in hospital and clinic settings in order to see, first hand, the application of their knowledge. The final year of the program is quite sophisticated as the seniors spend a year studying the complex topic of Bioethics and are involved working with DNA and proteins in the Biotechnology Lab. During the Biotech labs, students are participating in a world wide project called the Barcoding Initiative to help document sections of mitochondrial DNA of species of local Channel Island rockfish and contribute to an international database.

Academy Director: Wendi Butler
Academy Staff: Darcy Perez and Richard Geib