You are here

MassBay Professor Bruce Jackson Profiled in PBS Documentaries

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

WELLESLEY HILLS (December 12, 2012) – Massachusetts Bay Community College (MassBay) Professor of Biotechnology Dr. Bruce A. Jackson was selected by Public Broadcasting System (PBS)’s NOVA series to be profiled for their “Secret Life of Scientists” web-series. Four brief videos and an article about Dr. Jackson are now available for viewing on the The Secret Life of Scientists webpage. It is only the second profile the producers of the series have produced that features a scientist from a community college.

An excerpt from the posted article reads:

“Unlike most of the people we profile, Bruce Jackson doesn’t teach at a high-powered four-year college/university, but instead at a community college – MassBay Community College in Wellesley, MA. And it was there that Bruce created – and still runs – the school’s nationally renowned Biotechnology Department. Many of Bruce’s students are non-traditional students – students who had previously had fairly limited opportunities in their lives. But now, as Bruce likes to say, those same students are making him famous.”

 

Dr. Jackson has long been a standout of MassBay’s accomplished Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) academic division. Through his visionary Forensic DNA Science program, the only associate degree of its kind in the world, Dr. Jackson has reached unparalleled success. Due in large part to his leadership, MassBay has produced 17 Barry M. Goldwater Scholars, the most prestigious undergraduate honor in math, science and engineering. No other community college in America has produced more than two. He has also been honored as a Fulbright Scholar in Residence, a highly prestigious and competitive award which has allowed him to replicate his Forensic DNA program at the Catholic University of Portugal. Earlier this year Dr. Jackson received a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentor from President Barack Obama at the White House. Dr. Jackson was one of 11 individuals and four organizations that were named, and the only representative of a community college to earn the Award.

“The Secret Life of Scientists” is an Emmy-nominated web-series from the acclaimed PBS series, NOVA. “Secret Life” profiles today’s leading scientists and introduces its audience to their lives when the lab coats come off – like a biochemist who competed for Miss America and a microbiologist who’s a professional wrestler. In his profile, Dr. Jackson discusses his work using DNA science to trace familial roots to Africa, his love of scuba diving, and his mother’s reaction to seeing his photograph shaking President Obama’s hand in the Oval Office.

Within MassBay’s Biotechnology Department, students earn associate degrees in Biotechnology, Forensic DNA Science, and Marine Biotechnology. The College also awards associate degrees and certificates in over 60 academic programs in a wide range of career-driven subjects ranging from accounting and automotive technology to engineering and early childhood education. The College’s facilities in Wellesley Hills, Framingham and Ashland offer day, evening and weekend classes to meet the needs of degree-seeking students and career minded life-long learners. Online options provide convenience and allow faculty to facilitate the learning process. Since its founding in 1961, MassBay has been accredited by several governing bodies and strives to meet the needs of the diverse population it serves.

Registration is now underway for spring semester. Classes begin January 22nd.


MassBay awards associate degrees and certificates in over 60 academic programs in a wide range of career-driven subjects ranging from accounting and automotive technology to forensic DNA science and early childhood education. The College’s facilities in Wellesley Hills, Framingham and Ashland offer day, evening and weekend classes to meet the needs of degree-seeking students and career minded life-long learners. Online options provide convenience and allow faculty to facilitate the learning process. Since its founding in 1961, MassBay has been accredited by several governing bodies and strives to meet the needs of the diverse population it serves.