Dr. Sengyong Lee earns President’s Award for Excellence in Instruction

BLOOMINGTON – Ivy Tech Community College-Bloomington’s campus has selected Sengyong Lee, Ph.D., Professor and Chair of Biotechnology, as recipient of the 2014 President’s Award for Excellence in Instruction. As the regional President’s Award recipient, Dr. Lee was recognized at a ceremony in Indianapolis on Wednesday, June 25. Also, as President’s Award recipient, he was nominated for the 2014 statewide Ivy Tech Glenn W. and Mary Catherine Sample Award for Excellence in Instruction, and was again recognized during a luncheon that was held on Thursday, June 26 in Indianapolis.

“Dr. Lee earned the regional President’s Award for demonstrating excellence in instruction, for his significant contributions to students and regional life sciences employers, and for his numerous grants and awards that have enabled him to provide a rigorous biotechnology education for Ivy Tech students,” Chancellor Jennie Vaughan said. “I want to congratulate Dr. Lee for winning this prestigious regional award and for his nomination for the statewide excellence in instruction award.”

Dr. Lee earned his Ph.D. in molecular biology from Miami University and worked with Dr. Jose Bonner at Indiana University for his postdoctoral fellowship. Dr. Lee has developed and taught many courses and certificate programs in Medical Device/Biotechnology at Ivy Tech, the largest state funded educational institution in Indiana.

In 2004, Ivy Tech-Bloomington implemented its two year associate’s degree program in Biotechnology based on the collaboration with its life science industry partners like Eli Lilly, Baxter, and Cook. Today, many of Ivy Tech-Bloomington’s graduates of biotechnology are working as technicians or pharmaceutical manufacturing operators at major life science companies.

Including the Northeast Biomanufacturing Center and Collaborative project, Dr. Lee has been involved in several educational projects that are funded by grants from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Labor.

Dr. Lee has an impressive listing of honors and awards, professional presentations, and publications, including a $15 million grant award from the U.S. Department of Labor (2012-2015), and being named one of the top influential players in the Life Sciences by Indianapolis Business Journal (2011).

For more information about Ivy Tech-Bloomington’s biotechnology degree program, log on www.ivytech.edu/academics.

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Honors and Awards

A $15 million Grant Award (#TC-23761-12-60-A-37) from the US Department of Labor’s TAACCCT Round II to Community College Consortium for Bioscience Credentials (C3BC), a 12 community college consortium, 2012 – 2015,  project director for Ivy Tech Community College ($1.03 million sub-award) and the director of the Medical device Hub.

A Regional Center of Excellence Grant Award from National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education Program to Northeast Biomanufacturing Center & Collaborative (NBC2) Phase III, 2012 – 2015, one of the co-Principal Investigators in the grant representing Ivy Tech Community College ($114,493) and the Midwest Regional Hub.

A $549,798 Project Grant Award (DUE-#0703033) from National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education Program, “Life Sciences Technical Training in Southern Indiana”, 2007 – 2011, the Principal Investigator with my co-PI, Dr. James J. Bonner, at Indiana University.  This grant project was successfully completed.

NSF ATE grant project (#0703033), “Life Sciences Technical Training in Southern Indiana” was selected as one of four National Science Foundation’s Highlight Projects in 2011 by the National Science Foundation’s Directorate of Education and Human Resources (EHR). Only a few of the many projects funded by the Division of Research on Learning (DRL) at NSF are highlighted each year for their exemplary work. In 2011 EHR designated only 4 of the 33 projects submitted by DRL for review as NSF Highlights. Dr. Lee’s project was selected as one the four highlight projects.  Highlight ID: 21787, Version: Directorate

Dr. Lee was selected as one of the top influential players in the Life Sciences by Indianapolis Business Journal’s who’s who in the State of Indiana in 2011, ttp://www.ibj.com/whos-who-in-life-sciences/PARAMS/article/27556

He received two Ivy Tech Community College Bloomington Chancellor’s Red Apple Awards for Outstanding Faculty Member in 2005 and 2007.

Presentations

Presented at the 10^th Annual Community College Program Day at BIO 2013 in Chicago, IL, April 22, as a panel member for Leveraging Federal Funding to build stronger bioscience programs Panel “The TAA Community College Consortium for Bioscience Credentials”

Presented at the 8^th Annual NBC2 BIOMAN 2013 Conference in Blue Bell, PA, July 15-18, as a panel member for Education – Active Learning, Regulation, and Certification

Organized and hosted the first National Medical Device Skill Set Harmonization Conference at Ivy Tech Community College – Bloomington, March 26^th &27^th, 2013,This conference was funded by the DOL TAACCCT’s C3BC grant

Presented at the AAAS Community College Forum in Washington DC, February 17, 2011 “Bio/Medical Device Manufacturing Training Program at ITCC Bloomington”

Organized and hosted the 2nd Biosciences Educators Alliances for the Midwest (BEAM) Meeting at Ivy Tech Community College Bloomington August, 2010

Organized and hosted 2010 Biomanufacturing Conference at Ivy Tech Community College – Bloomington July, 2010

Presented at the 16^th National ATE Principal Investors Conference in Washington DC October 2009, “Process Development Project Using DEAE Ion Exchange Chromatography”

Organized and hosted the 1^st Biosciences Alliances for the Midwest Meeting at Ivy Tech Community College Bloomington September, 2009

Served as the panel presider at the 6^th Annual Community College Program Day at BIO 2009 in Atlanta, GA, Meeting Biotechnology Workforce Development Needs Through Innovative Certificate Programs at Community College panel

Presented at the 15^th National ATE Principal Investigators Conference, Washington DC 2008, “Comprehensive Biotechnology Education at Ivy Tech Community College Bloomington Indiana

Presented at the 5^th Annual Community College Program Day at BIO 2007 in Boston, MA, as a panel on Innovative Model for Teaching Students the Business of Biotechnology

Publications

Impact Magazine’s special edition for Community College Consortium for Bioscience Credentials, December 2013

Lee, S., Carlson, T., Christian N., Lea K., Reilly J.P., and Bonner, 2000, J.J. Yeast HSF  changes conformation in response to superoxide and temperature. Mol. Biol. Cell 11(5):1753-1764.

Lee, S., Owen H.A., Prochaska, D.J., and Barnum S.R. 2000, HSP16.6 is involved in the development of thermotolerance and thylakoid membrane stability of the unicellular cyanobacterium, Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803.  Curr. Microbiol. 40(4):283-287.

Lee, S., Prochaska D.J., Fang F., and Barnum, S.R. 1998, A 16.6 kilodalton protein in the cyanobacterium, Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, plays a role in the heat shock response.

Curr. Microbiol. 37(6): 403-407.