MATC announces opening of new biotechnology lab and program for students

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) is excited to announce a new lab and classroom that will be ready for students in the spring semester. It will prepare them for careers in biotechnology.

MATC remodeled part of its downtown campus to create a 2,000-square-foot lab where students will be able to use the latest computer technology, including artificial intelligence, to study biological responses to medical problems.

And whether we realize it or not, biotech is a pretty big part of our lives. 

"If you've had a vaccine, if you've taken antibiotics, if you've taken a pregnancy test, you've interacted with biotech," said Dr. Abigail Cannon, director of Biohealth Pathways, MATC. "So it's important to have you guys here, it's important for us to recognize that Wisconsin is growing in its biotech world, it's growing in biotech health and drug development, and that growth requires a workforce, a skilled workforce."

MATC's new lab was paid for with federal state and biotech industry funds.