![]() “We are extremely grateful to Sarah and Tracy Wilkins for their stalwart support to ensure the Biotech in a Box program continues to empower teachers and inspire students in classrooms across the commonwealth,” said Rob McCarley, executive director of the Fralin Life Sciences Institute. The $1.5 million endowment will be used to exclusively support new initiatives or instruction models as well as continuing education opportunities that expand and improve upon the mission of life-sciences outreach. Kristi DeCourcy was hired as the founding program manager to build the infrastructure and develop additional kits.Īs a visionary champion of scaling up life sciences research, teaching, and outreach at Virginia Tech, Wilkins, along with his wife, Sarah, now have established the Tracy and Sarah Wilkins Outreach Innovation Fund. In 1994, Dean and Wilkins launched the Biotech in a Box outreach program with a DNA biotechnology kit shipped to eight schools. ![]() Wilkins recognized an opportunity to give back. Through Virginia Tech-led workshops held for high school teachers around the commonwealth, Wilkins and colleague Dennis Dean, University Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry, discovered that many schools could not afford the equipment and supplies needed for science labs and experiments. Remembering how a teacher had changed his life, Wilkins realized that by providing tools and resources to teachers, he could make science more accessible to students. In 1993, as the founding director of the Virginia Tech Fralin Biotechnology Center, Wilkins wanted to reimagine what science could look like for a new generation of students, just as the exhibits had done for him. “When I was in 10th grade, a teacher really saved me by interacting with the other teachers and explaining I had other abilities,” said Wilkins.Īt about the same time, DuPont visited his school, bringing two tractor trailers filled with chemistry and engineering exhibits. But a teacher looked beyond these difficulties, recognizing his potential. ![]() ![]() Tracy Wilkins knows firsthand the life-changing impact a teacher can have on a student.Īs a high school sophomore, Wilkins struggled academically, especially when it came to adding columns of numbers and spelling. ![]()
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