In a world shaped by biotechnology, why are so few college students exposed to its possibilities early on in their education? The Biotech Explorers Pathway (BEP) is changing that by immersing students in hands-on, real-world science from day one.

BEP, an interdisciplinary WashU Ampersand Program recently highlighted as a Career Feature in Nature Biotechnology, combines science, entrepreneurship, and teamwork, going beyond lecture-based courses. The program isn’t just about teaching fundamentals—it’s about preparing students to lead the next wave of biotech innovation.

From the classroom to the cutting edge

Traditionally, STEM education has shied away from subject integration, delaying opportunities for students to make connections and engage in interdisciplinary study. “We never integrate our introductory courses,” Joe Jez, the creator of BEP and Spencer T. Olin Professor of Biology, stated. “Biology is biology. Chemistry is chemistry. Math is math.”

BEP brings these subjects together at the very beginning, employing a three-semester structure that moves from fundamental biotech knowledge to research and project development, ensuring that students not only learn science, but also how to apply it. “We want them to see some of the science but in a context that’s not just equations and data and information,” Jez explained.

Beyond this scientific expertise, BEP prioritizes the soft skills that are often overlooked in higher education. “Teamwork, communication, writing, oral skills, organization, managing time, coming up with ideas,” Jez elaborated. “If you look at the real world, 95% of the time, when you get hired it isn’t about what your major is; it’s actually what you’re able to do as a player in a team.”

To develop these critical skills over the program, students meet with local industry leaders, participate in mock interviews, and collaborate on team-based biotech projects.

Those projects, which are researched and pitched in the final semester of the program, not only allow students to implement what they’ve learned during the program, but they also get to flex their creative skills, providing solutions for a wide range of issues, from pest control problems to the biomedical world.

“It’s been really cool to see where the students’ imaginations go,” Jez said.

Building biotech bridges

Beyond the classroom, BEP has also strengthened the connections between students, WashU, and the broader St. Louis biotech community, creating layers of network that exist outside of campus. BEP helps students recognize the opportunities that are available in their own city, exposing them to these local companies and entrepreneurs through class visits and field trips. “It’s a good way for students to realize that there is actually a vibrant economy here,” Jez explained.

And these connections go both ways. “Companies do want to have more interactions with the university, but they don’t know how,” Jez said. By inviting these industry professionals into the program, BEP serves as a bridge, allowing companies to collaborate and share. There’s also a potential for recruitment, and BEP students from years past who now work in the industry often return to the program, helping the next generation find their footing.

The future starts here

When talking about the goals of this program, Jez emphasized wanting to open students’ eyes to what is possible after college. “Everyone comes in with blinders on in terms of what they can do with what they think they’re going to be,” he said. BEP helps show students that there are countless paths within the biotech industry. There is more than one way to be a scientist.

With a decade of success behind it, BEP has proved its potential for impact. “It’s been something that breaks the mold of what you normally would be teaching, and how you would normally be teaching it, and I think that’s what has kept it going,” Jez said. “Ten years later, I’m still interested in it.”