About ABE-Greater Los Angeles
The Amgen Biotech Experience is an international education program funded by the Amgen Foundation. Additional funding and support are provided by New England BioLabs, the Orange County Biotechnology Education Partnership, LA/OC Biotech Center, the California Life Sciences/Biotech Initiative, the Foundation for Pierce College, Fullerton College, Pierce College and California State University-Channel Islands.
ABE Coordinators in Greater LA
Dr. Sherry Tsai has served as the Director of the Greater Los Angeles site of the Amgen Biotech Experience since 2013. Sherry is the Educational Outreach Director at the Oak Crest Institute of Science in Pasadena, where she leads the Institute’s education initiatives, working to increase science literacy, engagement, career interest and preparedness among K-12 students in the Greater Los Angeles area.
Sherry received a BS in Chemistry from Yale University and earned her PhD in Bioorganic Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology.
Grace Montgomery flunked retirement when she took on the job of scheduling and coordinating the ABE Kit Program. While still teaching, she did the Amgen labs with her middle school students. Now she takes an occasional class at PCC and, makes sure that her 50+ schools and 90+ teachers have a smooth and positive experience with their kit and or supplies.
It would be impossible for her to do this without the help and support of her mentor Dr. Wendie Johnston, the mentors that assist on workdays and, her assistant Ranelle Buck.
Contact her if you have any questions about the program or you are having issues doing the ABE labs with your students.
Dr. Jo Wu has been a Biology professor at Fullerton College since 1990. She serves as the director of the OC Biotech Education Partnership and coordinator of science summer camps, weekend Biotech Skills workshops and weekend research projects. Her team of talented instructional assistants ensure that fun, hands-on training occurs at multiple levels for junior high, senior high and college students. Saturday Production Days and Science Summer Camps give opportunities for students to gain lab experience and earn community service hours. The ABE-FC distribution center relies on Nicole Villagomez and Natalie Wu-Woods to prepare reagents and equipment kits for Orange County teachers.
Jo earned a BA in Biology from University of Missouri - Columbia and a Ph.D. in Cell and Developmental Biology from University of California - Irvine.
Carol Fujita retired in 2009, after 26 years in the high school biology classroom. That same year she started as a presenter for the ABE teacher training professional development workshops. In 2013, Carol became the coordinator for the Ventura/Santa Barbara counties area. To better serve the area teachers, she worked with the California State University Channel Islands, which has become a partner of the ABE program and the new home of the distribution center. One of the highlights of her teaching career was being named a recipient of the 2002 Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence.
Karin Steinhauer
Karin Steinhauer worked for many years in the fields of quality control and public health microbiology as well as veterinary medicine. In 2005 after working for Pierce College as the Anatomy/Physiology technician, Karin began working for the Bruce Wallace Biotech Program and had continued on as the Pierce Distribution site coordinator for the ABE program.