SF State master's program links business, science

With the help of a $700,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, San Francisco State University in 2010 launched a professional science master’s degree. The program combines training in business and science and includes internships with Bay Area companies.
Four students — three with NSF fellowships and one funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine — graduated from the program in December. Samantha Kubeck is a research associate at Nodality Inc. in South San Francisco; Adam Harvey is a researcher at SanBio Inc. in Mountain View; Casey Haynes is a scientist/business consultant with BetaStem Therapeutics Inc. a San Francisco stem cell therapy startup; and Joy Chananukul works for Cellerant Therapeutics Inc. in San Carlos.
Two additional students who started the program in 2010 but did not receive fellowships are finishing their internships and will likely graduate in May. Nine students began classes in fall 2011.
Lily Chen, professor of biology and director of the professional science master’s program in biotech/stem cell science, spoke recently with San Francisco Business Times biotech and education reporter Ron Leuty about the program.