BACE Credential Earner: Matt Hyde

Name:

Matt Hyde

Organization:

Jasper County High School

Position:

Biotechnology CTAE Teacher and HOSA Sponsor

> About:

Matt is a BACE-accredited secondary science and CTAE teacher. He is in his 12th year as a teacher and has fallen in love with getting students active in the science lab and pursuing careers in the wide field of biotechnology. He is a HOSA sponsor and has students involved with the relatively new biotechnology competitions. Participating in the BACE educator training and becoming BACE credentialed has opened up his world to biotechnology career opportunities and helped him fine-tune his curriculum to prepare students for the challenges they will face in the field.

> Academic Program:

Matt’s program is part of CTAE in the state of Georgia and follows a pathway consisting of three courses: Introduction to Healthcare Science, Essentials of Biotechnology, and Applications of Biotechnology. The program has been active at his school for several years and now averages over 60 students per semester in the Essentials or Applications of Biotechnology courses. As the sole biotech teacher in his district, it is up to Matt—along with the support of his administration—to keep the program relevant and thriving.

> Content Area:

Matt was initially focused on physics before entering the world of biotechnology. He has come to love the field for its diverse topics and its relevance to modern challenges and future solutions that humanity will urgently need. Matt finds it easy to engage students with content they encounter in their daily lives, from discussions about preventing the next pandemic to ensuring crop survival amid climate change, and exploring the potential of curing diseases and cancer through bioinformatics, RNA engineering, vectors, and personalized medicine.

> BACE Experience:

Matt was first introduced to the world of biotechnology by his mentor teacher, Elisabeth Proctor, and later through GA Bio (now known as the Biotech Teacher Training Initiative). With guidance from Megan Heaphy at the organization, he learned about the opportunity for BACE training and soon began hosting BACE exams at his school. Jasper County High School administered its first BACE exam just last year. Matt particularly values the in-person BACE format, especially its hands on lab component, which has inspired him to incorporate similar practical assessments into his own unit exams.

> Success Stories:

Matt’s program is still relatively new to the BACE, with only a handful of students having passed the exam so far. One student is now off pursuing her dreams in college, while another is set to graduate high school this year.

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