What the Heck is Biotech?®
Integrate Biotech On Your Terms
Leverage LabCentral's deep expertise to explore a career, design a curriculum, or assess a partnership opportunity through What the Heck is Biotech?®–a customizable workshop series and part of LabCentral's Pathway Programs.
The Agile Discovery Method
What the Heck is Biotech?® (WTHIB) is a flexible discovery workshop designed by working biotech professionals. Sessions are customized to your goals. Whether that's helping students explore biotech careers, integrating biotech into your institution's curriculum, or assessing partnership opportunities.
- For students, it's a chance to work in a real biotech lab and gain career clarity.
- For educators and institutions, it's a way to deepen biotech education or explore collaboration.
- For workforce agencies, it's a curriculum-aligned pathway.
- For companies and sponsors, it's an introduction to LabCentral's talent ecosystem.
Whatever brings you here, you'll experience hands-on work in a professional biotech environment, learn from working professionals, and develop a deeper understanding of what modern biotech actually involves and the opportunities it creates.
Biotech Pathways, Built Together
Educators & Students
Help your students demystify biotech and explore it as a potential career path.
Higher Ed Institutions
Integrate biotech into your curriculum, design a new program, or partner on specialized training.
Workforce Agencies
Design biotech pathways for your clients or deepen your participants' skills.
Companies & Sponsors
Understand LabCentral's talent pipeline or support the next generation of biotech professionals.
How it Works
WTHIB adapts to your needs. Sessions can be:
- Workshops — 1-2 hour introductions to biotech for students and educators
- Institutional Partnerships — Custom sessions designed around your curriculum or program goals
- Curriculum Integration — Multi-session programs embedded into existing coursework
- Discovery Conversations — Deep-dive sessions for partners exploring biotech collaboration
Every format can include hands-on lab experience, instruction from working biotech professionals, and a genuine look at what modern biotech involves.
What Sets This Apart
- Hands-on lab experience: Work in a real biotech environment, not a classroom simulation
- Instruction from working professionals: Learn from biotech scientists and industry experts actively in the field
- Customized to your goals: Whether it's career exploration, curriculum integration, or partnership assessment
- Connection to LabCentral ecosystem: Direct exposure to residents, startups, and industry leaders shaping biotech
- Low barrier to entry: No prior biotech knowledge required
"Thank you for the warm hospitality and energetic experience at LabCentral. That was easily the most fun we had during our tour week—and incredibly valuable. You've created something truly unique."
Takuo Urushihara
Program Manager Venture Café Tokyo
A Gateway to Biotech Training and Careers
What the Heck is Biotech?® serves as both a standalone experience and the entry point to deeper biotech training as part of LabCentral's Pathway Programs:
- K-12 students who want to explore further move to Biotech Blend X (hands-on training).
- Adults and undergraduates typically move directly to Biotech Ready (credentialing + job placement).
- Institutions and workforce agencies partner with us on custom pathways — sometimes as a one-time introduction, sometimes as an annual or recurring program for different cohorts, or embedded in a curriculum.
However you engage, WTHIB connects you to a comprehensive approach to biotech education and workforce development.
Learning Lab
The Home of Hands-On Training
All of LabCentral’s Pathway Programs take place in our Learning Lab, a professional biotech environment equipped with industry-standard equipment. It’s where discovery becomes skill and theory turns into practice.
Our Reach & Partnerships
In 2025, WTHIB expanded to serve diverse audiences through strategic partnerships — collaborating with CIC, Venture Café, the Japan America Academic Center, and Tour Plus to bring biotech discovery to new communities. We also partnered with Binghamton University to deliver our first fully virtual session, and worked with the Boston Private Industry Council to amplify our reach into workforce development.
2025 at a Glance:
- 33 workshops hosted
- 962 individuals engaged
- 89% experienced a biotech lab for the first time
These numbers reflect our commitment to making biotech accessible, wherever people are, however they learn best.
Ready to Get Started?
Whether you're a teacher looking to bring What the Heck is Biotech?® to your students, an institution exploring partnership, a workforce agency designing a pathway, or a company interested in our talent ecosystem — let's talk.
Have Ready:
- Organization name and target audience
- Group size and preferred dates
- Delivery method preference
- Program goals
Investment:
Flexible pricing with sliding scale options for qualifying community organizations.