MCCC’s Medical Laboratory Technicians Club Presents at Boys and Girls Club Conference
11/15/19
West Windsor, N.J. – Mercer County Community College (MCCC) Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT) students and faculty once again worked with the Boys and Girls Club of Mercer County last week, as the Club held its annual Teen STEM Conference in Lawrenceville.
On Nov. 7, MCCC Medical Laboratory Technology Professor Lisa Shave and students Christine Dizenzo and Jessica Lafrennie attended the conference with Biology Professor Laura Blinderman to host the panel “Microscopic Wonders of the World.” This is the second consecutive year Mercer attended the event. In 2018, approximately 150 students came to MCCC’s Conference Center for the occasion, which included a pair of workshops on both Medical Laboratory Science and Coding in conjunction with Blinderman, as well as Associate Professor Terry Voldase from the Business Division.
This year, Shave, Dizenzo and Lafrennie’s workshop highlighted an introduction to general and clinical microbiology, as well as an outline of professions in the medical laboratory science field.
“Students learned how to operate a brightfield and a digital microscope in order to visualize cellular organisms known as protists and rotifers,” Shave said.
Shave added that the students were also guided through a loop to culture bacteria on agar, as well as used a reagent test strip to analyze urine for the presence of glucose indicating diabetes mellitus.
“These are activities that are real applications of medical laboratory techniques,” Shave said.
Calling the day, “a total success,” Shave and her students were incredibly pleased to have partook in the conference. “It was a great day promoting our college’s science departments, and the students were thoroughly engaged and excited to participate!”
“These are students who will eventually be looking at their post-secondary education options,” she added. “It’s important that they know about opportunities some of which are available right in their back yard.”
From left: Biology Professor Lisa Shave, Biology Professor Laura Blinderman, and students Jessica Lafrennie and Christine Dizenzo.
Biology Professor Lisa Shave instructs a group of eager learners at the Boys and Girls Club of Mercer County.