Episode 019- Leigh Pierce- LJCDS Middle School Science Teacher

Roots and Wings- Voices of Independent Schools

After 25 years working in the biotech industry, founding and running her contract development and manufacturing company, and being a global leader in single-use technology for the production of biologic medicines, Leigh Pierce sold her business. After the sale, she realized she had a unique opportunity to make science come alive for students.By creating a new course that offers a hands-on educational experience with the same techniques used in industry to make medicines, students will be able to take the theoretical and make it practical by utilizing different fields of science to make a biological medicine from live cells. Her goal is to challenge and inspire students by teaching them how to make a medicine and create that “A-HA” moment when a connection is made between a student and a new idea.

Ms. Pierce is a native San Diegan and graduated from San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Science in biology. Her career has included gene discovery, cancer and infectious disease research, process and technology development, biologics manufacturing for human clinical trials and the founding of two companies. Ms. Pierce has two daughters at LJCDS.

http://www.ljcds.org