Clayton Middle School students Tamia Mars and Brittany Young were featured speakers at the 2009 Kenan Fellows Showcase on Oct. 9 at the Friday Institute on the campus of N.C. State University.

Brittany and Tamia spoke of the experiences they have had in Lori Stroud's class in exploring biotechnology. Stroud, a 2010 Kenan fellow, teaches exploring biotechnology and career decision-making at Clayton Middle.

Stroud's Kenan Fellow project is titled "A Day in the Life: Exploring Biomanufacturing Careers." Her mentor is Rick Lawless of the Biomanufacturing and Education Training Center at N.C. State. Stroud's curriculum project includes activities that allow students to mimic the day-to-day work of the biomanufacturing industry. Students simulate the biomanufacturing process by growing cultures of yeast cells on petri dishes and in small-scale bio reactors. Students also learn about the duties, education, training and salaries of biomanufacturing careers.