volume 4, Issue 5
a note from the directors
Jaime Abdilla and susan gold
IN THIS ISSUE
This issue celebrates the BTI Class of 2022 who had a special graduation ceremony on June 1. We are also featuring the Class of 2025 who met each other for the first time at a pizza party in April of course, a BTI newsletter wouldn't be complete without showcasing students in the lab, presenting projects, and having fun at our social events.
FUNDRAISING UPDATE
We are so appreciative of the BTI and the Carlmont Academic Foundation (CAF) fundraising partnership, which provides the capital necessary for all of the events, special activities and opportunities, and materials that we use in BTI. We thank the many generous families that have financially contributed to the BTI program this year - you have raised $46,658.39 towards our goal of $50,000. We are SO close to reaching our goal for the school year. It is not too late if you want to contribute to our fundraising efforts for the 2021-2022 school year.
Donations can be made at https://carlmontacademicfoundation.org. When donating, there is a drop-down menu under "Donor Information" specifically for BTI families; here you can select the percentage of your donation that will go to BTI. Please choose how you’d like your donation to be distributed.
thank you, Faith velschow and oscar fabic
We cannot begin to express our gratitude toward Faith Velschow. Her contributions have been crucial in BTI becoming the stellar program it is today. From heading up our advisory council and parent committee to organizing our sophomore symposiums and junior mentor program, Faith has been an invaluable resource to our students and staff. As Faith focuses her energy on the Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs of the entire district, she is passing the mentor torch to BTI’s senior English teacher, Oscar Fabic, who will serve as BTI’s new mentor coordinator. If you have leads on mentors or guest speakers please contact him at ocortez@seq.org.
senior bonding Day
The BTI staff loves to celebrate our graduates with one last special bonding event! With an impressive escape rate of 100% from the Red Room Escape Room and a delicious picnic, the Class of 2022 made new memories and reminisced about old ones during this fun-filled day!
... and we escaped!
... and don't forget about us...we escaped too!
Senior Capstone biomanufacturing projects
Biomanufacturing is a college-level capstone course for BTI seniors. This spring semester, our students leveraged their three years of skill development and ingenuity to create their own biotechnology products. They conducted biological research and development, testing, analysis, and quality control, and they executed production. Moreover, they conducted a financial analysis necessary to bring their product to market and produced marketing components for their product including its name, label, and packaging. How cool is that? The Biomanufacturing course, a dual-credit course, is co-taught by Ms. Leslie Burndon, a Carlmont teacher, and Dr. Nick Kapp, a Skyline College professor.
check out the creativity of these student scientists!
AMAFIZZ BATH BOMBS
Our product is a bath bomb that contains amylase which we extracted from sweet potato by blending it with sodium phosphate buffer then filtered and superfused it. We then added the solution with amylase to our bath bomb recipe - peppermint aroma - and waaa laaa! Our product cleans and replenishes the skin. It additionally helps soothe skin inflammation and results in healthy-looking skin. Amafizz is Amazing!
Bitterlicious!
Bitterlicious is a bitter nail polish made from organic bittermelons. The bitter chemicals organic to bittermelons are extracted and added to the product. This is made to help nail biters overcome the visually unappealing and unsafe habit of nailbiting. Great solution for all the nail biters!
Bi-Tag
Bi-Tag is a naturally-produced luggage tag made from home-grown Kombucha. It is durable, biodegradable, and inexpensive. No harm done. Who knew that Kombucha had so many applications!
Better leather
As you can see from the list of ingredients, our leather is made from coconut oil, wool, water, calcium chloride, sodium alginate, orange peels and glycerin. These all natural, organic and vegan ingredients create a durable, sustainable leather. With these traits, the product is well suited for flexible uses as the material moves and can hold its shape over time and use. It is a wonderful alternative to animal-based leather. It is a wonder what creative minds and science skills can produce!!
calcium drops
Calcium Drops is a new and simple calcium fertilizer for plants that suffer from calcium deficiencies or plants that bear fruit. It is made from two natural ingredients. Calcium from eggshells is extracted with the help of acid in lemon juice.
Cee's Bee's wax
Ever get frustrated when your food spoils prematurely? Well check out these students' new food wrap. Our product is a beeswax wrap infused with Vitamin C for longevity of your food.
chafe eraser
Chafe Eraser is a non-profit organization that provides users with an organic, vegan, all-natural solution to skin irritation. Just rub one dollop of Chafe Eraser on the affected area and you might see results. Chafe Eraser is one of the only organizations that provides an all natural, handmade ointment that is also vegan FOR FREE. You need Chafe Eraser because it will exfoliate your skin while also removing irritation.
How does it work you may ask? Chafe Eraser contains a bacteria-killing alcohol called menthol that was extracted from mint by letting them soak in ethyl alcohol for 2 weeks. That, mixed with aloe vera gel which contains antioxidants, works to kill bacteria and heal and exfoliate. Niceeeeee!
coconut rosemary conditioner bar
The coconut rosemary conditioner bar is designed to combat the effects of atopic dermatitis on the scalp. Atopic dermatitis creates irritation, redness, and discomfort on the skin. It is also heavily associated with the bacteria staphylococcus. Our product is designed to kill the bacteria that may cause irritation and moisturize the scalp and hair.
cllcs cosmetics color-changing lip tint
This all-natural lip tint combines skincare, cosmetics, and fun all into one. It will moisturize and nourish your lips instantly, provide anti-inflammatory effects, and change colors. The anthocyanins within the product are naturally-occurring pigments extracted from red cabbage and blackberries. The lip tint reacts to the pH of the wearer’s skin and whatever food or drink the wearer consumes. What starts as a deep purple, the Cyanidin changes to greens and blues at a more basic pH and a soft pink as it reacts to a more acidic pH by losing or gaining protons and that impacts light absorption. Now that is cool!
e.color
E.color is a non-toxic, bioluminescent paint that glows in UV light. It is made with GFP extracted from E.Coli. Imagine that on your ceiling at night!
Electrolyte chews
Our product is a natural and organic fruit chew. Our product aims to solve the problem of electrolyte imbalance and dehydration. Electrolytes are essential to the body as they are responsible for maintaining balance of fluids in and out of cells and proper nerve and muscle system function. We developed these by grinding dehydrated fruit into a powder then combining that with gelatin, water and lemon juice into a mold. It’s a tasty, convenient, and easy way to replenish the electrolytes in your body!
gummy bear necessities
Gummy Bear Necessities are an assortment of all-natural gummy bears, infused with vitamins. These vitamins are Vitamin C extracted from oranges, Vitamin D extracted from mushrooms, and Iron extracted from pumpkin seeds which are then mixed with an edible agar to make all natural gummies. We hope that with our product, we can help those with differing vitamin deficiencies obtain the vitamins they're missing, along with those who lack the ability to produce them naturally in their bodies.
FEel Iron and vitamin c supplements
Our FEel supplement is a natural supplement used to aid those with iron deficiencies and ease the effects of low iron levels by extracting iron from Chia seeds and Vitamin C from oranges to powder form. Vitamin C present in the supplement allows the iron to be absorbed easier by the body due to the way that vitamin C stores iron, which sets our product apart from competitors.
J & J Gummies
There can never be enough gummies...am I right? These two student scientists developed daytime/nighttime gummies, caffeine for the am and melatonin for the pm. How smart is that! They used coffee beans to extract caffeine and bananas, to extract melatonin. These are the active ingredients used in J & J Gummies. What a great alternative to a morning cup of joe!
Jerry
Jerry is an all-natural sunscreen that rejuvenates and revitalizes your skin while protecting it from the sun's UV rays using zinc oxide nanoparticles extracted from peas and vitamin C extracted from orange peels. Vitamin C helps maintain collagen levels, which is a protein that has a restorative effect on skin cells keeping your skin looking fresh and supple. The zinc oxide nanoparticles absorb light in the UV spectrum, preventing UV rays from reaching the skin. Now that natural alternative will help keep oxybenzone out of the environment waterways!
JuiCy face
Our product is a vitamin C face serum designed to rejuvenate your skin making it appear more youthful and bright. Skin gets damaged as we age and dark spots and wrinkles begin to appear. Our product is designed to fix this problem by making people's skin look youthful and young even as they age. We created this product by extracting vitamin C from dried oranges and then combined that into a mixture of aloe vera, rose water, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid. And Waaa Laa! Juicy Face!
MaTea herbal tea
MaTea is an iron & magnesium infused gunpowder green tea. MaTea Herbal Tea is designed to increase iron and magnesium intake in order to encourage healthy DNA and increased levels of hemoglobin which will then help you to activate new levels of fitness. To make our product, we extract iron and magnesium from chia and pumpkin seeds respectively. Using magnets, we attract the iron for use. We then mix our extracted iron and magnesium with tea leaves to make MaTea!
Menthol plumping lip tint
Our mission is to boost our customers' confidence with young rejuvenated lips! We have created a three-in-one product that plumps the lips while acting as a moisturizing lip tint. The menthol in our lip-tint is an all natural and safe alternative to other lip augmentation treatments such as lip fillers and chemical based lip irritants.
Nahnose
This nasal spray contains a natural antimicrobial solution from mint leaves, Menthol. Menthol, plant’s natural defense against foreign bacteria, effectively destroys the cell walls of bacteria. Our product will wipe your nasal cavity of any bacteria or runny nose. An effective tool to clear your nose, it functions also as a fragrance spray!
IVANNY Eau de Parfum
A perfume directly engineered for the sun-seekers. For those seeking the inner bliss and stillness of nature throughout the day. When stress extends to your fingertips, a simple inhale can be all you have between tranquility and insanity. Our family manufactured perfume is a heavy, full fragrance filled with many intricate, light scents. Nothing is over powering, nothing is forgotten. The top notes lead to lovely hints of sweet flowers and kaffir leaves. IVANNY's middle notes house a warming aroma of vanilla and cinnamon. Finally, the bottom notes of this darling scent prove to be a beautifully combined lemon and rose fragrance. Were we to let you in to our secrets, you would find the following ingredients: Meyer Lemon, Orange, Jojoba oil, Vanilla Essential Oil, Cinnamon Essential Oil, Rose Essential Oil, flowers and fauna, water and ethyl alcohol. Woo hoo! Can't wait to try it out.
phytofusion face mask
alOur mission is to provide quality face masks that help every person feel more beautiful in their own skin. The masks contain phytoestrogen, which we extracted from flaxseeds, which has anti-aging properties and is good for overall skin health and wellness. Phytoestrogen helps stimulate collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid production which all helps the skin stay hydrated and firm. Our ingredients include phytoestrogen, aloe vera, mica powder, vegetable glycerin, alginate powder and ethanol. Very natural!
PROEGG PROTEIN POWDER
Our product is simple and easy and can be taken anywhere. Whether you want a protein-filled drink or traditional eggs, our product provides eggs on the go! You just need to dissolve in water for a quick drink or dissolve in water to be cooked into traditional eggs (check additional resources for instructions).
Styrelium
These two student scientists had a mission to help clean up our environment by reducing the use of styrofoam that pollutes our lands. They invented an eco-friendly alternative to styrofoam that utilizes mycelium to create protective packaging.
Sunny side up - biotin hair oil
Our product is a biotin hair oil that improves hair growth and strength. Sunny Side Up Hair Oil is manufactured from all natural materials including biotin extracted from egg yolks which helps stimulate keratin production at the scalp to help thicken hair, increase fullness and add shine. Biotin, the active ingredient, was extracted from egg yolks by separating the yolk from the rest of the egg and filtering the yolk through cheesecloth many times. this was then mixed in with jojoba oil and vanilla essential oil. A do good, smell good product!
BTI Graduation
This video, created by Ms. Abdilla, was played during the graduation ceremony. See how the BTI Class of 2022 has grown over the years!
Congratulations to the first recipient of the BTI Alumni Scholarship!
This year, a generous donor has established a $1500 scholarship for BTI seniors. The donor named it the BTI Alumni Scholarship and had two goals in mind:
First, to honor an exemplary BTI senior.
Second, the donor wanted to find a way to keep BTI alumni connected to the program. They envisioned our alumni raising funds for it each year and presenting the award at the BTI graduation ceremony.
The recipient of the first BTI Alumni Scholarship is remarkably impressive. When she was not dominating BTI Zoom Game Nights or identifying birds for her classmates and teachers, she was pursuing interests in music, art, and of course, science. She will also be attending UC Berkeley next year to pursue her dreams as a scientist. Congratulations to this outstanding senior!
Thank you, BTI alumnae and college graduates, Téa Pusey, and Hunter Crawford-Shelmadine for presenting the award at BTI graduation!
Where our graduates are headed
"It's It" the End of the Year Social
What better way to celebrate the end of the school year than by sharing some laughs over a delicious It’s It. All the best BTI social events are accompanied by food, and both staff and students enjoyed this classic treat.
African Violets
This year, the BTI juniors learned four different techniques for cloning plants. The most difficult and time-intensive method required students to transfer meristematic tissue from African Violets into tubes of plant tissue media and only 6 months later, we had success. Check out the new parents of singletons, twins, and even some triplets!
welcome BTI class of 2025
Why wait until Fall 2025 to meet your new BTI classmates? The BTI teachers were excited to meet the incoming class of 2025 with a pizza lunch, ice cream sandwiches, corn hole, and lots of laughs. We look forward to the next three years with this great group of students.
BUILDING A bti family COMMUnITY
Please consider donating to CAF to help support Carlmont and this amazing academic and professional three-year program that provides a strong learning community for our teens with content and experiences that they find relevant and challenging. Thanks to our partnership with CAF, when you donate, you can allocate up to 90% of your contribution to the BTI program. We encourage you to donate generously to both Carlmont and BTI.
GRANTS/CORPORATE DONATIONS
BTI parents, please check with your employers to see if they participate in donation matching or are open to providing a donation to the BTI program. One parent wrote a letter to their corporate office with supporting information, including a link to the newsletter, and was able to secure a $2000 to $3000 donation each year. Give it a go! It is usually the combination of corporate and parental donations that allows us to meet our financial goal each year. Thank you.
contact information
- Directors of BTI: Ms. Abdilla at jabdilla@seq.org and Ms. Gold at sgold@seq.org
- Coordinator of Mentoring: Oscar Fabic - ocortez@seq.org
- Senior Parent Class Rep - Jenna Tekeil - jennatekiel@outlook.com
- Junior Parent Class Rep - Lisa Wong - land.lisaw@gmail.com
- Sophomore Class Parent Rep - We will be looking for a Class Rep for the Class of 2025! Contact the program directors if you would like more information.