Like something out of a mad-scientist movie, the new Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center on Centennial Campus is full of bubbling beakers of strangely colored liquid, stainless steel tanks and an endless supply of piping and plumbing.

Bright lights shine in the labs and every surface is spotless and sterile.

The good news is that at the BTEC Center, the goal is to help people, not create the next Frankenstein monster.

Fermenters are the main workhorses in the BTEC center. Students grow microorganisms in the fermenters in a process similar to beer fermentation.

The microorganisms aren’t the main focus of their work however; it’s the proteins that the organisms produce that are the coveted prize.

“Green fluorescent protein is produced at the BTEC center,” Rick Lawless, associate director of the center, said.

He also pointed out that the protein is actually green, hence the name.

Proteins that students produce can be used to make things like vaccines, detergent enzymes and insulin.

The only catch is that the center doesn’t produce any products like insulin or enzymes. According to Lawless, everything that the students produce will be thrown away.

Students will also be responsible for purifying the proteins, Lawless said.

He said a total of $45 million has been put towards the building — $7 million alone for equipment.

The money for the center was donated by the Golden LEAF Foundation. The foundation receives one half of the money North Carolina receives from large tobacco settlements. The foundation then donates that money to projects to shift North Carolina’s economy away from tobacco.

Lawless said the Golden LEAF foundation donated about $38.5 million to the BTEC project.

The rest of the money for the center came from the state and North Carolina will continue to donate funds used for various things, including new equipment and technology and salaries for the center’s employees.

While there are many facilities similar to the BTEC center around the country, Lawless said N.C. State’s is-one-of-a-kind.

“The BTEC center is the first biomanufacturing facility of its kind that trains students,” Lawless said. He also pointed out that it is the biggest facility of its kind at 82,000 square feet.

While all of the other facilities around the nation only do research, Lawless said the Centennial Campus facility is the only one that prepares students to go directly into the biomanufacturing workforce.

Apart from the introductory courses, Lawless said every class is hands-on in the labs.

“Trained students are the product,” Lawless said.

Even though the center opened in July, students are showing an interest in what the center has to offer.

“The center is great, it prepares you for the industry,” Jemima Kariuki, a sophomore in chemistry with a minor in biotechnology, said.

Gathoni Wambugu, a sophomore in biochemistry with a minor in biotechnology, said the hands-on training means “doing what you were taught in class.” She said this better prepares students for completing tasks on the job.

Companies like Wyeth, Merck, and Diosynth are huge players in biomanufacturing and were part of the BTEC center’s development and are part of its operation.

“Companies like Wyeth help with the advisory board that meets quarterly,” Lawless said about the company’s involvement with the center’s curriculum and overall operation.

The BTEC center also allows juniors and seniors to become student employees. It provides guidance services that help with things like resume building and locating jobs for trained students.

The center is also involved in a K-12 outreach program. The center presents itself at high school career fairs and center employees and representatives teach students in high school and middle school about biomanufacturing and how to get involved in the field.

The center also works with school counselors and offers summer courses to help high school students get a head start on a possible career in biomanufacturing.

Lawless said the BTEC center can also help people in areas other than biomanufacturing.

“The BTEC center is also a good way for chemistry people to differentiate themselves,” Lawless said.