"I have them wear lab coats and gear and everything," says Sheena Nicole Odom, biotechnology teacher at Northside High School in Columbus, Georgia. "The number one experience I can give them is to treat them like scientists. We do things like scientists; we are scientists. And at the end of the day, my students leave here confident."

With 14 years of real-world experience as a zoologist, Odom brings authentic scientific practice into her classroom. Through Northside's biotechnology magnet program, she prepares 100 students annually not just for college, but for real careers in biotech.

"We're developing workers beginning at the high school level," Odom says. "We prepare them for a college university but also empower them to leave high school and have the opportunity to get a job in a lab or hospital."

To make that vision possible, Odom turned to Labster’s virtual simulations, giving her students hands-on opportunities to explore, fail, and try again in a safe, cost-effective environment. The result: a classroom buzzing with curiosity, collaboration, and confidence. Her students are leaving high school ready to thrive in university labs, medical research, and beyond.

‍Key Takeaways

• Sheena Odom treats students like scientists from day one with authentic lab experiences backed by 14 years as a zoologist
• Northside's biotech magnet program prepares 100 students annually for college and careers with hospitals and biotech companies
• Virtual simulations enable practice and repetition without budget constraints, building confidence through real scientific thinking

From Field Research to the Classroom

Odom spent 14 years as a zoologist in field and lab settings before bringing that expertise to Northside High School's biotechnology magnet program about four years ago. The program draws students from around Muscogee County who are serious about STEM careers.

When she first arrived in the classroom, she observed a traditional, teacher-focused setting. Students sat quietly, but they weren't engaged in learning or asking questions. She quickly pivoted to inquiry-based, student-centric instruction rooted in her field experience.

"What positions me uniquely is that I've been able to take actual in-field experience and share it with my kids," she explains. "All the schooling in the world won't prepare you to actually apply it in the field if you don't have curiosity and the courage to try and fail."

Her philosophy is simple: treat students like the scientists they're becoming. But making that vision scalable requires resources most schools don't have.

Making Scientific Practice Accessible

"PCR reactions are expensive," Odom says. "At most I can do two, and there are so many different cool labs out there. But at $600 for one class it's just not feasible."

To give her students authentic scientific experiences without budget constraints, Odom started using Labster virtual simulations for her Essentials of Biotech (juniors) and Applications of Biotech (seniors) classes. She also shares Labster with AP Chemistry at Northside.

The virtual simulations provide exactly what scientists need: a safe space to practice, explore, make mistakes, and iterate until they get it right.

"I would say that one of the primary motivators for me to work with Labster is the opportunity for them to fail and try again. Students can say, 'This did not work out. Let's see what we can fix and attack a different way.'"

Labster also fits seamlessly into her 55-minute class periods. "What's brilliant about them is that they're not that long—25-30 minutes. That's a really good time frame to get through a prelab. Students have time to fail, try again, fail, try it again, re-watch simulations."

The Transformation: From Quiet to Confident

This year, Odom has noticed a dramatic shift in how students engage with scientific thinking.

"I hear my students talking it out much more than they did before," Odom says. "I know that they got that from Labster because in the previous years, I haven't heard that much discussion as to why they can or cannot do something. They are absolutely more engaged because they feel more confident."

Reading background information or instructions isn't the same as hands-on experience. The simulations engage students to be critical thinkers—they have to figure out why they're doing something, not just follow steps. And even though Labster guides them through the process, the ability to fail and try again is always there.

"I think that ability to fail is probably the number one feature that I like," Odom says. "Our students are not only prepared in theory, but they can execute in a real world experience so much faster," she says.

Real-World Outcomes

The results speak for themselves. Students from the program go on to attend top universities including University of Auburn, University of Georgia, Duke, Dartmouth, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Emory University, Mercer, Spellman, Morehouse, and Kennesaw State University.

Even more impressive: many don't wait until after graduation to enter the workforce.

"We're able to get a lot of our students into internships, often paid internships, coming out of this program or even during this program. I've got several that work at the hospital right now."

"Several of my students are currently employed or interns as laboratory technicians in university research facilities and are even conducting their own independent experiments," Odom adds.

What's Next

And Odom's approach is spreading. Teachers across Northside High School's science department want to bring Labster into their AP classes.

But for Odom, the real measure of success isn't partnerships or technology—it's the students walking out of her classroom ready to think, act, and succeed like the scientists they've become.

"At the end of the day, my students leave here confident."