In these days of stiff competition for coveted new businessesand industries, progressive communities are seeking any and everyadvantage they can find in the economic development game.

At Bogue Chitto Attendance Center, officials and students are inthe early stages of a program that has the potential to reap greatdividends for Southwest Mississippi. Seven students are conductingprojects and learning about advanced science in the school’sBiomedical Research class, the only one of its kind in thestate.

The class is starting to gain statewide attention for the roleit could play in bolstering this area’s efforts in meeting theneeds of an ever-evolving economy. During a symposium last week atCopiah-Lincoln Community College, Mississippi Better BusinessBureau President Bill Moak – himself from Bogue Chitto – said thedevelopment of a biotechnical industrial base is predicted toreplace the Information Age as the next great phase of the Americaneconomy.

As more and more states and communities pursue biotechnicalcompanies, Moak said having a class in Bogue Chitto to start thetraining process for potential employees puts this area in anattractive position. He added that Bogue Chitto’s proximity to theUniversity of Mississippi Medical Center, under which the researchclass operates, is another plus since industries tend to locatewithin a 50-mile radius of research centers.

With the research class, which was initiated by teacher KathyMcKone, Bogue Chitto officials are demonstrating an adaptive,forward-thinking approach to education. Co-Lin officials are alsogetting on board as they are planning to incorporate similarclasses into the school’s curriculum in the near future.

The teaching approach, especially on the high school level,represents one that goes beyond the basic college preparatoryclasses and gets interested students started early on the pathtoward participation in a specialized career.

And with successful promotion of the class and industryrecruitment by area economic development officials, future studentsmay not have to go looking too far when it comes time for them toenter the world of work.