Barton alumnus Dr. James Robl examines cells on a screen along with an employee at his Hematech laboratory in Sioux Falls, S.D., April 2003.

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"I have to say that Barton not only prepared me for the next step at Kansas State, but did an excellent job in preparing me for my masters, Ph.D., and post-doc, and eventually a career as a scientist. I have absolutely no regrets about spending the first two years at Barton County. It was an excellent education with small numbers of students in classes and a lot of one-on-one help with instructors."

- Dr. James Robl, Leading Scientist and Barton Alumnus

Dr. James Robl, a pioneer and leader in the field of transgenic cloning and biotechnology and a world-renowned scientist, owes his start to a small community college in central Kansas. Robl attended Barton County Community College for two years and earned an associate’s degree in biology in 1975.

As a scientist, Robl became the first to clone a genetically engineered cow in January 1998. While a researcher and a veterinary and animal science professor at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Robl successfully cloned George and Charlie, calves that were born on a Texas farm. Robl left the realm of academia in 2000 to become co-founder of Hematch, a biotechnology firm, located in South Dakota and Connecticut.

Hematech’s mission is to create human antibodies that can recognize disease-causing invaders and eliminate them from the body. Robl’s research holds promise of one day being used to create medicines to treat immune deficiency disorders, cancer, bio-terrorism, antibiotic-resistant infections, or recurring respiratory and ear infections.