Amgen remains deeply committed to investing in science education, particularly in our communities. Each year, more than 50,000 students and hundreds of science teachers participate in a real-world biotech lab experience in their own classrooms through this Amgen Foundation-funded program. The reach of the Amgen program has been extraordinary with more than 250,000 students to date exposed to the fundamentals of biotechnology across multiple Amgen U.S. and U.K. communities. By providing an advanced biotech curricula and loaning professional grade lab equipment to schools for free, the program succeeds in opening students' eyes to the world of biotechnology with lab experiences that lead them to the thrill of scientific discovery.
Harvard and Amgen create hands-on experiences
Last month, Harvard Gazette published "Learning Life in the Lab," an article about how Harvard uses the Amgen program to train and empower science teachers to give local high school students a hands-on biotech experience. Read the article
Praise from a grateful Ph.D.
David J. Welty is the teaching and learning supervisor for Fairhaven Public Schools in the Boston area. David has a Ph.D. in biochemistry and his students participate in the Amgen program. He recently wrote a letter to the Amgen Foundation expressing his gratitude and thanks. Read the letter
More about the program
Harvard is just one of nine Amgen Foundation grantees currently supporting this program in Amgen communities. With cuts to education budgets, the opportunity to participate in meaningful science experiments before college is becoming increasingly rare. The program integrates a hands-on, inquiry-based molecular biology curriculum that explores the steps involved in creating biotechnology medicines. It also offers outstanding teacher training and sustained classroom support. In a recent independent evaluation surveying more than 1,000 high school students, program participants showed significant gains in all categories relating to science: attitude, interest, confidence and knowledge, as well as interest in pursuing science as a career. Students from groups underrepresented in science, students in introductory biology classes, and students who will be the first in their families to attend college showed the most significant gains. Visit www.amgenbiotechexperience.com to learn more.
The Amgen Biotech Experience (formerly known as the Amgen-Bruce Wallace Biotechnology Lab Program) was recently highlighted as a successful model in a new report on Business Engagement in Education: Key Partners for Improving Student Success. Released at an event hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for a Competitive Workforce, the report focuses on raising awareness of the critical role the business community plays in partnering with schools and other stakeholders to support the learning needs of students and develop America's future workforce.