Amgen Beefs up Biotech STEM Program with $4 Million
The Amgen Foundation is expanding its Amgen Biotech Experience program with additional funding of more than $4 million in an effort to expand the science program to an additional 1,000 teachers and 150,000 students in the United States and elsewhere.
The program aims to bring biotechnology into science classrooms through teacher professional development, research equipment, curricula developed by Amgen scientists and educators and engaging labs. The increased investment will also improve the program's alignment with the Next Generation Science Standards.
"The Amgen Biotech Experience gives students the confidence that they belong in science," said Wendy Wooten, a teacher at Reseda High School, in a prepared statement.
"We are very excited to extend our commitment to the Amgen Biotech Experience, a program that began 25 years ago, with the intent to ignite a deep passion for innovation and scientific discovery in students," said Robert A. Bradway, chairman and chief executive officer of Amgen, in a news release. "This program, which provides advanced biotech curriculum and professional-grade lab equipment at no cost to schools, has opened countless students' eyes to the world of biotechnology, fueling potential long term advancements to both medicine and society."
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Joshua Bolkan is contributing editor for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe. He can be reached at [email protected].