Improving Science Education
Science is at the core of nearly everything we do at Bristol-Myers Squibb. As a leading BioPharma company, we are committed to making the study of science and technology exciting to young learners who will discover the miracle cures of tomorrow.
Through partnerships, we’ve established teacher training centers in colleges where students preparing for teaching careers, and educators already in the workforce discover new ways to inspire learners from elementary school through high school.
We’ve also designed programs of study – from single units to entire curricula – that engage students of all ages with fun, hands-on and inquiry-centered lessons.
Here are a few examples of our efforts to give back to the communities where our employees work and live:
- University Centers for Science Teaching and Learning
Located at Rider University and Montclair State University in New Jersey, and in development at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, these centers are dedicated to improving science education at the elementary and high school levels.
- Local Education Foundations
School budgets everywhere are under increasing pressure. In response, some communities have formed local education foundations to raise needed funds. Bristol-Myers Squibb supports a number of such foundations where our employees work and live. A recent grant to the New Brunswick Education Foundation in New Jersey introduced middle school students to the study of genetics. Another grant, to the Lawrence Township Education Foundation in New Jersey, purchased lab equipment and supplies for a new biology curriculum.
- RxeSEARCH: An Educational Journey
Bristol-Myers Squibb led the development of RxeSEARCH, an innovative educational initiative to teach high school students how medicines are discovered and developed. A fast-paced, 11-module curriculum reveals the complex world of pharmaceutical research and development as students study a simulated epidemic and work together to bring new cures to patients. Students draw from their knowledge of biology, chemistry, social studies and language arts as they work through the various stages of drug development, from initial research and discovery, to clinical trials, the regulatory process and finally commercialization – gaining insight into a range of pharmaceutical careers in the process. RxeSEARCH has been adopted by more than 40 high schools in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Iowa.
- Robotics
Bristol-Myers Squibb sponsors 11 FIRST (Foundation for the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics teams at high schools in New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts. In addition to providing financial support for teams, Bristol-Myers Squibb employees also regularly serve as mentors to students participating in robotics competitions.
- Connecticut Invention Convention
Each year, Connecticut Invention Convention challenges Connecticut’s school children to invent something that solves a common problem. Students present their inventions at local school competitions where volunteer judges pick finalists for a statewide Invention Convention at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. Financial support from Bristol-Myers Squibb and volunteer service from company employees are helping Connecticut Invention Convention in its mission to encourage critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills in children in grades K-8.
- Summer Scientific Research Programs
Support from Bristol-Myers Squibb helps students perform hands-on scientific research over the summer at two New Jersey institutions of higher learning. The College of New Jersey’s Mentored Undergraduate Summer Experience program, or MUSE, provides select undergrads of the Ewing, New Jersey, college a chance to spend their summer living on campus and conducting research in close collaboration with faculty mentors. Bristol-Myers Squibb supports a similar program at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey, that is also open to high school and graduate students.
- Drew University Governor’s School in the Sciences
Each summer, as a way to inspire more students to pursue scientific careers, Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, invites a select group of high school juniors to live on campus for an immersive, summer-long study of math and science. Contributions from various sponsors, including Bristol-Myers Squibb, lets the university offer its Governor’s School in the Sciences at no cost, opening doors for talented students from across New Jersey.
- SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
For 15 years, Bristol-Myers Squibb has provided funding to the State University of New York's College of Environmental Science and Forestry to assist in the recruitment and retention of ethnic minority students entering science careers. Programs at the college include bioprocess engineering, biotechnology, environmental biology and many others.