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:
- RxeSEARCH: An Educational Journey
Bristol-Myers Squibb led the development of an innovative curriculum on how medicines are discovered and developed. A fast-moving game reveals the complex world of pharmaceutical research and development as students battle simulated epidemics and study to bring new cures to patients. Players draw from their knowledge of biology, chemistry, social studies and language arts as they work through the stages of drug development, from initial research and discovery, to clinical trials, to the regulatory process and finally the marketplace – 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.
- 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.
- Robotics
Bristol-Myers Squibb is a major sponsor of six New Jersey high school robotics teams of FIRST (Foundation for the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). In addition to providing financial support for local high school teams, Bristol-Myers Squibb employees also regularly serve as mentors to students participating in robotics competitions.
- 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.
- 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.
- Middlesex County College Health Care Scholarships
Bristol-Myers Squibb supports scholarships at Middlesex County College in Edison, New Jersey, for students pursuing careers in health care, with a focus on those in the Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Treatment Program, where students learn how to help people with psychiatric disabilities through social, vocational and other challenges of daily life.
- Independent College Fund of New Jersey
The Independent College Fund of New Jersey helps talented students afford the cost of attending a private college. One recent Bristol-Myers Squibb grant directed to Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, is supporting students with an interest in the emerging disciplines of genomics and bioinformatics.
- United Negro College Fund
Bristol-Myers Squibb is proud to support the United Negro College Fund’s “Last Dollar” scholarship fund, which helps deserving African-American students pursue their interest in science at the university level by covering unmet financial needs.