Institute which is initiating a new partnership with our Millennial Tech
Middle School. This excellent program will be formally announced at a news
conference at:
10 a.m. Friday, June 11, at Millennial Tech, 1110 Carolina Ln. (92102).
For more information, contact:
Kristie Grover, Director, BIOCOM Institute, (858) 455-0300, ext. 108
Helen Griffith, Principal, Millennial Tech Middle School, (619) 527-6933
Your coverage is invited.
Jack Brandais
Communications Department
San Diego Unified School District
(619) 725-5570 (Desk)
(619) 607-0477 (Cell)
+ + +
BIOCOM Institute Launches Science Volunteerism Campaign
Southern California Life Science Community Partners with San Diego Unified
Schools and the Obama Administration to Put Industry in the Classroom.
The BIOCOM Institute and The San Diego Unified School District today
announced a campaign designed to boost the number of life sciences industry
professionals volunteering in the district¹s middle school science
classrooms. Launched to support National Lab Day at Millennial Tech
Middle, the Science ACES (Advancing Classroom Education in Science) program
is one of the first industry-wide movements of its kind.
Developed by the BIOCOM Institute, the campaign will leverage lessons tied
to California State education standards from its Science Education Speakers
Bureau program, which started in 2008. The lessons are taught by industry
representatives who are members of BIOCOM, as well as retired and displaced
life science professionals.
³While there are efforts by individual companies to bring science into the
classroom, this program is unique because the entire life sciences industry
is getting behind the effort,² said BIOCOM CEO Joe Panetta. ³We have to
start at the grassroots level by showing students that science is fun,
fascinating and, yes, lucrative.²
Each module in the Science ACES curriculum can be taught by a volunteer
industry representative. Professionals are encouraged to not only teach the
lesson but show how the lessons are applied in the real world. Part of the
lesson allows professionals to discuss science career options with students.
³The goal is to make science come alive for students,² said Kristie Grover,
Director of the BIOCOM Institute.
³Middle school is a critical time for students. If we don¹t maintain their
interest in science during this crucial learning stage, it becomes much
harder in high school,² said Bill Kowba, Interim Superintendent of San Diego
Unified. ³This is why we are excited to be partnered with the BIOCOM
Institute in this ground breaking industry-wide initiative, ³ Kowba said.
San Diego Unified is the second largest school district in California and
eighth largest in the United States with over 130,000 students.
More than 50 volunteers from the local life sciences industry have already
signed up to participate in the program, through the BIOCOM Institute, a
non-profit, education-focused subsidiary of BIOCOM, the trade organization
representing Southern California¹s life science industry. ³This is a
critical initiative,² said David Webb, Vice President, Research & Site
Director, San Diego at Celgene. ³We need more students earning degrees in
science-related subjects to fill our future workforce needs. We fully
support the Science ACES program and will mobilize the company¹s workforce
to support it,² Webb said.
The Nation¹s Report Card shows the vital need for the Sciences ACES program,
and increased emphasis on STEM subjects in California¹s schools: San Diego
students' performance in the sciences ranked 48th nationwide, in both fourth
grade and eight grade testing. In the Program for International Student
Assessment (PISA), the U.S. stands 17th out of 29 nations in math and
science. ³Today, the U.S. drives innovation in most science disciplines but
other countries are producing the workforce to close that gap,² said Grover,
of the BIOCOM Institute.
Bringing together STEM (Science, Technology, Math, and Engineering)
professionals to make science exciting for students through Science ACES
also supports the Obama Administration¹s initiative for National Lab Day.
"National Lab Day is more than just a day. It's a nationwide initiative to
build local communities of support that will foster ongoing collaborations
among volunteers, students and educators," said National Lab Day Chairman,
Jack Hidary. "America needs more programs like Science ACES to help
maintain global competitiveness and keep jobs."
Initially the Science ACES program is available to all San Diego Unified
middle schools. It was launched at Millennial Tech Middle School, because
it is a STEM magnet school. ³We have a diversified student body but a
large part of our students come from the local community,² said Helen
Griffith, Millennial Tech Principal. ³Our students perform at a high level
and the Science ACES program is just what we need to further motivate the
students about careers in the sciences by showing them how science is
applied in the real world. This integration will help better them for
college success and careers within the STEM field.²
While the Science ACES program is being launched at Millennial Tech, it will
ultimately be available to all middle schools in San Diego County. As the
ranks of volunteer professionals increase and funding grows, the BIOCOM
Institute expects to serve all K-12 San Diego County schools in the future.
About BIOCOM
BIOCOM represents more than 550 member companies in Southern California. The
association focuses on initiatives that position the region's life science
industry competitively on the world stage, and on the development and
delivery of innovative products that improve health and quality of life.
This includes initiatives in capital formation, public policy, workforce
development, and member services. For more information please visit
http://www.biocom.org <http://www.biocom.org/> .
About the BIOCOM Institute
With its support of scientific education and the continuous promotion of
Southern California¹s world-class colleges and universities, the BIOCOM
Institute encourages systemic change through collaboration and outreach. The
mission of the BIOCOM Institute is to offer and advance education programs
that increase science literacy and training. For more information please
visit http://www.biocominstitute.org.
About Millennial Tech Middle School
www.mtechmiddle.org <http://www.mtechmiddle.org/>
About San Diego Unified School District
www.sandi.net <http://www.sandi.net/>
You are a subscriber to the news release mailing list for the San Diego Unified School District. To unsubscribe, send a message to "media@lists-sandi-net" with the word "unsubscribe" in the body of the message. For an archive of these releases, go to http://sdusd-news.blogspot.com/
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