To celebrate and recognize the outstanding advocacy for and support of biotechnology educational programs in Massachusetts, the MassBioEd Foundation is hosting its 3rd Annual Champions for Biotechnology Education Awards Reception on Tuesday, November 27th at the UMass Club in Boston.
The following individuals and company will be honored as the 2018 Champions for Biotechnology Education:
Udit Batra, CEO of MilliporeSigma
As an engineer, Dr. Batra is deeply aware of the value of solid grounding in the fundamentals of science and evoking a learning mindset through curious investigation. Under his leadership, MilliporeSigma has invested in three main areas of science education, which include direct-to-student programs, teacher preparation and advocacy, and science centers and museums. Batra and his team introduced the Curiosity Cube™ mobile science lab, a retrofitted shipping container where students interface with many scientific tools and concepts that relate to real-world industry trends. MilliporeSigma also formalized a partnership with Seeding Labs to provide lab equipment, training, and opportunities to scientists in developing countries.
Lindsey L’Ecuyer, a biotechnology teacher at Andover High School
As an educator at Andover High School, L’Ecuyer has been instrumental in illuminating biotechnology 
career pathways for her graduates. She continues to grow the biotechnology program at Andover High and has implemented more authentic life sciences labs into regular life sciences classes and after school activities. Through her efforts, Andover students receive high quality, engaging and relevant life sciences curriculum that prepares them for the demands of the 21st century. Even more, L’Ecuyer continuously shares her teaching expertise and insights with other educators and has helped to create a community of practice that promotes the MassBioEd mission by guiding and supporting teachers to adopt more hands-on learning and student-centered activities.
Takeda Pharmaceuticals
Support from the biotech industry, especially those companies with a large presence in Massachusetts, has been critical to MassBioEd’s efforts in expanding its education programs, and Takeda has been a true leader in this regard. Takeda has been a long-standing supporter of education-focused and community centered organizations through its Living Through Giving program and has been an active contributor to MassBioEd’s BioTeach program.
Individual donations for the reception are $150 and all proceeds of the evening go towards supporting MassBioEd, which focuses on growing the life sciences workforce. We’re projecting that the industry will need to fill nearly 12,000 new jobs in the next 5 years, and that starts with getting young people excited and engaged in the life sciences.
We hope you’ll congratulate these honorees for the important work they’re doing to ensure our industry can continue its impressive growth and attract the best and brightest young minds.
If you’re interested in attending the reception, you can register here.