March 29, 2016 (CAMBRIDGE, MA)—The MassBioEd Foundation announced today that it will award $100,000 to public high school teachers and their schools to be used to purchase lab equipment and consumables that support life sciences-related laboratory activities through the 2016/2017 BioTeach Training and Equipment Grant program.
Grant awardees will receive up to $12,000 to purchase equipment must be used to implement a specific laboratory or activity that provides students with an authentic, hands-on science experience. As a key part of the program, teachers chosen to receive grant funds will also receive intensive, lab-based training.
“Studies conclusively show that students who partake in hands-on, lab-based activities learn more and are more likely to continue studies in the life sciences,” said Peter Abair, Executive Director of MassBioEd. “Through this equipment grant program, MassBioEd affirms its commitment to sustain support for public high schools in need, their teachers, and their students.”
BioTeach, MassBioEd’s flagship program strives to deepen the ability of public high school teachers to more fully engage students through lab-centered, inquiry-based instructional techniques. BioTeach provides training to approximately 150 public school teachers annually, benefitting thousands of public high school students.
The BioTeach Equipment Grant Program had been funded through a grant from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center in recent years. In 2016, MassBioEd is using its own funds, raised from contributions from life sciences companies and private foundation donors, to support the grant program. Applications for the BioTeach Training and Equipment Grant will be accepted through May 1, 2016.
“Employment in the Massachusetts biotechnology industry has grown by 38 percent in the past 10 years,” said Bob Coughlin, President and CEO of MassBio, the state’s biotechnology industry association. “MassBioEd is providing a vital role in helping Massachusetts public schools deliver the science programming that will help more students discover careers in the local life sciences industry.”
The grant application is now available online at https://www.massbioed.org/events/245-2016-2017-bioteach-training-and-equipment-grant. Applications for the BioTeach equipment and training grant program are due before 5 p.m. on May 1, 2016. Awardees will be notified by June 7, 2016.