Community Lab San Diego
Community Lab San Diego is a 1,300-square-foot dedicated laboratory classroom where teachers bring their students to work side-by-side with Biogen Idec scientists. Opened in 2005, and in close collaboration with San Diego’s science education community, Community Lab San Diego programs were designed to meet the needs of the region’s teachers and students.
Community Lab San Diego offers the following:
The Community Lab San Diego is open to 7th grade life science classes throughout San Diego County. The hands-on inquiry-based experiences developed for the Community Lab have been designed to align with California’s science standards – making connections between the standards-based curriculum and real-world applications. Several different lab experiences are available that allow students to use scientific equipment and learn about the science behind drug discovery. For example, students test mock patient samples and conduct DNA testing.
Summer Institute for 7th Grade Life Science teachers
The Summer Institute enriches the 7th Grade Life Science Student Program by providing orientation and prerequisite training for educators planning to bring their classes to the Community Lab during the academic year. The program enhances the teaching and learning of science in the classroom through hands-on exploration of relevant topics in the biomedical field. Teachers perform the lab experiments prior to their students’ visits, while also learning about the drug development process. In addition, the Summer Institute provides opportunities to network with fellow educators and industry professionals.
Life Sciences Summer Institute for High School Science Teachers
Through funding from the President’s High Growth Jobs Training Initiative under the Department of Labor, the Community Lab hosts high school science teachers, in collaboration with the San Diego Workforce Partnership and BIOCOM. As part of this effort, teachers get the opportunity to experience the biotechnology industry firsthand and fine-tune their skills to become more effective in the classroom.