Founding and Lead Sponsor in Collaboration
with the Vice Provost of Advances in Learning
at Harvard University
THOUSAND
OAKS, Calif., June 20,
2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Amgen Foundation today
announced an increased commitment to LabXchange, an online science
education platform that provides users with access to high-quality
science education resources at no cost. The Amgen Foundation is
expanding its impact on science education with Harvard's Vice Provost of Advances in Learning by
more than doubling their investment in LabXchange. As the founding
and lead sponsor of LabXchange, the Amgen Foundation has committed
$30 million to enhance science
learning opportunities for students and educators worldwide in
addition to the $13 million
previously donated.
LabXchange was launched in January
2020 to help educators and students discover, engage with
and share highly curated and personalized online lab experiments,
interactive lessons and videos. With over 16,000 resources, these
learning experiences complement in-person education to build
science literacy and inspire the next generation of scientists.
"By overcoming barriers of cost and geographical location,
LabXchange is helping to level the playing field, so learners of
all ages everywhere have access to world-class science education,"
said Judy Brown, senior vice
president of Corporate Affairs at Amgen and chairman for the Amgen
Foundation.
"We believe that everyone needs science, and that science needs
everyone. To date we've reached 20 million users in 230 countries
and territories around the world," said Gaurav Vazirani, managing director at
LabXchange. "To fully realize our vision, we aim to grow our global
science classroom from 20 million people to 50 million by
2025."
The additional funding contribution will allow LabXchange to
expand and deepen collaborations with STEM organizations worldwide,
and pursue opportunities to serve more learners, particularly in
communities that are underserved. Over the next three years, the
investment will also allow LabXchange to:
- Develop more data science, biotechnology and environmental
content
- Translate content into 30 languages
- Launch a new teacher ambassador network
- Increase content offerings that address racial inequity in
healthcare, education and STEM
- Expand content for middle schoolers
"COVID-19 has really pushed teachers to rethink their teaching
strategies and a top priority for me was to make my classroom
resources equitable for all students," said Uma Mahajan, a
secondary educator in North
Carolina. "LabXchange is a wonderful platform to simulate
labs, access trusted resources and allow students to progress at
their own pace."
For more information, please visit LabXchange.org.
About LabXchange
LabXchange is an online
science education platform that provides users with access to
high-quality science education, personalized instruction, online
lab experiences, and networking opportunities across the global
scientific community at no cost. To learn more about this
initiative, visit www.labxchange.org.
About the Amgen Foundation
The Amgen Foundation
is inspiring the next generation of scientists and future problem
solvers – wherever they are. We are engaging students with diverse
perspectives and backgrounds to harness the full potential of
science to solve tomorrow's toughest challenges. Working in
partnership with local and global partners, we are providing
best-in-class science education at no cost to students. To date,
the Foundation has donated over $375
million to local, regional, and international non-profit
organizations that impact society in inspiring and innovative ways.
The Amgen Foundation brings the excitement of discovery to the
scientists of tomorrow through its signature programs, including
LabXchange, Amgen Scholars, and the Amgen Biotech Experience. For
more information, visit www.AmgenFoundation.org and follow us
on Twitter @AmgenFoundation.
About the Office of the Vice Provost for Advances in
Learning, Harvard
University
Harvard's Office of the Vice Provost
for Advances in Learning seeks to shape the future of education by
discovering new ways to build the competence, curiosity, and
confidence of learners on our campuses and around the world. We
create engaging and scalable learning experiences, cultivate
inspiring ideas, and connect a global community of learners while
developing tools, technologies, platforms, and policies to reduce
friction throughout the learning lifecycle.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains
forward-looking statements that are based on the current
expectations and beliefs of Amgen Foundation.
CONTACT: Amgen, Thousand
Oaks
Jessica Akopyan, 805-440-5721
(media)
Michael Strapazon, 805-313-5553
(media)
Annie Kasparian, 805-447-1060
(investors)
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SOURCE Amgen