Futurelab+ – an educational initiative from Discovery Education and Genentech, a member of the Roche Group – presents new, free capstone project resources for students in grades 9-12 that can be used to apply knowledge of biotechnology to real world scenarios. Futurelab+ strives to increase the number and diversity of students receiving a quality biotech education through digital resources and industry and community connections.
Futurelab+ offers a comprehensive biotechnology curriculum for high school students that includes groundbreaking content addressing health equity and the importance of advancing inclusivity and representation in clinical research. The capstone resources provide students and teachers with a variety of tools supporting the creation of projects that demonstrate student knowledge and skills as they are applied to a real-world problem in the field of biotechnology.
Resources include a project management guide, a student capstone journal, project starters, rubric, and project exemplars. Included in the resources are 13 in-class activities for students to explore topics of microbial bioremediation, antibiotic sensitivity testing, biomedical engineering design challenges, and many more. Beginning in October, educators will also have access to a Masterclass video series designed to support the implementation of a capstone year of study for biotechnology or any career and technical education course of study.
“Student-led, independent research projects that challenge students to select topics and synthesize learnings prepares them for success beyond graduation. With the new Futurelab+ capstone project, students anywhere can apply STEM learning to solve real world problems,” said Ragnar von Schiber, Director, Employee and Community Engagement at Genentech.
In addition, Futurelab+ now features a new table of contents site navigation to make finding the Futurelab+ resources easier, as well as fully editable student capture sheets in English and Spanish to support the comprehensive biotech curriculum. Accompanying instructional materials are designed to meet national education and industry standards to focus on in-demand skills and career pathways across biotechnology.
Futurelab+ builds upon Genentech’s successful Futurelab, a program for schools in South San Francisco launched in 2015 to support students’ pursuit of STEM careers. The initiative focuses on historically-excluded groups, with the goal of ultimately building a more representative scientific and medical workforce that reflects the diversity of the people it serves. Genentech has invested more than $35 million in Futurelab since 2015, and the program currently supports all 8,000 K-12 South San Francisco students and their teachers. Futurelab+ is made possible through a collaborative network of partners led by Genentech and Discovery Education and supported by Bay Area Bioscience Education Community, Jobs for the Future, Ignited Education, The American Institutes for Research, and the California Academy of Sciences.
“With Futurelab+, students dive into hands-on science, unleashing their curiosity and building career-ready skills. We are proud to partner with Genentech to ensure all students have the opportunity to explore biotechnology and related fields,” said Amy Nakamoto, Executive Vice President of Corporate Partnerships at Discovery Education. “These capstone resources expand the strength of Futurelab+ as a go-to resource, empowering students to demonstrate learning in contextual ways.”
Learn more about Futurelab+ at futurelabplus.com or within Discovery Education Experience.
Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place. Through its award-winning multimedia content, instructional supports, and innovative classroom tools, Discovery Education helps educators deliver equitable learning experiences engaging all students and supporting higher academic achievement on a global scale. Discovery Education serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources are accessed in over 100 countries and territories. Inspired by the global media company Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and trusted organizations to empower teachers with leading edtech solutions that support the success of all learners. Explore the future of education at DiscoveryEducation.com.
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