Inspiring the Next Generation of Scientists Through CityLab

Credit: CityLab. “Many of the students we work with don’t have access to a laboratory through their local schools. For them, CityLab is their first exposure to a laboratory environment—these are hugely important moments for these kids,” says Carl Franzblau, Ph.D., the founder of CityLab at Boston University (BU). CityLab was established more than 30 years ago as a science education outreach program for precollege students and teachers through a partnership between the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development at BU. “Since our first Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) grant in 1991, our mission has been to inspire students to consider careers in the biomedical sciences and broaden the opportunities that are available to them,” says Carla Romney, D.Sc., the director of research for CityLab. Continuous SEPA funding since 1991 has allowed CityLab to fulfill its mission and provide students with state-of-the-art biotechnology laboratory facilities and curricula. 30 Years of CityLab From its inception, CityLab has been a centralized learning laboratory for middle and high school students and teachers to visit for a day. Students perform biomedical science experiments—such as protein purification and quantification—and see firsthand how experiments in the lab generate data that can answer questions or solve a problem. CityLab’s model overcomes some of the biggest challenges to p...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Being a Scientist Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology STEM Education SEPA Training Source Type: blogs