The Biogen Idec Foundation has awarded the Museum of Science, Boston a $1 million grant to support interactive science education and outreach programs for middle and high school students across the state. The grant is the largest single grant awarded by the Biogen Idec Foundation to any organization in Massachusetts.
The grant establishes an endowed fund, “The Biogen Idec Foundation Science Education Fund,” which will provide a steady stream of support to run in perpetuity. The gift will be paid out over a five-year term beginning in 2012. The Fund will support programs that engage middle-school and high-school students in activities that foster interest and learning in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and that also have the potential to work with those of Biogen Idec’s Community Lab.
About The Biogen Idec Foundation, Inc.
The Biogen Idec Foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of peoples’ lives and contribute to the vitality of the communities in which the company operates, with a special emphasis on innovative ways to promote science literacy and encourage young people to consider science careers. Additional information about the Biogen Idec Foundation can be found at www.biogenidec.com/citizenship_biogen_idec_foundation.html.
About the Museum of Science, Boston
One of the world’s largest science centers and New England’s most attended cultural institution, the Museum introduces over 1.5 million visitors a year to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) via dynamic programs and hundreds of interactive exhibits. Founded in 1830, the Museum was first to embrace all the sciences under one roof. Highlights include the Thomson Theater of Electricity, Charles Hayden Planetarium, Mugar Omni Theater, Gordon Current Science & Technology Center, 3-D Digital Cinema and Butterfly Garden. Reaching 25,000 teens a year worldwide via the Intel Computer Clubhouse Network, the Museum also leads a 10-year, $41 million National Science Foundation-funded Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network TM of science museums. The Museum’s “Science Is an Activity” exhibit plan has been awarded many NSF grants and influenced science centers worldwide. Its National Center for Technological Literacy®’s engineering curricula have reached 40,600 teachers and close to 3 million students nationwide. Visit www.mos.org.