| The ABE Program, launched by the Amgen Foundation to foster scientific passion in students, is entering its 31st year and has now been launched in Turkey to provide teachers and students with the opportunity to learn and apply the fundamental practices and techniques of the biotechnology industry. Under ABE Turkey, coordinated by Development Workshop Cooperative (KA), a partnership has been established with Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ) to empower teachers to bring innovative biotechnology curriculum into their classrooms and disseminate it across the country.
In addition, science teachers working in secondary schools are being provided at no cost with professional development opportunities and all necessary laboratory equipment and materials required by the curriculum so they can implement real biotechnology laboratories in their classrooms. The program's Turkey launch took place online on 14 April 2021, hosted by Güldem Berkman, General Manager of Amgen and Gensenta, and Ertan Karabıyık, General Secretary of Development Workshop, with the participation of Scott Heimlich, Director of the Amgen Foundation, and Rebecca Lewis, Director of the ABE Program Office.
Güldem Berkman, General Manager of Amgen and Gensenta, spoke as follows: "As Amgen, we are one of the companies at the centre of the bio-century. While developing medicines that will add value to patients' lives with a focus on next-generation bio-manufacturing, we are signing innovative projects to create scientific passion in the next generation. The Amgen Biotechnology Experience Program, which the Amgen Foundation launched in 1990 with the vision of bringing biotechnology excitement to secondary school students to inspire next-generation innovators and advance excellence in science education, has today reached approximately 850,000 students worldwide.
Through the program, which reaches approximately 90,000 students and 1,500 teachers every year, and thanks to the Amgen Foundation's commitment of over USD 40 million in investment for the program, the aim is to bring science to more than 1 million students by 2023. In Turkey, we plan to reach at least 50 teachers this year and indirectly more than 500 students. Under the program carried out in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States, and now Turkey; biotechnology curriculum, professional development opportunities and all required materials are made available at no cost." he said.
LabXchange, an online platform launched by the Amgen Foundation in collaboration with Harvard University, enables everyone to experience science anywhere. Students can perform ABE laboratory simulations on LabXchange and access ABE resources in Turkish. Through the program, science content and ABE laboratories are made accessible for numerous students from around the world, and all laboratories will be available in 12 different languages.
A curriculum enriched with the latest and largest biotechnology discoveries, covering precision medicine and beyond, continues to be developed. The Amgen Foundation, working together with teachers, brings unprecedented education and quality science to sparsely populated regions and students, particularly those with limited access to education. Through ongoing partnerships with educators and collaborations conducted via platforms such as LabXchange, the Foundation believes that the next generation of scientists will bring diverse experiences to the laboratory and better address the challenges humanity faces today and in the future. |
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