Biogen’s Chirfi Guindo discusses the launch of the company’s next-generation approach to teaching STEM to even more students, leading to potential careers in the field.
For 20 years, Biogen has sparked a love of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in more than 60,000 students across Massachusetts and North Carolina through its community lab program.
Now, the Bay State-based company is doubling down on the program and launching its next-generation approach to teaching STEM to even more students, leading to potential careers in the field.
Dubbed Community Lab 2.0, Biogen’s new program is expected to include an upgraded neuroscience educational curriculum, a first-ever alumni support network and a broader global reach for STEM students.
The foundation is also increasing its student reach goal. Biogen plans to reach 30,000 more STEM students in the next three years for a total of 90,000 by 2025.
The program introduces students to lab work performed by Biogen scientists. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, students who were able to attend in person experienced a real-world workplace setting and were exposed to the same equipment the company’s drug researchers use to develop medications for multiple sclerosis, autoimmune disorders, spinal muscular atrophy and more. Clad in their own lab coats, the students are given the opportunity to perform some simple experiments on their own, giving them a taste of what science can offer. In fact, some of the current Biogen employees are graduates of the community labs program.
Biogen’s Chirfi Guindo, executive vice president and head of global product strategy and commercialization, is thrilled about the success the community lab program has had over the years.
“In this industry, the fuel is knowledge and that comes from people. To prosper and develop breakthrough medicines for the future, you need to have a constant flow of talent coming through,” Guindo told BioSpace. “We have been successful at targeting and connecting with students who do not have role models in STEM fields.”
The program is instrumental in helping some young people find their potential career paths, which is a positive benefit for the sciences and the biopharma industry. Giving the students some hands-on experience provides them with both confidence and curiosity about the field.
In 2002, Biogen had the foresight to understand the need to share the wonders of science with thousands of students across Massachusetts. It wasn’t until 2014 that the program was expanded to North Carolina, where Biogen has a significant manufacturing presence. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the company continued to push the community lab program through virtual means.
Guindo said the community lab is now reaching students from junior high and high school, as well as many teachers who have joined the program to expand their STEM knowledge.
“Teaching teachers has been a key to our success,” Guindo said.
Beyond the junior high school and high school students, Biogen also has a collaboration with Harvard Medical School to inspire college-aged students to pursue careers in neuroscience.
The success the Biogen Community Lab program has experienced over the past two decades was recognized by the Boston Red Sox. In June, a graduate of the community lab program, Armani Panerp, who is currently studying engineering at Northeastern University in Boston, threw out the first pitch at a game. Guindo touted Panerp as a successful example of the program’s intent.
Guindo noted that there is a gap in diverse candidates in this field, particularly a lack of African American and Latino students.
Many of the students who participate in the community lab program are minority students and come from low-income families. That mirrors some of the backgrounds of the Biogen scientists who share their time with the community lab program. For those young students, being in a laboratory setting and seeing people who look like them wearing a white lab coat is powerful, Guindo explained. He said that the image of a successful scientist who looks like them opens the eyes of the students to potential career possibilities within the sciences.
“If you want to inspire these children, show them they can be the next scientists who can create the cure for Parkinson’s or ALS,” Guindo said. “Representation and visibility for these students is important.”
As Biogen begins to unfold its plans for Community Lab 2.0, Guindo noted that expected changes include keeping track of students who come through the program, especially if they continue in the sciences. Another goal for the next phase of the program is the creation of a network of community lab alumni who can potentially serve as mentors for younger students.
Guindo said he hopes that Panerp will be able to serve as a mentor when that is established. Later this year, Biogen is launching a LinkedIn campaign to connect the alumni who have gone through its Community Lab programs.
He explained, “We do this because we want to help our communities, help humanity. We want to be part of the solution to help train and inspire a whole cohort of scientists and researchers, the ones who will discover the new drugs of the future.”
