Adopt-a-School Event Features Exclusive Lab Tour and Activities
Gaithersburg, MD (April 18, 2023) – Maryland STEM nonprofit Learning Undefeated and AstraZeneca are hosting an Adopt-a-School event featuring the unveiling ceremony of Learning Undefeated’s Breakout Box: Body Systems Mission at Gaithersburg Middle School on April 20, 2023, from 5:45 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The event kicks off a new, yearlong partnership that will bring Learning Undefeated’s flagship mobile STEM lab program to schools across Maryland. In addition to touring the new mission in the mobile lab, teachers from Gaithersburg Middle School and volunteers from AstraZeneca will lead hands-on activities to showcase STEM topics and career information to students and their families.
“Groundbreaking science is created in Maryland, making it one of the hottest spots in the nation for STEM jobs. This new Breakout Box experience draws inspiration from the innovative discoveries being made right here in Gaithersburg in fields like cancer research and diabetes,” said Brian Gaines, Chief Executive Officer at Learning Undefeated. “Through this collaboration with AstraZeneca, we will benefit thousands of students across the region by building their confidence in STEM subjects and empowering them with the knowledge of STEM careers for their future.”
The event is part of a weeklong school visit in which more than 500 Gaithersburg Middle School students will experience the new Breakout Box: Body Systems Mission, an immersive learning experience designed to meet Next Generation Science Standards for 7th grade life sciences.
“We’re deeply committed to making STEM accessible to all, because we know that quality, experiential STEM education is critical for students to feel comfortable pursuing their passions in science,” said Neelima Rao, Vice President of Human Resources, Oncology R&D and North America Country Lead, AstraZeneca. “Published reviews cite that by eighth grade, nearly 50 percent of all US students lose interest or see STEM as irrelevant to their future, threatening the STEM leader pipeline of tomorrow. Through our partnership with Learning Undefeated we hope to inspire students to pursue careers in STEM that will develop solutions for tomorrow’s challenges.”
Gaithersburg is home to thousands of biotechnology and life sciences jobs, which play a pivotal role in the local economy and community – where both organizations have a significant presence. Learning Undefeated is headquartered in Gaithersburg and has served more than a quarter-million Maryland school students in its 20-year history. At its strategic R&D center in Gaithersburg, AstraZeneca employs more than 4,000 people.
The Breakout Box: Body Systems Mission, retrofitted inside a traveling shipping container laboratory, takes middle school students on an immersive adventure to analyze and interpret data in a cardiovascular simulation. Through game-based experimentation, students select food, exercise, and insulin options to manipulate blood glucose concentration in diabetic and non-diabetic patients over time. This provides students with hands-on experience in computational thinking and conducting science. The Breakout Box experience runs on Learning Undefeated’s award-winning Drop Anywhere Lab platform, a 22-foot shipping container that travels from school to school.
For more information about Learning Undefeated, visit https://www.learningundefeated.org/.
About Learning Undefeated
Learning Undefeated is driving race and gender equity in STEM through experiential and deep-impact learning experiences for students from under resourced communities. Best known for its fleet of traveling STEM laboratories, Learning Undefeated’s flagship STEM education program has prepared more than 1.3 million K-12 students for STEM careers since 2003, through hands-on content exploration, game-based learning, summer camps, and talent development programs. Learning Undefeated also operates several other celebrated STEM education programs including custom curriculum development, summer camp, and STEM disaster recovery education.
Visit learningundefeated.org or follow us on social media @LearningUNDFTD.
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