Biogen's Alex Cameron Discusses Biogen-MIT Biotech in Action

When the pandemic hit, in-person lessons at the Community Lab paused. That’s when Biogen-Lemelson-MIT Program Biotech in Action launched, providing online science and lab classes. Going virtual allowed us to go global – working with 10,000 students in 19 countries over the past two years.

Designed to foster a passion for science, the program is committed to ensuring a diverse participant group and providing students with the opportunity to meet and interact with Biogen and MIT employees and get an inside view of a biotech company and university.

Listen as Alex Cameron, Community Lab Manager, discussed this and more on the Labster podcast

About Biogen-MIT Biotech in Action Program

In 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we brought our Community Lab science learning program together with the Lemelson-MIT Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to launch the new online Biogen-MIT Biotech in Action Program. This virtual lab offered Massachusetts and North Carolina high school students a first-hand experience in biotechnology and provided the opportunity to learn directly from, and be mentored by, leading scientists at Biogen and MIT. Most of the students were from low-income households and groups historically underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

In 2021, building on the popularity and enhanced reach of the program, Biotech in Action expanded to 19 countries, with some of the sessions including live translation in Spanish and Portuguese, along with increasing the number of online Community Lab sessions throughout the year. Since 2020, all our virtual programs have reached around 7,000 students.