Lawrence Hall of Science to Host Teacher Appreciation Lunch

Lawrence Hall of Science Press Contact:
Maia Willcox
SF/Bay Area ABE Center Director
(510) 643-3429
mwillcox@berkeley.edu

October 31, 2016, Berkeley, CA — On November 5, the Lawrence Hall of Science will host a teacher appreciation event in honor of educators who are part of the Amgen Biotech Experience (ABE) program. Supported by the Amgen Foundation, ABE is an innovative science education program that provides teacher professional development, teaching materials, and research-grade equipment and supplies to secondary schools. Teachers who have participated in the program in the Bay Area for two or more years have been invited to enjoy lunch and a presentation by Dr. Edward Roberts.

Dr. Roberts is a postdoctoral scholar in the Pathology Department at the University of California, San Francisco. His work focuses on the tracking and visualization of cancer cells. Dr. Roberts’ talk will focus on the latest developments of using fluorescent proteins in cellular research. In the ABE labs, students transform bacteria using the gene for a fluorescent protein, then purify the protein as a proxy for producing and purifying insulin to treat diabetes.

Two teachers will be honored with awards at the appreciation lunch. The awardees will be recognized for their extraordinary efforts to implement ABE in their school or district, and to enhance the biotechnology content in their classes. They will each be awarded $500 to purchase biotechnology science equipment for their students. Additionally, all attendees will receive certificates of appreciation.

“Over the last five years working as a part of the ABE program, we have been thrilled to work with an outstanding group of over 50 Bay Area high school science teachers,” said Maia Willcox, Bay Area ABE Site Director. “These teachers truly go above and beyond to provide their students with the best possible learning experiences. We are so glad that we are able to acknowledge all their hard work and dedication with this event.”

About Amgen Biotech Experience

Supported by the Amgen Foundation, the Amgen Biotech Experience is an innovative science education program that provides teacher professional development, curriculum materials, and research-grade equipment and supplies to secondary schools. The program features a hands-on molecular biology curriculum designed to introduce students to the excitement of scientific discovery. To date over 500,000 students have experienced the fundamentals of biotechnology thanks to ABE. For the past five years, the Lawrence Hall of Science has run ABE in the Bay Area. Visit www.amgenbiotechexperience.com to learn more about ABE, and watch this short video to hear what teachers and students are saying about the program.