Knowledge Without Borders worked with Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and educators in communities where BMS employees live and work to model the critical thinking and teamwork skills professionals in the pharmaceutical industry use to discover, develop and distribute new medicines. Educators from BMS communities in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut participated in a four-day professional development workshop taught by master teachers using a curriculum that simulates authentic product research and development, clinical trials, product approval, mass production, distribution, and quality control in the pharmaceutical industry.
RxeSEARCH: An Educational Journey is an 11-lesson curriculum designed for secondary school and community college students that simulates pharmaceutical research and development from drug discovery and development to the delivery of a new medicine to patients. Initiated by Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), and developed by researchers and teachers, RxeSEARCH is an inquiry-based learning product. This interdisciplinary curriculum integrates chemistry, biology, mathematics, language arts and the social sciences, and utilizes central concepts of STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) education, to expose young people to the knowledge and skills used by professionals in pharmaceutical companies that illustrate 21st century skill standards.
Promoting science education by supporting schools and communities where their facilities are located formed the basis of the BMS approach. But they wanted to do more. They wanted to create an authentic understanding of the industry for educators that could connect students to the real world of work. Designed to illustrate to educators how pharmaceuticals are researched, created and manufactured, RxeSEARCH breaks down barriers between subject areas by focusing on innovation and critical thinking skills for solving problems, as well as resource planning and teamwork. The underlying premise of the professional development experience is to model to educators how the global advances in science and technology are currently applied in the pharmaceutical industry and how the application of science and mathematics generate new discoveries and jobs in the 21st century. If teachers can illustrate these connections in both formal and informal educational settings, their students will become better prepared for the world that awaits them.
Professional development included the opportunity to ask questions about various phases of research, development, manufacturing and distribution. Educators experienced firsthand the application of knowledge and skills in a wide and diverse range of industry functions. For example, Dr. Stanley Krystek of BMS facilitated an interactive discussion, “Modeling in Drug Discovery,” that presented concepts of mathematical and computer-aided chemical modeling to optimize the screening of novel compounds in drug discovery. Industry representatives also discussed drug innovation, manufacturing, and regulation. The professional development experience culminated in a visit to a manufacturing facility – in one case a unit conducting research to discover a vaccine for Alzheimer’s disease. For many of the educators, it was the first time they had ever met business professionals and scientists working in industry. A professional development experience that requires application of learning concepts as opposed to passive delivery of information can be eye opening. Teachers recognized a need to update their content knowledge, particularly in science and math, and indicated a desire to maintain ongoing connections with scientists in industry and content experts at higher education institutions.
