Programs for Scientific Literacy Award: BLAST Partners for PreK-12 Science

Since 1992, Bristol-Myers Squibb has operated BLAST (Building Leadership and Assistance for Science Teaching), a philanthropic program dedicated to the systemic improvement of preK-12 science education in New Jersey schools.

Bristol-Myers Squibb honors three BLAST Partners - Institutions with a long history of strategic collaboration for the improvement of preK-12 science education in public and independent schools of New Jersey: The Montclair State University's PRISM Program, the Rider University's CONNECT-ED Program, and the New Jersey Center for Life Sciences' Science to Go Program.

Setting examples in the preparation of new teachers of science and professional development of practicing teachers through innovative, inquiry-centered and research-based methodology, the Montclair State University's PRISM Program, and the Rider University's CONNECT-ED Program are improving science education for approximately 85,000 students in 64 New Jersey school districts and independent schools over the past eight years.

Both programs, operating under the Bristol-Myers Squibb Centers for Science Teaching and Learning at Montclair State and Rider Universities, have earned national attention, and serve as centers of excellence for teacher professional development under the National Science Resources Center and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. Under an extensive network, including the NJ Department of Education, district superintendents, principals, curriculum directors for science and mathematics, classroom teachers and community and business leaders, these higher education leadership institutions combine the expertise of schools of education with that of practicing scientists in academia and industry to develop models for improved science teaching and learning. Teacher candidates and master teachers practice methods of scientific investigation-problem definition, building and testing of hypotheses, experimentation, data gathering and analysis, discussion and conclusion of outcomes, effectively combined with a standards-based curriculum, designed to encourage inquiry.

Specialized at meeting the curriculum and materials needs of the classroom teacher of science, the New Jersey Center for Life Science's Science to Go Program interacts with administrators and teachers in over 45 school districts in New Jersey and Pennsylvania to provide science curriculum designed for hands-on exploration and investigation. Science to Go assists educators in planning curriculum and provides on-going materials support services to make inquiry-based science easy to implement in the classroom. Through its services, delivered directly to the teacher in the classroom, Science to Go ensures that quality-controlled curriculum modules are ready and available when needed. Through professional development and training workshops, Science to Go helps to guarantee that over 20,000 students benefit from a standards-based inquiry-focused science curriculum every day.

As a result of the Bristol-Myers Squibb BLAST Partnership for PreK-12 Science, students throughout New Jersey have access to expertly trained science teachers equipped with exemplary curricula and supported by their school districts and boards of education.

Bristol-Myers Squibb and the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation are proud to work in partnership with these three preeminent institutions, led by visionaries and experts who are passionate about improving science education in our schools, and increasing the level of science literacy throughout the state.

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