Cambridge, MA, July 20, 2020 – JoVE is collaborating with Biogen (Nasdaq: BIIB) to support the remote learning needs of Somerville Public Schools (SPS) by providing access to JoVE’s one of a kind Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) video solutions.
Challenged by the rapid movement to online education brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, Massachusetts area public schools have an immediate need for remote teaching and learning resources. Biogen, a long standing JoVE subscriber has benefited from the video resources to increase reproducibility rates and boost productivity in their labs.
Extending these same video resources to SPS for at least the next three years will meet the need of STEM teachers and learners in their current transition to online classrooms.
Biogen, the Biogen Library and Information Center, and the Biogen Community Lab, a state-of-the-art laboratory classroom available to local middle and high school students, have worked together to arrange the collaboration with JoVE. Biogen seeks to further help the local community by providing Somerville Public Schools this tool that is proven to enhance instruction in the sciences in both traditional classrooms and remote learning set ups. The inclusion of these resources through the SPS system will also serve to reach historically underrepresented students in STEM disciplines, ensuring science is accessible for all learners. Granting access to the full JoVE library provides teachers and students with more than 12,000 videos which are currently used by over 1,500 institutions and companies globally.
“For more than two decades, Biogen has demonstrated a deep commitment to bringing STEM education to students in our communities who are historically underrepresented in science,” said Johanna Jobin, Global Head of Corporate Reputation & Responsibility for Biogen. “Through our collaboration with Somerville Public Schools, Biogen’s Community Lab and Biogen’s Library and Information Center, we are bringing authentic virtual education through JoVE to help educators reinforce scientific concepts. We are proud of this and all of our efforts to help students and educators, particularly during this uniquely challenging time.”
JoVE videos cover core scientific concepts to advanced methods and couple high-impact animations with visualized real-life experimentations; enabling quick, in-depth comprehension within theory and lab-based courses. “JoVE videos will be an asset in supporting STEM instruction in our high schools, both remotely and hopefully on-campus in the future,” said Mary Skipper, Superintendent of Somerville Public Schools. “We currently collaborate with Biogen and the Biogen Foundation on the STAR initiative and the JoVE videos are one additional way we are continuing this impactful work. This work will inspire and ready our students for STEM success in their current coursework and as they head off to college. We are thrilled to add JoVE to our growing list of partners committed to supporting Somerville students.” Biogen showcased the value of the Science Education and Lab Manual videos to the local high schools as content that can fill in the visual resources gap created with the move to virtual classrooms. JoVE has further supported the collaboration by offering virtual professional development to teachers, guiding them on how to effectively use the videos within their remote STEM classes.