Learn
to Earn: Growing Bones 101 with Stryker Biotech
For
the third consecutive spring, two Stryker Biotech volunteers taught
freshmen students about bone morphogenetic proteins, regenerative
medicine, and a little something about life. Not your typical
freshmen science class. This past May, by inviting Tamsen Snyder
and Josh Johnson, two employees at Stryker Biotech, into the classroom
to make Learn to Earn presentations about their jobs, science
teacher Mike Anikis helped open the door to biomedical technology
for his first-year students.The Upper Valley Business and Education
Partnership (UVBEP) recruits pairs of local business professionals
to make Learn to Earn presentations at high schools throughout
the Upper Valley, and trains them to teach about emerging fields
of work in an engaging and age-appropriate way. Stryker volunteers
dedicate an entire day each spring to Lebanon High School science
classes and make dynamic presentations, focusing on relating the
high school science curriculum to the field of technology.
The presentations, which emphasize the importance of math, science,
and technology in the workplace, include PowerPoint presentations
and an interactive component where a member of the audience was
invited to help demonstrate the complex robing process for Stryker
Biotech workers on the manufacturing floor. The company, located
in West Lebanon, is a leader in engineering and production of
a special protein that induces the formation of bone and cartilage,
frequently used in orthopedic surgery. They grow bones! And Mr.
Johnson and Ms. Snyder used the students’ excitement to
encourage they consider taking higher-level math and science classes,
as well as to emphasize the importance of strong communication
skills, in any field. By having real professionals in the biotechnology
field share their stories, the path from high school science class
to a career in engineering, product marketing, or orthopedic surgery
is illuminated. The Stryker volunteers also stressed the good
that their work does. Improving quality of life for people with
debilitating injuries is their chief motivation.
UVBEP partners with Linking Learning to Life out of Burlington,
VT, to bring the Learn to Earn program to Upper Valley students.
To schedule a presentation at your school, or to volunteer as
a business presenter
contact UVBEP for details.
For
the third consecutive spring, two Stryker Biotech volunteers taught
freshmen students about bone morphogenetic proteins, regenerative
medicine, and a little something about life. Not your typical
freshmen science class. This past May, by inviting Tamsen Snyder
and Josh Johnson, two employees at Stryker Biotech, into the classroom
to make Learn to Earn presentations about their jobs, science
teacher Mike Anikis helped open the door to biomedical technology
for his first-year students.The Upper Valley Business and Education
Partnership (UVBEP) recruits pairs of local business professionals
to make Learn to Earn presentations at high schools throughout
the Upper Valley, and trains them to teach about emerging fields
of work in an engaging and age-appropriate way. Stryker volunteers
dedicate an entire day each spring to Lebanon High School science
classes and make dynamic presentations, focusing on relating the
high school science curriculum to the field of technology.