IMPACT REPORT2024UNLOCKINGUNLOCKINGSCIENCE IDENTITYSCIENCE IDENTITY
Focused on our Future ScientistsA message from BioBuilder’s Founder & Executive DirectorBuilding a science identity is one of the most powerful gifts we can offer students. By inspiring them to go beyond book learning – to grow into creative thinkers and problem solvers using that knowledge – is how the team at BioBuilder is empowering our next generation of scientists.Since launching this organization 13 years ago, we have been privileged to witness the evolution of young scientists in real time. We’ve seen how our work opens academic and career opportunities for our BioBuilder students, and how we are helping to supply the talent needed to fulll the promise of the bioscience industry.There are so many who have helped us get to where we are today, but I’ll start by acknowledging three: our BioBuilder team, whose passion drives our mission forward; our students, who inspire us with their curiosity and growth; and our partners and supporters, who make this work possible.Thanks to this incredible community, BioBuilder has accomplished so much — but there’s always room for more at the table. We have exciting plans for growth in the coming year, and I invite you to join us as we nurture that sense of innovation, spark the drive that generates new ideas, and provide young adults with the opportunity to create their own individual science identity.
As a rst generation Kenyan-American, Angel Muthemba is driven by educational accomplishment. She credits her some of her interest in science to growing up in a household with parents working in clinical elds. She thought nothing of a Christmas wish list that included a set of graduated cylinders and beakers.Angel was lining up her life to lead in the medical or scientic world, but when she struggled with an AP class she wondered if she had what it takes. She found that condence when she entered the BioBuilder program, the youngest in the cohort, never having taken chemistry before. BioBuilder is where she built condence, remarking “I felt a sense of purpose.”It was more than the curriculum at BioBuilder that inspired her to strive in science; it was Natalie Kuldell herself.“Natalie had such condence in me and helped me know my worth,” said Angel. “I aspire to be like this woman.”Angel has gone on to secure summer internships in her eld and build her professional network. She graduated from Emmanuel College in May with her Bachelors in Neuroscience and Data Analytics, and worked as a researcher at Unravel Biosciences, and this fall will start a Master’s program in Nanomedicine at Northeastern University.InstillingCondence at the BenchAngel MuthembaBioBuilder AlumEmmanuel College ’24
Building onCritical SkillsA transformation happened when Nicolas Rojas Toborda put on a white coat at BioBuilder. “It look me a long time to think of myself as as scientist. It was BioBuilder that started it,” said Nicolas.As a student at Revere High School, his interest in science began to percolate. Working with his guidance counselor, he applied to the BioBuilder program, taking the chance to pursue his interests for the rst time.Learning critical lab skills, new terminology, and lab etiquette was just the beginning for Nicolas. The team at BioBuilder connected him to Boston University where Nico became a summer research intern. Nicolas then put his BioBuilder skills to work when he founded the rst high school team from the Boston area to participate in a worldwide synthetic biology competition (iGEM). When traveling to Paris, France, to present his project, Nico found himself referring to the skills he acquired during his BioBuilder experience.“The skills I learned through BioBuilder are versatile. I can apply them to so many things I am doing. When I walk into a lab, I know what to do because of BioBuilder.”Nicolas Rojas TabordaBioBuilder AlumRevere High School ’24
“There is opportunity right in front of us...BioBuilder is helping us prepare students for jobs right out of high school. - William ‘Billy’ Carrier Focus on EducatorsWhen Billy Carrier steps in front of his high school classroom in rural Tennessee, he is empowering his students with lab skills he didn’t learn until college.He is a part of the region’s strategy to meet their signicant bioworkforce needs, and Billy is preparing his students with lab and life skills that ready them for the jobs of the future.And he is making science cool.By all accounts, the skills being taught in Billy’s classroom are inspiring and educating his students. Billy has seen them learning to identify as scientists, to ask “why,” and to understand how bioscience matters to them. Equally valuable are the skills he sees students apply to life outside of the classroom. Lessons in problem solving, team work, and data analysis t into every student’s future.William ‘Billy’ CarrierScience Teacher at Volunteer High School inChurchill, Tennessee with Natalie Kuldell
How BioBuilder Builds Science IdentityBioBuilderClubBioBuilderLearningLabsBioBuilderCurriculumBioTechBuilderCurriculumSummerResearchProgramBioBuilderApprenticeChallenge
“TransformingScience EducationScience never stops, and we are constantly asking, “What’s next?” Over the last few years, more companies are hiring for STEM-related manufacturing jobs that require technical skill but not always a college degree. This has created an urgent need to teach essential lab skills for entry-level jobs in life science.Our newest curriculum, BioTechBuilder, is an award-winning approach that helps students take our training from the classroom straight into the workplace. This unique curriculum gives high school students a competitive edge by training them with skills for academic research in college or to start their science careers immediately after completing high school.BioTechBuilder has truly set a new standard in biotechnology education with its hands-on curriculum focused on skill-building, perfectly aligned with the needs of the biotech industry. - Lance Bard, Best of STEM Awards judgeCatapult X and the Teich Group awarded BioTechBuilder the Educators Pick Best of STEM® 2024 Awards, the only awards program judged by STEM educators.
BioBuilder LeadershipNatalie KuldellFounder / Executive DirectorKeira Krausz, Board PresidentChief Marketing Ofcer, PurpleDrew EndyProfessor, Stanford UniversityDavid GoldenCEO, ETSU Research CorporationTheresa LynnCEO, Girl Scouts of Central and Western MassachusettsDonald ShobrysDirector, MIT VMSBridget StewartHead of Clinical Operations,Remo Health
Making HeadlinesBioBuilder is popping up everywhere.This year we have made an intentional effort to increase our outreach to engage even more students and educators with our programs. This has been amplied by our supporters who continue to share our success within their own networks.PODCASTSBROADCASTSDIGITAL MEDIA
Key Elements: PartnershipsStrategic PartnersLead PartnersSustaining Partners
We Invite You to bePart of the Momentum65,000 STUDENTS49 STATESAND IN 66 COUNTRIES600 EDUCATORSTRAINEDACROSS179 APPRENTICESq Your gift of $500 brings a BioBuilderClub to the school of your choiceq Your gift of $2,000 supplies one teacher with all the curriculum and lab materials to teach BioTechBuilder Lab Skillsq Your gift of $10,000 provides a week of BioTechBuilder teacher training to all life sciences teachers at the school of your choiceq Your gift of $27,000 can transform the school of your choice; it will provide curriculum, consumables and necessary lab equipment so 100 students can test for industry-recognized microcredentials and launch their careers in life scienceBioBuilder Impact Since 2011Empower Educators and Our Future Scientists
Investing in the FutureYour support is needed to continue this important work. Thirteen years into this work, and we see the results every single day. The BioBuilder Educational Foundation depends on the support of donors, corporate partners, and stakeholders to meet our mission.You can be condent in making your gift. BioBuilder has achieved a Four Star rating from Charity Navigator, an independent organization that evaluates the nancial health, accountability, and transparency of US-based charities.Every gift is an investment in our future scientists and their ability to address the complex issues of our world. DONATE TODAY
BioBuilder Educational Foundation501(c)3 OrganizationTIN: 45-3844761Visit us at BioBuilder.orgIndividuals and Foundations are vital partners in BioBuilder’s educational mission. We encourage you to make BioBuilderpart of your philanthropic giving. For more information contact: Natalie Kuldell, Executive Director, at natalie@biobuilder.org