Employee & Community Engagement
We are committed to accelerating access to health for people everywhere while sparking curiosity in the next generation of scientists. We accomplish this by making philanthropic investments in the areas of science education, global access to science, and scientific research. Simultaneously, we harness the diverse talents and expertise of our employees, allowing them to give back to the communities in which they live and work through SPARK™, our global skills-based volunteer program. In addition, we are turning scientific inquisitiveness into action via Curiosity Labs™, Curiosity Labs™ at Home, and the Curiosity Cube®, our proprietary programs that bring hands-on, interactive science lessons to students around the world.
Our programs have been modeled on the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion since they began. We focus on equity and inclusion, especially for underrepresented populations in science, including people of color and women. This includes ensuring that we are modeling this behavior through diverse leaders and volunteers for our educational outreach programs. We strive to have diverse volunteers working in their own communities to show students what real scientists look like. We want to inspire young students by showing them that scientists all over the world, who look just like them, are working to create a better tomorrow
SPARK™
Our Life Science employees are as proud of and committed to their work as they are to making a difference in their communities. This passion and purpose led to SPARK™ — a first-of-its-kind, large-scale employee volunteer program that unites employees around the world in a shared commitment to give back through skills-based and non-skills-based volunteering. Through SPARK™, employees have volunteered more than 93,400 hours of their time hosting thousands of events in 41 countries and engaging nearly 259,000 students.
Our employee-led SPARK™ activities Include:
Curiosity Labs™
Our flagship Curiosity Labs™ program educates and inspires students around the world through hands-on, interactive science lessons led by our trained Life Science employees that encourage students to explore, wonder, and ask why. We work with teachers to choose lessons that complement and bolster current classroom content. During those lessons, our team guides students through applying scientific principles to real-world concepts and challenges. Even better, we supply all the necessary materials and equipment.
Since 2016, the Curiosity Labs™ program has reached more than 45,500 students in 25 countries. Surveys have indicated that following participation in the program:
- 78.6% of students reported an increase in content knowledge
- 80.1% of students demonstrated confidence in science
- 81.2% of students also stated they “enjoy science"
Curiosity Cube®
We've taken our successful Curiosity Labs™ program beyond the classroom. With the Curiosity Cube® — a 22x10-foot, retrofitted shipping container turned mobile science lab—our employees are sparking curiosity in visitors of all ages through hands-on science lessons. Since 2017, the Curiosity Cube® has journeyed across North America visiting nearly 300 communities and reaching more than 114,500 visitors.
Curiosity Labs™ at Home
In order to bring science to students anytime and anywhere, we’ve created a number of easy and educational hands-on science experiments that can be completed at home with materials typically found around the house. Each experiment comes complete with a video, recipe card, and lab report worksheet.
Site Hosting
We invite local students to our various Life Science sites for an educational experience led by employees. The visit typically includes an educational tour, hands-on experiments, and thought-provoking discussions about science and careers in science.
Science Day Expos
Our employees lead small-scale, interactive experiments during scheduled, school-wide, or community events.
Nonprofit Partnerships
Through carefully chosen partnerships, we're able to leverage our expertise, experience, and philanthropic investments to make a difference today and set the stage for the future. Our aim is multifold: to help today's scientists strive toward innovation and progress through investments in scientific research, while giving the next generation better access to hands-on science education, enabling them to be the problem solvers of the future.
Our philanthropic activities focus on nonprofit organizations committed to Science Education, Global Access to Science, and Scientific Research Organizations.
Science Education: Inspiring curiosity in the next generation of scientists through investments in science centers and museums, teacher preparation and advocacy, and direct-to-student programs.
Global Access for Science: Accelerating access for the global scientific community through access to instruments and equipment for underserved populations, global knowledge sharing, enhanced skills and training, and innovation through entrepreneurship.
Scientific Research Organizations: Supporting institutions to plan, conduct, and disseminate life science research through investments in rare pediatric disease research and noncommunicable disease research.
Through multi-dimensional "Signature Partnerships," we make long-term commitments that allow for broader impact, while our "Localized Partnerships" create greater impact in specific communities around the world. We also support several relevant associations and memberships, as well as disaster relief efforts, in times of need or crisis.
Employee Giving Programs
Our employees donate their time, dollars, and skills to a host of causes around the world. We’re proud to join in their efforts. In the U.S., for example, we match employees’ charitable donations dollar for dollar, up to $1,000 per employee per year.
Talent, Diversity, and Inclusion
Our people are our most valuable asset, and we place a high priority on fostering a company culture that is inclusive, innovative, and collaborative — offering steady opportunities for professional and personal growth. We invest in our employees through training, tuition reimbursement, broad benefit packages, and safe workplace initiatives.
Employee inclusion programs support an energetic, collaborative, and team-oriented culture. We provide targeted support to various employee networks. In addition, we also regularly host our Diversity Days and use various occasions, such as International Women’s Day, Pride Month, Coming Out Day, and Black History Month to host further events, where we explain the current developments that are relevant to us. We derive specific measures from the insights gained in order to embed inclusion even more deeply in our company.
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