Future Demand for Science Talent Grows in Garden State

EAST HANOVER and PARSIPPANY, N.J., Dec. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the New Jersey Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Coalition's latest report card, nearly 270,000 new jobs in STEM-related fields will need to be filled by 2018 in the Garden State. While this bodes well for high school and college students who are already considering careers in these areas, how will teachers and schools continue to motivate and ready students who haven't yet made that decision? One NJ school is addressing this challenge by partnering with a non-profit organization and the private sector to extend science education beyond the traditional classroom.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111215/NY23599 )

As part of a program to help all students, especially those who are traditionally underrepresented in STEM careers (such as women and inner city youth), NJ-based pharmaceutical company Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. and local non-profit organization Students 2 Science (S2S), are bringing students to a commercial laboratory to study alongside science professionals. 

Today, 11th and 12th grade students from Newark Science Park High School participated in a full-day of laboratory events as part of S2S's ISAAC Program, Improving Student Affinity and Aptitude for Careers in STEM. This initiative culminates a successful year of scientific programs for middle and high school students, with almost half of students who participated in the program saying they are now considering a career in STEM subjects. The ISAAC Program was made possible through funding and mentoring support from Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. The NJ-based pharmaceutical company's grant allowed S2S to develop its educational lab programs and put approximately 1,000 students through the program during the 2009 and 2010 academic years. By the end of the 2011-2012 academic year, S2S expects to host 1,500 to 2,000 New Jersey students.

"It's imperative for the private sector to partner with public educators to motivate and support students who show interest, and an aptitude, for subjects related to math and science," said John Gargiulo, President and CEO, Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. "In the healthcare industry alone, there are still too many unmet medical needs. We need the next generation's help to work towards solving those problems.  We are proud to be part of a program that will advance students towards those goals."

Further demonstrating the tie between STEM education and scientific career development, the Education Coalition's report card shows that between 2008 and 2018, new jobs in New Jersey requiring postsecondary education and training will grow by 148,000, while jobs for high school graduates and dropouts will grow by 43,000.  This means that the job pool for college and advanced degree students is more than triple the amount than those with only a high-school degree, making it imperative that those who wish to enter the STEM workforce continue their education and earn advanced degrees if they desire a career in this industry.

"It is more important than ever to balance the playing field for students, particularly in urban-area schools, where funds for and access to technical professionals, laboratory space and sophisticated scientific instrumentation can be hard to come by," said Paul Winslow, PhD, founder of Students 2 Science.  "This experience generates enthusiasm, reduces student intimidation and makes the STEM career path more accessible."

To highlight pharmaceutical science, students conducted a series of "real world" scientific experiments, including:

• Assay and impurity testing
• Dissolution testing, which is used by pharmaceutical companies in developing drug formulations (combinations of ingredients in tablets/capsules), identifying critical manufacturing variables, monitoring batch-to-batch variations and stability, and to predict the performance of the drug in the body.
• Identification Tests
• Residual solvent testing, which is used in the manufacturing of a pharmaceutical product.

About Students 2 Science

Students 2 Science, Inc. is a New Jersey non-profit corporation inspiring, motivating, and educating students to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Encouraging STEM subjects is especially important for minority, underrepresented, inner-city, and women students who traditionally have considered these fields of study to be unattractive or out of reach. Students 2 Science conducts sessions at its East Hanover facility, which houses approximately 4,000 sq feet of commercial laboratory space equipped with state of the art instrumentation to perform wet chemistry, organic chemistry, chromatography, spectroscopy, biology, botany, biotechnology, ecology, environmental science, computer science, engineering and robotics.

For more information, visit www.students2science.org.

About Daiichi Sankyo

The Daiichi Sankyo Group is dedicated to the creation and supply of innovative pharmaceutical products to address the diversified, unmet medical needs of patients in both mature and emerging markets. While maintaining its portfolio of marketed pharmaceuticals for hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and bacterial infections, the Group is engaged in the development of treatments for thrombotic disorders and focused on the discovery of novel oncology and cardiovascular-metabolic therapies. Furthermore, the Daiichi Sankyo Group has created a "Hybrid Business Model," which will respond to market and customer diversity and optimize growth opportunities across the value chain. For more information, please visit www.daiichisankyo.com

Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, is a member of the Daiichi Sankyo Group.  For more information on Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., please visit www.dsi.com.

SOURCE Daiichi Sankyo