Boehringer Cares shows commitment to next generation of innovators by welcoming students to our sites to participate in STEM Day

Students are helped with putting on their lab gear. — Students learn how to “gear up” for a hands-on lab experience at our Fremont, CA site during a gowning demonstration.

RIDGEFIELD, CT – The Boehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation (Boehringer Cares) is committed to inspiring the next generation of innovators and life science professionals by enhancing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) opportunities for middle and high schoolers. We achieve this by investing in STEM students across all educational stages, offering university scholarships, high school mentorship programs, and implementing initiatives like STEM Day, with a special focus on underserved communities. In collaboration with Boehringer Care’s US STEM Council, our collective passion and shared goal drive us to create opportunities to develop in and grow passionate about STEM in the communities where we live and work.

In honor of National STEM Day, recognized earlier in November, 150 local students across four of our Animal Health & Human Pharma sites in Connecticut, California, Missouri, and New Jersey, attended informational sessions, connected with Boehringer employees, participated in hands-on activities, and engaged with site tours at our facilities. Our goal was to inspire students to explore STEM opportunities. This whole effort is powered by over 100 Boehringer employees who volunteered their time towards the goal of creating STEM opportunities for the next generation.

Students gathered around lab equipment. — A Scientist from our North Brunswick site, explains how a scanning electron microscope works and showed the students images as an illustration of understanding how the structure of a material is important.

“The day proved to be an engaging and enlightening occasion for students and Boehringer employees alike. It successfully highlighted the relevance of STEM, motivating students to consider careers in this field by demonstrating how their school interests can be applied in the real world. The personal interactions were especially gratifying, reminding the students that we were once in their place,” shared Dr. Manami Tsutsumi, Scientific Excellence and Engagement Development.

For Dr. Martha Brown, Executive Director of Research Coordination and Boehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation Steering Committee member, participating in STEM Day was a way for her to share her passion for life sciences with aspiring scientists.

Students sitting at a table and using pipettes. — Students showcase their precision and skill in a pipetting competition, guided by the expertise of Boehringer scientists. A unique blend of education and fun, fostering the next generation of scientific talent.

“Opening up our campus to local students for STEM Day exposes emerging talent to the industry and to Boehringer. These efforts also intrinsically link to Boehringer’s approach to Sustainable Development for Generations as part of MORE POTENTIAL,” said Dr. Brown. “We're humbled to provide our students in our community with an immersive experience in science and technology as they strive to reach their full potential.”

One of our goals for STEM Day is to put aspiring scientists in the shoes of Boehringer scientists. Paul Woolard, Senior Associate Director of Training at our St. Joseph, MO site, explains how we used Virtual Reality (VR) to make that happen.

“We organized an amazing VR simulation where students were in a cattle pen, examining and diagnosing sick cattle,” said Woolard. “Then, we simulated a laboratory environment where students analyzed and diagnosed cattle, determining which medicines will help.”

Boehringer employees seated at a table and speaking with students. — Students eagerly engage in a speed networking session with Boehringer professionals. This interactive activity provided valuable insights into the diverse career opportunities and pathways at our organization, helping to shape the future of science.

For the students who participated, interacting with scientists and professionals at Boehringer was an opportunity to learn not just about the technical aspects of the work, but about the motivations behind why our professionals chose to pursue a career in STEM. This commitment is not just about professional success; it's about making a difference in the world. This is the 'why' behind their career choice - a desire to use their skills and knowledge to create positive change. For the students, this experience provided a new perspective on what a career in STEM could mean. They saw that it's not just about equations and experiments, but about using these tools to solve real-world problems and make a tangible difference. This could inspire them to consider a career in STEM, knowing that they too could contribute to important advancements in healthcare.“

I couldn’t believe it when I saw scientists in the labs in lab coats and that is their actual job; to make discoveries,” said one STEM Day student at our Ridgefield, CT location. “I could totally picture myself in a lab coat in that moment.”

Students sitting at a table with Boehringer employees. — Students immersed in the fascinating 'Journey of a Molecule' tour at Boehringer Ingelheim's R&D facility in Ridgefield. An interactive and educational experience, shedding light on the intricate journey a molecule undertakes from conception to realization.

“At Boehringer Cares, this is about much more than simply welcoming students to our facilities one day out of the year. STEM Day, and all our community initiatives, investments, and projects build meaningful connections within the communities where we live and work,” shared Kristin Segrue, Associate Director Boehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation Signature Program and US STEM Day Lead.

Dan Donovan, the Principal of Danbury High School in Danbury, CT, was one of the school administrators who participated in STEM Day along with many of his students. He expressed his gratitude to Boehringer Ingelheim staff for the opportunity describing the day as “nothing short of phenomenal.”

STEM Day demonstrates the lasting community impact Boehringer Cares has across the country and serves as a powerful example of the innovative and mission our scientists do every single day.

About the Boehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation: Boehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation is an independent nonprofit organization with a mission to strengthen the communities where our employees live and work by improving the health and well-being of people and animals, with a focus on helping the underserved. The programs we support align with our goals to improve access to healthcare, enhance STEM education, and strengthen the human-animal bond.

About Sustainable Development for Generations: The Boehringer Cares Foundation contributes to the efforts of Boehringer Ingelheim’s Sustainable Development – For Generations Strategy with the goal of good health for communities and our people. By 2030, we intend to positively impact 100 million lives in underserved communities, become carbon neutral, and halve our natural resource use globally. Our aim is to address the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Scientists at our North Brunswick facility explain the use of dissolution equipment for short and long-acting products. Students had to use the scientific theory to hypothesize on what they thought would happen and then see the experiment in action.

A student wearing a Virtual Reality headset.

St. Joseph STEM Day student experiencing the Virtual Reality cattle module. In this module, one plays the role of a veterinarian that responds to a call at a feedlot to evaluate clinical signs of diseased cattle. The experience then leads to a state-of-the-art laboratory where samples collected at the feedlot are evaluated to reveal the disease responsible for the clinical signs. The module was developed as a collaborative effort between Boehringer Ingelheim and the USDA.