(Boston) - Boston University School of Medicine's (BUSM) CityLab program has received a five year, $1.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Center for Research Resources (NCRR).
With this award, BUSM's CityLab program will expand its curriculum supplements with hands-on laboratory experiments and computer-generated simulations designed to impart an understanding and appreciation of the basic elements of clinical research including clinical trials.
"Our goal is to generate a deep appreciation of the importance of citizen participation in clinical trials and the importance of the data generated by a clinical trial," said Carl Franzblau, PhD, professor of biochemistry at Boston University School of Medicine. "This award allows BUSM to show students, teachers, parents and the community the significant role of clinical trials in medical research," he added
The Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) program of the NCRR has supported BUSM's CityLab program for more than 18 years. CityLab's hands-on inquiry based biotechnology laboratory curriculum supplements have been used by more than 600,000 middle and high school students nationwide as well as more than 3,000 teachers. CityLab has two dedicated laboratories at Boston University School of Medicine along with its mobile biotechnology laboratory (MobileLab) and is a teaching model for both local and national efforts to improve pre-college science education.