About Chesapeake Bioscience Education Foundation
Encouraging young Americans to explore studies and careers in innovative fields such as the life sciences.
Chesapeake Bioscience Education Foundation develops and promotes programs designed to encourage young students before they choose specific careers, to appreciate and participate in the challenging work of math and science so that they do not preclude subsequent career choices in the biosciences.
According to an influential report from the National Academies of Science, “the rise of new international competitors in science and engineering is forcing the United States to ask whether its education system can meet the demands of the 21st century. The nation faces several areas of challenge: K–12 student preparation in science and mathematics, limited undergraduate interest in science and engineering majors, significant student attrition among science and engineering undergraduate and graduate students, and science and engineering education that in some instances inadequately prepares students to work outside universities.”
Finding a systematic way ensure that the education, workforce and training system of today will provide enough qualified leaders for high-paying jobs in science and innovation tomorrow is a major issue for policy-makers, educational leaders and the business community across the United States.
In order to maintain and enhance our nation’s standard of living and the quality of life for future generations, C-BEF promotes initiatives to ensure that students contemplating their careers understand the exciting and worthwhile opportunities in fields that relate to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
According to the National Academies of Science, after secondary school, fewer US students pursue science and engineering degrees. About 6% of our undergraduates major in engineering; that percentage is the second lowest among developed countries. Engineering students make up about 12% of undergraduates in most of Europe, 20% in Singapore, and more than 40% in China. Students throughout much of the world see careers in science and engineering as the path to a better future.
“Biotechnology Bonanza” Middle School Career Awareness Initiative
Among its many initiatives, C-BEF develops and promotes programs designed to encourage young students at the elementary and middle school level, long before they choose specific careers, to appreciate and participate in the challenging work of math and science so that they do not preclude subsequent career choices in the biosciences.
To create a coherent career pipeline, C-BEF is working to design, fund and build a Biosciences Employability Network— a new, flexible infrastructure for promoting education, career development, training and advancement in biosciences. This network will focus on academic excellence, technical training, and career exploration, for all students in elementary, middle and secondary school, and through higher education, community colleges and graduate degree programs.
