By
Laurie Ferhani, 6th & 8th grade Science
In December of 2016, the sixth graders went to the Biogen Community Laboratory in Kendall Square, Cambridge. This field trip is a part of our study of Light with applications to the field of medicine.
The Community Lab is a state-of-the-art, real-world facility where students engage in hands-on biotechnology experiments and interact with Biogen Idec employees. Through the Community Lab, Biogen Idec is demonstrating their strong commitment to promoting science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.
Students had to work together to figure how much of a protein medicine is digested by the body. The students were given the minimum blood concentration in order for the medication to be effective. Students used a spectrophotometer to determine concentration of digested, undigested medicine as well as some controls.
Many of the students walked away from the experience with a sense of how medications are tested and how they get to market. One student was heard saying, "This was one of the best field trips ever because we actually learned some new things and conducted a lab using high tech lab equipment".