Featured Partners & Programs
As an industry-leading Life Science company, Bayer supports diverse STEM education collaborations that help educate, engage and inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, technologists and innovators. Featured below are some of the signature programs and organizations we are working with to provide hands-on science learning experiences to students, teachers and families.
A key component of the Making Science Make Sense initiative has been Bayer’s ability to develop strong ongoing partnerships and sustainable programs with diverse, best-practice STEM organizations. These partners and programs drive our efforts and connect Bayer employees to the communities where they live and work. Our company's focus on health care and agriculture, and long-term commitment to science for a better life, provides Bayer with a unique understanding of how critically important it is to continue supporting STEM education. Bayer’s ability to preserve human, animal and nutritional health – and our nation’s economic future – will rely on a robust STEM workforce pipeline.
At Bayer, we collaborate with industry leaders, government organizations, school districts, education associations, and parents/caregivers to advance STEM education and promote science literacy. Together with our Making Science Make Sense partners, we focus on building programs that provide positive hands-on learning experiences, long-term educational impact, and potential career inspiration for students, teachers and families.
Some of our partners and programs include:
Agents of Science: Bayer Employees Connecting Students to STEM
For decades, the Making Science Make Sense initiative has relied on dedicated Bayer employees to bring it to life. Every year they engage thousands of students, teachers and families in hands-on, inquiry-based science learning through classroom visits, after-school activities, teacher workshops, and community fairs, festivals and events. The Making Science Make Sense initiative also provides opportunities for volunteers to serve as role models and as an inspiration for today’s youth. Our employees participate on career panels, engage in extracurricular activities as advisors and student mentors, write thought leadership articles and blogs, and share their expertise during national STEM-focused speaking engagements and local community presentations. Bayer employees are devoted to advancing science literacy and connecting students to STEM.
National 4-H Council: Science Matters
Many STEM-related jobs in the United States are still open positions due to a lack of candidates with the relevant skills – a scenario all too common in agriculture, a field not always considered for a STEM career. However, Scientists who focus on plants, food and water are in demand as growers tackle some of the most complex challenges of our time. Science Matters, a nationwide collaboration between Bayer and National 4-H Council, is addressing the need for an enhanced STEM workforce pipeline in agriculture by planting a love of scientific exploration in thousands of youth in urban and rural areas across the country.
Bayer employees and 4-H leaders are working alongside young people to explore and demonstrate why science matters to all of us – focusing on Science for Today, Science for Tomorrow and Science for a Generation. The Science Matters program includes new scholarship and grant opportunities, sponsorship of the 4-H Youth in Action Award-Agriculture Pillar and 4-H National Youth Summit on Agri-Science, Science and Agriculture Community Action Plans in four states (California, Kansas, Pennsylvania and New Jersey), and local on-site activities between Bayer and 4-H Chapters. These community outreach components serve to enhance student involvement, increase employee engagement, and extend the impact of the Science Matters program nationwide.
National PTA: STEM + Families
STEM + Families is a National PTA initiative to engage entire families in STEM education experiences at school, at home, in the community, and with digital learning environments that support student success in STEM. The goal is to fill a critical gap in STEM education – especially among under-represented youth – by developing, evaluating and sharing effective ways to engage families in STEM hands-on learning activities and experiences.
Bayer, along with fellow STEM + Families sponsors Mathnasium, Microsoft and ThinkFun, are collaborating to increase access to STEM experiences for all students and to engage and inspire the next generation of STEM professionals. Our unified vision is that all students will have the family and community support needed to pursue STEM opportunities and careers. Bayer is currently sponsoring 30 Local PTAs and 11 State, Regional or District PTAs through our STEM + Families science grants and nationwide Bayer Science Festivals.
Project Lead The Way (PLTW): Biomedical Science Program
Bayer, like Project Lead The Way, strongly believes in reinventing the classroom experience. We both know the best way for teachers to teach science and students to learn science is the way scientists do – by doing it! As a Life Science company, we proudly support the PLTW Biomedical Science Program. It creates an engaging, hands-on classroom environment for students as well as provides key resources and training to help teachers involve students using topical learning exercises. PLTW Biomedical Science Program students tackle real-world challenges just as biomedical science professionals focus on solving real-life issues. At Bayer, our mission is Science for a Better Life. We look forward to one day having PLTW students join us in that endeavor.
Tickets for Kids Charities: STEM Venues
The Tickets for Kids® Charities organization provides access to extracurricular activities for children and families in need. Through partnerships with approved and vetted nonprofits serving disadvantaged kids and families, TFK distributes tickets for experiences in arts & culture, education & STEM, sports & recreation, and family entertainment. Bayer’s collaboration with Tickets for Kids centers on securing and providing experiences to STEM-focused venues so every child can participate in hands-on science learning in a fun, family-friendly environment. Together, Bayer and Tickets for Kids are inspiring the goals and dreams of the STEM leaders of tomorrow by creating unique learning opportunities for the children of today.