Amgen Biotech Experience: TURKISH MINISTRY OF NATIONAL EDUCATION APPROVED THE PROJECT!

ABE project implementations carried out by the Development Workshop Cooperative in cooperation with Middle East Technical University (METU) in Turkey were approved by the Ministry of National Education

The Ministry of National Education (MoNE) approved the classroom practices to be held in the second term of the 2021-2022 academic year, in 16 schools, from five cities in Turkey including Ankara, Adana, Kayseri, Kocaeli and İzmir.

With the permission taken by MoNE, inquiry-based biotechnology practices of teachers have started and will be shared here with all their excitement and details. Statistical data on each application, teacher notes and feedback from students will be shared in detail, along with the unexpected situations experienced during the implementations and the instant strategies adopted to overcome them.

The Project was Approved by the METU Ethics Committee

The application permission obtained from the METU Human Research Ethics Committee for a period of 5 years was shared with the ministry. The compliance and approval of the project was submitted to the ministry, stating that the project would be carried out within the framework of universal research ethics and in line with the principles in the Human Research Ethics Principles document of the relevant university.

ABE's Global Reach

ABE reaches approximately 90,000 STUDENTS in a year. Since 1990, the program has grown to approximately 850,000 students and has expanded to 24 locations worldwide. Within the scope of the program started nearly 32 years ago, more than 3,100 TEACHERS in more than 1,700 schools have implemented ABE in their classrooms.

ABE is an international program funded by the Amgen Foundation, with direction and technical support from the Education Development Center (EDC). ABE started 32 years ago as a unique collaboration between Amgen scientists and educators, with the vision to bring the excitement of biotechnology to secondary school students. The program proposes an applied molecular biology curriculum to the teachers and students in order to introduce students with the excitement of scientific discovery. ABE provides teachers working in secondary schools with professional development opportunities as well as laboratory equipment and materials required by the curriculum free of charge. The aim is to develop the knowledge, skills and competencies of teachers in order to carry out research-inquiry-based biotechnology applications, and in this way, to enable their students to develop knowledge, skills, attitudes and awareness about basic biology, real-life applications of biotechnology and careers related to biotechnology.