OverviewThe Research Experience Scholars Program – a Roche international science education demonstration project – provides support for motivated, potential next generation researchers at the secondary school level by providing them with an opportunity for international exchange. Roche aims to help build the awareness and deepen the knowledge of students, academics and even the broader public, about modern life sciences and medicine and to expand the next generation’s curiosity in these areas of science.

Corporate ResponsibilityResearch Experience Scholars Program (RES)

How does it work?When a German school in the proximity of the company’s site in Mannheim approached Roche, seeking collaboration for piloting a structured stu­dent exchange in biotechnology, the RES concept was born. The aim of the exchange is to improve the academic training of the students through the expertise of the science and educational partners.

Roche readily involved a local affiliate site in the US with existing relations to a matching school.

Schools, university, industry and other support­ing parties collaborate to make RES possible. The most decisive factor for ensuring the success of such an initiative, though, is, the determination and dedication of educators to coordinate among students, parents, industry and other supporters at every step.

The two schools conceived the selection criteria and process. Key elements for eligibility are:• special interest in life sciences• proven record of high academic performance• demonstrated proficiency in the life sciences• maturity and exceptional communication skills

The RES program enables 3 select students from the partnering schools in the US and Germany to experience a 6 – 7 week visit with their exchange school. A 5 week research internship at a reputable university is part of the program. Additionally, the RES families and school mentors ensure that culturally interesting trips and visits are under­taken and at least one site visit to a major research facility of the industry sponsor can be realized.

Results Since initiation in 2009, 4 consecutive exchange cycles have been conducted, providing 24 scholars valuable research and intercultural experiences.

Students:Participating students have developed an under­standing of scientific research in a university setting, which includes learning how to develop a research question, how to formulate an experi­ment and how to collect and analyze data.

In addition, the German students substantially enhance their English language abilities while experiencing life in a residential community, and the American students experience living and

Key facts and figures

• Since2009REShasdirectlyinvolved24stu-dents(6peryear,3fromeachcountry),theirschools,teachers,mentorsandfamilies.REShasbeenconductedbytheJohanna Wittum School (JWS)inPforzheimGermanyandtheGovernor’s School for Science and Mathematics (GSSM)inHartsville,SouthCarolina,USA.

• Academiccollaborationpartnersrealizetheresearchinternships.MentorsandfacilitieswereprovidedinGermanyfirstbytheUniver-sityofKarlsruhe,thenbytheGerman Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)inHeidelbergandintheUSbytheUniversity of South CarolinainColumbia.

• OthercollaborationpartnersassistedwithprogramfundingbeyondRoche.IntheUS,theGreenville Hospital System (GHS)inSouthCarolinahassupportedGSSM,whiletheGer-man Chemical Industry Association (VCI)andtheRotary Club PforzheimhavehelpedJWS.

• Eachyear1or2sitevisitstoscientificcentersatRochegaveRESstudents,theirteachersandmentorsinsightsinto“scienceatwork”andbiotechnologicalhealthcareapplications.

• Annually,theinvolvementbythescholarshasalsoyieldedscientificpublicationsontheprojectwork

• AlmostallREShaveprogressedtostudyingscienceaftercompletingschool.

RES 2009 doing a pipetting exercise at the JWS school lab in Pforzheim, Germany.

“The RES experience has had a deep effect on all students and has altered their lives. To date, all but one are specifically pursuing careers in the Life Science.”Dr. Murray Brockman, President of GSSM

“Cooperating with industry bears fruit. The RES Program is achieving effective and long-lasting talent support in the life sciences and biotech-nology field, and at an international level, otherwise far beyond the possibilities of schools and students.”Dr. Jürgen Braun, teacher and RES coordinator at JWS

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F. Hoffmann-La Roche LtdCorporate Donations and Philanthropy4070 Basel, Switzerland

© 2012

All trademarks mentioned enjoy legal protection

For further information please visit: www.scgssm.orgwww.jws.pf.bw.schule.dewww.rochecarolina.comwww.roche.de/allgemein/standort/allg_mannh.htm

conversing with a host family in Germany. All of them are exposed to a different edu cational sys­tem, in a different culture, where communication is based on a different language.

Schools:The RES Schools established contacts and fostered relationships with colleagues from a different educational system. New university and industry contacts fired their imaginations and have led them to other exchanges with other countries.

Universities:In addition to RES having added quality support to some research activities, mentors and other university representatives have participated in Roche site visits and gained insights on trans­lating research into medical products.

Industry:The partners benefit from RES by establishing contacts with teachers, talented students and parents in communities neighbouring important

research or production sites. Such contacts natu­rally yield reciprocal dialogue about educational aspects and vocational requirements. The site visits show that scholars and mentors, alike, take away new insights and information on industry­based science and its practical application. At the same time Roche learns about what triggers interest in Life Sciences among the RES students.

About the RES partners

GSSM: The Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics (GSSM) is ranked one of the 20 best high schools in the US A. Situated in Hartsville, South Carolina, the school specializes in biotech­nology. Founded in 1988, the GSSM, is a residen­tial public high school, focusing its curriculum on science and mathematics, to prepare graduates to excel in science, research, technology and business. Eighty percent of all graduates pursue careers in science and mathematics.

JWS: The Johanna Wittum School (JWS) in Pforzheim, Germany runs a ‘biotechnology high school’, which – just like the GSSM in Hartsville – gives interested students deeper insights into biotechnology. As one of the first four schools with a special focus on biotechnology founded in this part of Germany, JWS has taken a leading role in further developing this vocationally oriented concept. Biotechnology is taught five hours a week, with one additional practical work hour in the school lab.

F. Hoffmann-La Roche: Corporate Donations and Philanthropy at corporate headquarters in Basel, Switzerland facilitated the RES program from its conception. This meant coordinating the involvement of various Roche affiliates such as; Roche Carolina, USA: located in Florence, not far from Hartsville, where Roche operates an important pharmaceuticals production facility, and Roche Diagnostics in Mannheim and Penz­berg, Germany.

RES 2012 students with their teachers and univer-sity mentors visiting Basel, Switzerland.

“I really enjoyed walking through the drug produc-tion process at Roche in Basel. It is one thing to understand the theory, but to combine this knowledge with engineering is what impressed me the most. Converting an already complicated ex-periment into a large scale stainless steel factory is rather amazing.” RES student

Partner Organisations