Corporate Social Responsibility

Communities

STEM education

Thermo Fisher Scientific is committed to inspiring a new generation of innovators that will allow us to continue to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Through educational programming and partnerships, we provide opportunities for our colleagues to engage with the communities in which they live and work to share their knowledge and experience. Through our annual Global STEM Day and science and engineering festivals, we promote our STEM education programs and encourage our colleagues to engage with their local communities and excite students about careers in STEM.

Signature STEM education programs

 

Research shows that students begin losing interest in STEM-related subjects around 11-13 years of age, which is why we have designed our STEM education outreach to focus on connecting with students during this critical time. We realize that many educational institutions lack the resources to bridge the subject matter taught within a textbook to real-world applications. As an industry leader, we believe it is our responsibility to help make this connection, ensuring continued interest in STEM subjects and careers in future generations.

 

Our signature STEM education programs connect students and colleagues through hands-on and team-based activities that highlight our technologies, make connections to careers in STEM and demonstrate how our company impacts the world. Our programs: Innovation Nation, STEM Design Challenge, STEMcredible Kits, and Career Connections, are available to our colleagues to implement in their local communities around the world. These activities can be delivered through individual efforts or through team events planned through our Community Action Councils and Employee Resource Groups.

Supporting STEM Education at home

 

We realize that in these unprecedented times educators are being asked to provide a curriculum to students like never before – virtually. We have customized several of our Innovation Nation activities to allow them to be conducted in the home environment. In addition to activity instructions, our worksheets also include a look at the science behind the activity, discussion questions, and connections to careers. To request a live demonstration of one of the activities below or career discussion for your students by one of our scientists,  contact responsibility@thermofisher.com.

STEM education impact at a glance

6,600+

Educators reached through our STEM programs

1,050+

STEM events

100,000+

Students reached through our STEM programs

21

Participating countries

Signature STEM

Innovation nation program

The Innovation Nation program provides our colleagues with presentations, lab materials, and instructions to guide students through a variety of hands-on and digital activities exploring concepts in life science, physics, chemistry, and computer science. Through this program, students learn about our technologies as well as the different types of careers found within our industry.

STEM design challenge

The STEM Design Challenge gives our colleagues a framework for hosting an engineering design competition at a local school or non-profit organization. Students work in teams to design solutions to a specific challenge utilizing the K’NexTM Construction Toy System. Challenges range from creating a nano- robot to treat cancer, to designing a machine that can remove trash from the ocean. Throughout the Challenge, students learn the importance of teamwork and good communication while presenting their designs to a panel of Thermo Fisher colleagues who serve as judges during the final competition.

STEM-Credible kits overview

Through our STEM-credible Kit program, we donate kits packed with reusable lab aprons, chemical splash safety goggles, and gloves, as well as lab notebooks, to local schools and non-profit organizations. The program also serves a two-fold purpose for our colleagues: they have an opportunity to utilize our Practical Process Improvement (PPI) Business System principles to optimize the packing of these safety kits and it is a meaningful team-building activity. 

Career connections

Our Career Connections program arms our colleagues with resources to partner with students and facilitates exercises ranging from mock interviews, résumé building, panel discussions, and career worksheets. These activities introduce students to different career paths while exploring the varied skills needed to succeed in today’s competitive world.

STEM partnerships

Our partners help us deliver on our commitment to inspire a new generation of innovators by making STEM education more accessible and equitable. These partnerships not only support students, but also provide our colleagues with rewarding volunteer opportunities. Learn more about how we collaborate with leading nonprofit partners who share our commitment.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge

The Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge is the US’ premier middle school STEM competition. The Junior Innovators Challenge, hosted by Society for Science, reaches more than 65,000 students annually through school, state and regional science fairs. The Challenge builds on our longstanding commitment to widespread and equitable access to STEM education through skills-based colleague engagement and a focus on outreach and equity programs—ensuring that students served, teachers reached and nominees converted to national competitors are more representative of the U.S. population. Learn more here.

Boys and Girls Club of America

Together, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Boys & Girls Clubs of America are enhancing and expanding STEM education programming and exposure across the Boys & Girls Clubs movement. Our longtime national partnership advances equity by connecting more youth with high-quality learning experiences that can inspire and propel them into thriving STEM careers. Learn more here.

China Women's Development Foundation

Her Science is a collaboration with the China Women’s Development Foundation to unleash the untapped potential of female innovators in China. The campus-based Her Science program connects female science majors with nurturing and innovative environments that support their academic development and encourage and enable their pursuit of STEM careers. To learn more about the program and how to get involved, visit the Her Science website or read the announcement issued by the China Women’s Development Foundation.

Back to top