Education & Workforce Development

Marina Bay Sands Team Members brought 40 children from the Dyslexia Association of Singapore and Students Care Service on a fun-filled hospitality career workshop in support of the annual AmCham Corporate Community Day in November. Organized by The American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore (AmCham) and the U.S. Embassy, it is a special day that encourages all American organizations in Singapore and its employees to build stronger ties with Singapore through local community work.

Ever since I can remember, I was curious about how the world works and the causes and implications of different processes. Life’s extremely complex network of molecules and reactions that made me want to contribute to its understanding, especially because it has a constant impact on us. I find the ability to understand and possibly modify the entire network by interacting with a single component on molecular level incredibly fascinating. The application of research in disease treatment and improvement of overall life quality makes me realize the importance of the area and drives me to invest even more into my studies.

My research project in a pharmaceutical immunology lab at ETH Zürich was about the unknown effects of PD-L1/PD-1 interaction on T regulatory cells inside lymphatic capillaries. It was a unique opportunity for me to learn how to test a hypothesis using state-of-the art laboratory equipment and to carefully assess the results of the experiments. I hope that in the future I will be able to expand my knowledge on immunoregulation and contribute to the development of new treatments against autoimmune diseases.

Before I was accepted into the Amgen Scholars Program, I was quite sure about a career in academia, but this summer ultimately convinced me that university-based research is a job with which I would be happy.

Most Amgen Scholars only begin to learn about their summer research topic in their college years. For Trévon C. Gordon, his research topic began in high school, when he began to suffer from a condition called alopecia areata, which prevents him from growing hair. Since then, understanding the autoimmune disease has become his mission, and he spent his Amgen Scholars summer researching ways to treat it with a cutting-edge researcher who herself has alopecia areata.

My personal awakening to what a good science education could look like happened in Canada, in my 10th grade physics class with Mr. Burt at Westmount High School in Montreal in the early 90's. I started high school in Brazil and had already taken a year of physics, but frankly, had not learned much through the experience. After a brief lecture on basic properties of waves, Mr. Burt broke us into groups and asked that we explore the concepts he had just taught us using ripple tanks. While I regret to say that is probably as much physics I know to this day, I remember vividly changing the speed and strength of the waves and being fascinated to see, first-hand, that what sounded like complicated science was within my grasp.

Samsung Electronics America, Inc. today brought teachers and students from 5 countries together at the United Nations to find solutions for sustainable development issues around the globe. As part of the Global Classroom STEAM Challenge, the student teams partnered with international counterparts over the past 10 weeks to develop solutions to issues in their respective communities. Today, at an event at the United Nations headquarters, the teams presented their proposed solutions to a panel of government leaders, non-governmental organizations, educators and corporate leaders.

The RBIS team in New York City was looking for a way to connect with the kids in their community. They discovered The Pajama Program, a NYC-based nonprofit (with chapters across the U.S.) whose mission statement asserts,

Millions have seen the image. Moments after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was fatally shot on April 4, 1968, photographer Joseph Louw captured the moment when those with Dr. King on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel all pointed to an area across the street.

Shireen Hafeez is the founder of Deaf Kids Code, a nonprofit working to bridge the economic and social gaps among deaf children and adults. She has been an advocate and lobbyist for deaf kids because her own son is deaf – and she believes that computer science, technology, and design thinking skills can break down the barriers that have prevented deaf people in the past from getting jobs and fully participating in society.