Giving Impact
Northwestern Expands STEM Partnership with Baxter Foundation
Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy will continue its longstanding partnership with The Baxter Foundation to strengthen science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs for students and teachers across the Chicagoland area.
Backed by a new three-year, $2.6 million grant from The Baxter Foundation, the Baxter Center for Science Education (BCSE) – an affiliated center within SESP – will expand its efforts to empower educators through cutting-edge science, support classrooms through lab supplies and equipment, and inspire the next generation of STEM leaders.
The partnership "is part of the Baxter Foundation’s longstanding commitment to developing the next generation of innovators,” said Verónica Arroyave, vice president of corporate responsibility and global philanthropy at Baxter and executive director of the Baxter Foundation. “We’re proud to help the Baxter Center for Science Education continue its work to positively impact the development of our future scientists, engineers, researchers, healthcare providers and more.”
The BCSE was founded in 2009 with an initial grant from the Foundation and today operates as a partnership between Northwestern's School of Education and Social Policy, Lindblom Math and Science Academy in Chicago, Round Lake Area Schools, and the Baxter Foundation.
Since its founding, the Foundation has provided nearly $9 million in funding to support meaningful programming. During that time, the BCSE has reached approximately 260,000 students and trained nearly 4,000 teachers across more than 400 schools in Cook and Lake counties.
Program highlights include:
- Elevating educators: Innovative professional development opportunities – such as an immersive research experience program, free workshops that are eligible for professional development hours with the Illinois State Board of Education and an annual symposium – offer Chicagoland educators hands-on experiences, real-life laboratory practice, and collaborative settings.
- Supporting classrooms: Initiatives like the Baxter Box program – which lets teachers borrow materials and equipment for biology and biotechnology labs for free – and Lab Grants – which fund requests for lab equipment and supplies, from lab coats and goggles to blood typing kits, pipettes, incubators and more – help make sure teachers have the supplies they need to create meaningful STEM lessons for their students.
- Involving students, partner schools and local communities: Dynamic partnerships with schools, districts and other community organizations expose students to valuable STEM experiences that connect directly to future academic and career pathways. Partner schools both design and participate in learning opportunities, such as field trips to Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. These experiences are enriched by near-peer mentoring with undergraduates working in STEM fields, fostering inspiration and insight into potential career journeys. The BCSE is continuously assessing and adapting opportunities to expand and better meet community needs and opportunities.
“Teachers often tell us how much they value the experiences and resources offered through the BCSE,” said Jen Lewin, director of the Baxter Center for Science Education. “When educators have the chance to learn together and from one another through programs led by teacher leaders, they bring that same excitement and curiosity back to their classrooms — to their students’ benefit."
Access to robust STEM training and materials is crucial, particularly in settings with limited resources. Programming offered by the BCSE, with support from the Baxter Foundation, keeps teachers up to date on STEM trends and teachings. Students, meanwhile are exposed to interesting and interactive lessons that inspire the next generation of innovators.
About Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy
The interdisciplinary School of Education and Social Policy (SESP) explores how people learn, grow, and develop throughout life. We study this across different ages, settings, and scales—in both policy and practice. Our mission is to understand and support human wellbeing, helping people, communities, and places thrive. SESP creates change by connecting a range of disciplines – including psychology, economics, computer science, organizational studies, political science, sociology, and education.
About the Baxter Center for Science Education
The Baxter Center for Science Education (BCSE) is a collaborative partnership between Northwestern University's School of Education and Social Policy, Lindblom Math and Science Academy, Round Lake Area Schools, and the Baxter Foundation, with evolving and responsive expansions to our broader communities of Cook and Lake Counties. The BCSE helps provide impactful educator professional development programs, support meaningful classroom and student STEM experiences, and catalyze mutually beneficial collaborations within the STEM education ecosystem of Chicagoland. Through these initiatives, the BCSE works to promote engagement and confidence in STEM among Chicagoland youth and teachers, and leadership opportunities among Chicagoland teachers.
About the Baxter Foundation
Every day, Baxter and the Baxter Foundation strive to make a meaningful difference in the lives of people who depend on our products, and in the communities where our employees live and work. The Foundation helps advance Baxter’s Mission to Save and Sustain Lives by partnering with organizations around the world to increase access to healthcare for the underserved, develop the next generation of innovators who will lead the way in advancing healthcare and to create a positive, long-lasting impact in communities globally. For more information, please visit Baxter's Corporate Responsibility page.