SAN ANTONIO (Feb. 1, 2024) – H-E-B has donated $2 million to Texas Biomedical Research Institute (Texas Biomed) to support current STEM education initiatives and the future Center for Science Education.
“Texas Biomed is doing critical work to protect us from infectious diseases and to educate the next generation of scientists, right here in our own community,” says Craig Boyan, President of H-E-B and Vice Chair of the Texas Biomed Board of Trustees. “H-E-B is pleased to support student experiences at Texas Biomed and help make the Center for Science Education a reality.”
The Center for Science Education is planned as part of the future Global Center for Bioscience (GCB), which will be the new “front door” of Texas Biomed. The new complex is designed to reflect the Institute’s spirit of collaboration and innovation, with classrooms and laboratories dedicated for student training and workshops. It will serve as a dedicated hub connecting the scientific community to students, teachers, residents and organizations to learn about global health, disease prevention and the importance of research – especially relating to underserved and disproportionately affected populations.
The GCB will also feature new, state-of-the-art Texas Biomed laboratories and offices. Initial planning and design for the capital project is underway.
The H-E-B gift will also help support paid, summer internships at the Institute for college and graduate level students. Texas Biomed is committed to providing paid opportunities to ensure internships can be considered by students regardless of financial status. Each summer, Texas Biomed welcomes up to 20 interns, and the H-E-B gift will help more labs offer internship positions. (Internship applications for summer 2024 are currently being accepted through February 23. Learn more here.)
“H-E-B is a leader in giving back to the community and we are extremely grateful for this generous gift to our education programs and spaces,” says Akudo Anyanwu, MD, Vice President for Development at Texas Biomed. “Inspiring and training future scientists is a key part of our vision as a global leader in infectious disease research.”
Under its 10-year Strategic Plan set in 2018, Texas Biomed has significantly expanded its overall commitment to STEM education and workforce opportunities. The Institute’s various educational initiatives serve nearly 10,000 K-12 students from all 17 public school districts.
“We have an over 80-year history in this community, and we take our mission seriously to help educate the next generation of bioscience leaders and advocates,” said Larry Schlesinger, MD, Texas Biomed President & CEO. “H-E-B is well known for its deep and longtime support of Texas teachers, students and schools, so we are honored they are our active partner in engaging the minds of our future scientific problem solvers and teachers.”
To learn more about ways to support Texas Biomed, please visit: txbiomed.org/support-us