MASSACHUSETTS LIFE SCIENCES CENTER
ANNOUNCES CAPITAL GRANTS AND FUNDING FOR
EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES IN CENTRAL
MASSACHUSETTS
Grants to fund joint venture between UMass and Harvard Medical, new
labs at QCC, and new equipment for STEM education at public high
schools and middle schools
Worcester, MA – The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) joined elected officials and
local school leaders at Burncoat Middle School in Worcester today to announce $10 million in
grants for two life-sciences-related capital projects, and more than $925,000 in funding for
equipment and supplies for high schools and middle schools in Worcester and surrounding
communities.
“Massachusetts‟ flourishing life sciences community has created opportunities and spurred
economic growth in every region of the state,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “These grants will
further strengthen our workforce in order to meet the needs of this growing industry through
enhanced training facilities and programs at our colleges, middle schools and high schools,
while supporting the establishment of a unique collaborative facility at UMass Medical School
that will enhance the region‟s capacity for drug development.”
The MLSC announced grant funding of more than $265,000 for six Worcester middle schools
(Burncoat, Worcester East, Forest Grove, Sullivan, Claremont, UPCS). The funding will be
used to purchase equipment that will serve 3,326 budding scientists and mathematicians
annually as the district works to create common lab experiences for all students in its six middle
schools. Such course uniformity will better serve many students that are “transient” in the
district and move from school to school throughout the course of their public school experience.
Exciting, engaging, standards-based lab experiences for every student in Grades 7 and 8 will be
the foundation they need for success in high school science courses and will serve them well as
they embark on careers in the STEM fields.
“We are excited not only to be hosting this event but to be a recipient of the grant as well,” said
Lisa Houlihan, Principal of Burncoat Middle School. “This grant will allow our middle schools to
create a standard set of lab experiments that all students will participate in making our students
college and career ready, with the intent that the increased exposure to a rigorous lab
experience in grades 7 and 8 will open more of our students to the possibilities that a career in
sciences has to offer.”
The MLSC awarded UMass Medical School $5 million to support a joint venture with Harvard
Medical School to establish a facility for High Resolution Cryo-Electron Microscopy (CryoEM). Cryo-EM is a critical new technology for studying the relationships between structure and
function in large molecular complexes within cells. Recent advances in this technology make it
possible to see molecules and structures with unprecedented clarity, opening up vast new
opportunities for the study of the key biological structures important to understand disease,
genetic disorders and bacterial and viral pathogenesis. One of the most important new tools for
drug design and development, Cryo-EM will play a critical role in identifying likely therapeutic
approaches for a broad range of diseases, particularly neurological disorders such as
Alzheimer‟s, immunological disorders, and diabetes.
The ability to „see‟ molecules and cellular machines in such unprecedented clarity is
transforming biomedical research. The Cryo-EM facility will be located on UMass Medical
School‟s Worcester campus and will be operated jointly by UMass Medical School and Harvard
Medical School.
“We are very pleased with the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center‟s support for this new highresolution cryo-electron microscopy facility at the state‟s public medical school,” said Michael F.
Collins, chancellor of UMass Medical School. “Through this innovative partnership with Harvard
Medical School, we will make available this novel technology, which has revolutionized the
fields of drug discovery and molecular biology, to the brightest scientific minds at our institutions
and beyond who will, surely, harness its power to accelerate the development of new
therapeutic approaches and medicines. Our medical school feels privileged to be part of an
initiative that illustrates why Massachusetts is leading the nation in life sciences research,
investment and innovation.”
Quinsigamond Community College (QCC) also received $5 million in funding to enhance the
existing life science programming at QCC and expand the college‟s life sciences and biotech
programming into Southbridge and downtown Worcester. A significant amount of the funding
will go towards constructing full biology, chemistry and computer labs, and a prep room at the
Regional Higher Education Complex and the Innovative Technologies Acceleration Center in
Southbridge. The new labs will enable QCC to offer biology, chemistry and microbiology
courses on the Southbridge campus. Last year, QCC received $499,880 in funding from the
MLSC to support and enhance the school‟s life sciences training facilities. The project included
furnishing and equipping specialized space for life sciences programs in QCC‟s new 30,000
square foot Science and Technology Building located on their main campus in Worcester.
“We are most grateful to The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center for this exceptional grant,
which will allow QCC to develop appropriate lab facilities for general sciences and specialized
life sciences to better fill industry demand in our service area,” said Dr. Gail E. Carberry,
President of Quinsigamond Community College. “With MLSC‟s support, QCC will develop
beginning and intermediate labs in Southbridge and downtown Worcester and enhance our
intermediate and advanced labs on the main campus, enhancing the biotechnology and life
sciences infrastructure and creating a larger pathway to high demand industry sectors.”
“The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center has truly invested in innovation, research, and
development for life sciences across the Commonwealth,” said Senate Majority Leader Harriette
L. Chandler (D-Worcester). “I would like to extend my congratulations to all the high schools
and middle schools in Central Massachusetts that received grants from the Massachusetts Life
Sciences Center, and look forward to seeing how the grants will be implemented.”
“I commend MLSC on providing these important grants to support life-sciences-related
opportunities in the heart of our Commonwealth” said Senator Michael Moore (D-Millbury).
“These investments are critical to advancing the region‟s bustling research and life science
sectors, and provide high school students with the tools needed to deepen their understanding
of and curiosity for STEM education.”
“I am incredibly thrilled about the MA Life Sciences Center‟s decision to award Quinsigamond
Community College with a $5 million dollar Capital Program grant,” said Representative James
O‟Day (D-West Boyleston). “This money will be instrumental in the construction, development,
and furnishing of beginning and intermediate labs in Southbridge, and new Bio/Chem labs in the
new downtown Worcester Center. This money will also enhance intermediate and advanced
labs in the QuEST Center. I want to thank the MLSC for choosing QCC for this well-deserved
award, and for continuing to invest in capital projects and infrastructure that support and
strengthen the life science ecosystem in MA.”
“At the MLSC we are using our capital dollars to ensure access to state-of-the-art life sciences
training facilities across the entire state so that students, regardless of zip code, will be wellprepared for careers in our state‟s fastest-growing industry sectors,” said Susan WindhamBannister, Ph.D., President & CEO of the MLSC. “The Center‟s grants to middle schools, high
schools and colleges in Central Massachusetts will help prepare students who can successfully
compete for life sciences jobs. In addition, we are pleased to be providing a grant that supports
a unique collaboration between UMass Medical School and Harvard Medical School.”
The MLSC also awarded Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School over $26,000,
which will be used to expand the school‟s Robotics Curriculum, exposing students to a more
innovative, challenging and hands on aspect of the Computer Science program. This program
will provide students with valuable experience for more advanced internships, job placement
opportunities and post-secondary education programs.
Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School received over $90,000 to
purchase equipment for their new Engineering Career Technical Shop. New supplies, including
software and hardware, will enable engineering students at each grade level at Blackstone
valley to gain the most from this new curriculum through hands-on learning in STEM. Courses
through this new shop will include frameworks from Project Lead the Way and curriculum from
the Museum of Science‟s Engineering the Future.
Fitchburg High School was awarded a grant of over $99,000, which will be used to construct a
state-of-the-art integrated STEM lab to expand and enhance its instruction in physics,
computerized design, and engineering and technology. This lab will support advanced learning
in high school courses through calculus-based physics and will allow a host of dual enrollment
courses to be offered at FHS that will lead to opportunities for students in the medical device
industry of North Central Massachusetts.
The MLSC awarded $100,000 to Cambridge Rindge and Latin School and the Massachusetts
Academy of Math and Science to support the IOMICS Pathways Initiative Global Outreach for
Orphan Diseases (GOOD) pilot program that will be available to students at both schools. The
program will engage students in exploring potential therapies for a wide range of genetic
diseases and will provide a solid foundation in medicine, biological sciences, bioengineering,
and computational science. Additionally, the collaboration will enable the teachers and students
to build professional networks and practice real world life sciences research in a collaborative,
cross institutional setting.
North Brookfield High School was awarded nearly $97,000 to support their Engineering
Technology Program. The program will provide seven new courses and will provide new
opportunities for students to meet the needs of the surrounding STEM industry. Students will
follow an activity, project & problem-based (APPB) model of instruction, ensuring hands-on
experiences with the latest innovations in the world of Engineering Technology. Through a
partnership with Quaboag Corporation, opportunities for internships and mentorships will also
be available - exposing students to the world of manufacturing and engineering.
Quabbin Regional received nearly $100,000 to help enhance its biology courses by equipping a
new biotechnology lab. This lab will enable the school to offer a new Introduction to
Biotechnology course and two biology elective courses that will utilize biotechnology
experiments, providing students with hands-on experiences in biotechnology. Teachers will
participate in a Bio-Rad teacher training workshop held at University of Massachusetts at
Amherst, where they will receive technical support and learn about different biotechnology
techniques and applications from science teachers around the region.
Bridges Quaboag Early College High School received a $100,000 grant to support their
partnership with Quinsigamond Community College to create an innovation program focused on
career pathways in the engineering and biotechnology/biomedical fields. The engineering
pathway includes college level computer information systems, college-level electrical
engineering, CAD I and II, robotics, advanced placement computer science and physics. The
biomedical pathway includes advanced placement biology, biotechnology, and
anatomy/physiology, with elective options in CAD I and II and robotics. While earning high
school and college credit simultaneously, students will gain competencies in teamwork, problem
solving, and communication skills, and will earn a minimum of 12 college credits in STEM
courses.
Fitchburg Public Schools received over $99,000, which will provide a new, well-equipped
laboratory at the Longso and Memorial Middle Schools that will generate new opportunities for
students to develop lab and technical skills. The new lab space will support a shared and
common experience for students and staff across the district to explore their research interests
in the sciences. By using digital technology for measuring, recording and modeling data in a
professional lab setting, students will gain experiences that will pique their interest and enhance
their skills to pursue life science studies at the high school and college levels and beyond.
About the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) is an investment agency that supports life
sciences innovation, research, development and commercialization. The MLSC is charged with
implementing a 10-year, $1-billion, state-funded investment initiative. These investments create
jobs and support advances that improve health and well-being. The MLSC offers the nation‟s
most comprehensive set of incentives and collaborative programs targeted to the life sciences
ecosystem. These programs propel the growth that has made Massachusetts the global leader
in life sciences. The MLSC creates new models for collaboration and partners with
organizations, both public and private, around the world to promote innovation in the life
sciences. For more information, visit www.masslifesciences.com.
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