Supported by Celdara Medical and named after its co-founder, the new building and STEM lab is designed for authentic, experiential learning and serves as an exemplary partnership for the future of STEM education
LEBANON, N.H. – August 26, 2021 — Celdara Medical, LLC (Celdara), The New Hampshire Academy of Science (NHAS), and Crossroads Academy announced today the opening of the Fanger Center. The Fanger Center is an adaptable, cutting-edge facility that functions dually as the Crossroads Academy middle school by day and a New Hampshire Academy of Sciences STEM lab outside of school hours, enabling afterschool, holiday, and summer use. This unique collaboration makes the Fanger Center accessible to STEM-interested middle- and high-school students across the region through NHAS Programs, which include need-based financial aid. Constructed on the Crossroads Academy campus in Lyme, NH, the purpose-built facility was supported by Celdara and named after Dr. Michael Fanger, who co-founded Celdara Medical in 2008 with Dr. Jake Reder. The new facility, designed for chemistry, biology, mathematics, engineering, and computer science, is available to students across New Hampshire and Vermont. An outdoor ribbon cutting ceremony was held today for students and teachers to celebrate the start of the school year in the new space.
“The NHAS has a mission to further the work of scientists and future scientists in New Hampshire by providing a forum for scientific discussion, interaction, and collaboration,” notes NHAS Executive Director, Dr. Peter Faletra. “The Fanger Center provides an expanded space for students from all our communities to engage in authentic scientific research with teachers and STEM professionals through an apprenticeship model. NHAS intends to be a main hub for STEM opportunities in the states of NH and VT, with The Fanger Center serving as its flagship STEM research Center. Accessibility is core to our efforts; it is our goal to ensure that motivated students can attend, independent of their financial means.”
Crossroads Head of School, Mr. Dan Morrissey, adds: “At Crossroads Academy, our faculty set children on learning journeys in every field of discovery, teaching them that knowledge and virtue – strong minds and kind hearts – can change the world. Like Dr. Fanger, our community is eager to create a better future and is continually exploring ways to do so. The inauguration of the Fanger Center on our 30th Anniversary represents our continued investment in thought leadership and innovation. We are thrilled that the region’s middle and high school students will have the opportunity to engage in high quality curricular and extra-curricular science and engineering research through our unique partnership with NHAS.”
The Fanger Center is a replicable and scalable model for schools worldwide and builds upon the success of the current NHAS STEM lab. In addition to regional STEM outreach programs, teacher training and authentic research experiences for students, the existing NHAS STEM lab has resulted in over 100 students from 15 regional schools publishing their research with the American Junior Academy of Science and presenting their work at the annual meetings of the American Association for the Advancement for Science (AAAS). The Fanger Center expands the existing 1,200 square feet of biology lab space to include an additional 2,500 square feet of lab space, in addition to offices, conference spaces, and future-ready maker spaces, all focused on the physical sciences, computer science and engineering.
“Mike and I founded Celdara to transform the work of leading scientists into products and services that can help humanity. Mike gave immeasurably to the field of scientific education, as a mentor, entrepreneur, and academician. Increasing equitable access to educational opportunities and investing in STEM leaders of the future is a wonderful way to honor Mike’s legacy. Some of the next generation of leading scientists, mathematicians, and engineers will find their inspiration here,” said Jake Reder, co-founder and CEO of Celdara Medical.
In 1981, Dr. Fanger joined Dartmouth Medical School’s Immunology Program, creating a world-renowned Department of Microbiology and Immunology, for which he served as Chairperson for a decade. As an entrepreneur, Dr. Fanger cofounded the pioneering biotechnology company Medarex, generating technology which created nearly half of the human antibodies approved to date. Two Medarex medicines ignited the immunoncology revolution, providing hope for previously incurable patients and saving thousands of lives. In 2018, Drs. Jim Allison and Tasuku Honjo received the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their pioneering work that led to these world changing Medarex drugs.
“Mike’s impact in the biotech industry is the stuff of legend, but for the many of us that he inspired, his teaching, counselling, advising, mentoring and friendship may be even more impactful. These virtues are a big part of why we are honoring his legacy with this Center. My hope is that every student who passes through these doors will learn something about Mike and realize that they too can be great by doing good,” said Reder.
About Celdara Medical
Celdara Medical was founded by Drs. Jake Reder and Michael Fanger in 2008 and is headquartered at the Dartmouth Regional Technology Center (DRTC) in Lebanon, N.H. Celdara Medical builds academic and early-stage innovations into high-potential medical companies, identifying discoveries of exceptional value at the earliest stages and moving them toward the market. Celdara Medical partners with inventors and their institutions, providing the developmental, financial, and business acumen required to bridge discovery and profitability. With robust funding options, a diverse and high impact Programmatic pipeline, and partnerships with world-class academic institutions and industry leaders, Celdara Medical navigates all aspects of a complex industry, accelerating science to improve human health. Learn More: https://celdaramedical.com/
About the New Hampshire Academy of Science
The New Hampshire Academy of Science, Inc. (NHAS) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization and an affiliated organization of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). NHAS supports the scientific research of New Hampshire high school and middle school students and sponsors their attendance at the annual symposium of the largest scientific organization in the world, the AAAS. The NHAS Mission is to further the work of scientists and future scientists in New Hampshire, provide a forum for scientific discussion, interaction, and collaboration with the general public through our website and conferences, increase public understanding and appreciation of the importance and promise of science in human welfare and progress, and encourage authentic scientific research by having scientists mentor students in middle and high schools. Learn More: https://www.nhacadsci.org/
About Crossroads Academy
Crossroads Academy is an independent, coeducational day school committed to academic excellence and moral integrity. We inspire our students to love learning, act honorably, and contribute actively to intellectual, cultural, and civic life. Crossroads Academy was the first independent Core Knowledge school in the United States, and also the first Core Virtue school. We believe that virtues such as perseverance, intellectual honesty, and intellectual courage are both academic and moral virtues. This belief is reflected in the school motto “Scientia Virtusque”—”Knowledge and Virtue.” At Crossroads Academy, the Core Virtues create an ethos of responsibility and caring that fosters a disciplined, passionate, and cooperative pursuit of our program. As students master the content and practice the virtues, they gain, over time, an appreciation of who they are and who they aspire to be. Learn More: https://www.crossroadsacademy.org/
