Over 250 events expected to reach more than 45,000 future scientists on two continents

Merck, a leading science and technology company, has kicked off its 2023 Curiosity Cube tour in Europe and North America. This year, the Curiosity Cube, a retrofitted shipping container that offers hands-on experiments in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), will engage 45,000 students at schools and public spaces through more than 250 events across 11 European countries and North America. All experiments are led by Merck employees, allowing visitors to connect with real-life scientists and learn firsthand about STEM careers.

“In recent years, there has been considerable concern regarding a shortage of STEM professionals. As a science and technology company, we want to help spark curiosity in children and young people for the fascinating world of science,” said Meeta Gulyani, Head of Strategy, Business Development and Sustainability for the Life Science business sector of Merck. “That’s why our Curiosity Cube will continue its world tour to make science accessible and interactive, while also demonstrating all the possibilities that the life science field has to offer.”

This year’s Curiosity Cube features a brand-new curriculum, where students can interact with technology such as virtual reality (VR) to make learning fun and engaging. Students will conduct experiments about contaminants and gain a glimpse into the world of a scientist by:

• Exploring evidence of environmental contamination in a variety of samples and learning ways conservationists try to mitigate the negative environmental impact of contamination.
• Working with VR technology to discover what contaminants are commonly found on classroom surfaces and learn how to stop their spread.
• Using scientific instruments to run quality control tests on different beverages and determine if any contaminants are present.

This is the Curiosity Cube’s second European tour, which plans to make stops in Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the U.K. In North America, the Curiosity Cube already embarked on its fifth tour, with 124 events across the U.S. and Canada, including Austin, Boston, Cleveland, Houston, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Seattle, St. Louis, Toronto, and more.

Learn more about the Curiosity Cube mobile science lab and view the 2023 tour schedule

About Merck

Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across life science, healthcare and electronics. More than 64,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From providing products and services that accelerate drug development and manufacturing as well as discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2022, Merck generated sales of € 22.2 billion in 66 countries.

Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to Merck’s technological and scientific advances. This is how Merck has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck operate as MilliporeSigma in life science, EMD Serono in healthcare, and EMD Electronics in electronics.

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