BOSTON (CBS) – A local pharmaceutical company is committing more than $1 million to encourage students to pursue science, technology and engineering.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals is focusing on two South Boston schools, Boston Green Academy and Excel High School, with a program to bring students right into the research lab.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030′s Anthony Silva reports

Dr. Bryan Vought at Vertex admits this collaboration will work both ways, for students and scientists. He says that Vertex wants to show students what they do on a daily basis, so that a student who is in the program for four years hopefully will see how an experiment happens, from beginning to end. Students will hopefully see experiments related to biology, chemistry and other sciences.

Vertex will dedicate a learning lab covering 3,000 square feet at its future headquarters in the South Boston Innovation District.