$225,000 in Scholarships Awarded at 2008 ExxonMobil Texas Science and Engineering Fair
Posted on April 14, 2008 – 5:16 pm | by vchris
More Than 220 Students Receive Awards as Two-Day Event Concludes in San Antonio
SAN ANTONIO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Top honors were awarded to more than 220 students during the 2008 ExxonMobil Texas Science and Engineering Fair, held April 10-12 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio. Ashwathi Mohan and Derek Lam received Best in Fair awards from a field of approximately 1,500 top middle and high school students from across Texas.
More than $225,000 in scholarships were awarded during the 22nd year of the state competition, presented by the Texas Science Careers Consortium and hosted by The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Students competed in two divisions – junior division (grades 6-8) and senior division (grades 9-12) – and all students placing first through fourth in the fair’s 19 categories were recognized. Grand prize winners in the senior division received all-expense paid trips to compete in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF), which will be held May 11-17 in Atlanta. The top 10 percent of competitors in the junior division were invited to apply for the Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge.
“We are proud to support initiatives, such as the ExxonMobil Texas Science and Engineering Fair, which encourage young people to investigate science and math topics they may not have the opportunity to explore inside a classroom,” said Truman Bell, senior program officer for education and diversity, ExxonMobil Foundation. “Whatever their career goals, the experience and critical-thinking skills gained by participating in a science fair will aid students as they complete their education and embark into their future.”
ExxonMobil served as title sponsor of the event for the eighth consecutive year and provided $75,000 to support the fair. A portion of the grant went toward a diversity recruitment initiative, which assists qualified students with project and travel expenses that would otherwise prevent them from participating in the competition.
“We are proud of our partnership with ExxonMobil and thankful for their ongoing support in making this fair possible for outstanding Texas students,” said Stuart Birnbaum, associate professor, UTSA and executive director of the ExxonMobil Texas Science and Engineering Fair. “The sophistication and creativity of these projects grows each year and we congratulate all of this year’s participants on a job well done.”
Students qualify for the state competition by placing first, second or third in a regional science fair sanctioned by Science Service, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the understanding and appreciation of science among people of all ages.
Students in both the junior and senior divisions also received special awards from organizations such as the American Meteorological Society, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library Association, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, National Society of Professional Engineers, and the Yale Science and Engineering Association.
The Texas Science Careers Consortium, which represents the science programs of public universities around the state, has been operating the state level science competition since 2001. Additional information on the 2008 ExxonMobil Texas State Science and Engineering Fair is available at www.emtsef.org.
About ExxonMobil Foundation
ExxonMobil Foundation is the primary philanthropic arm of the Exxon Mobil Corporation in the United States. The Foundation and the Corporation engage in a range of philanthropic activities that advance education, health and science in the communities where ExxonMobil has significant operations. In the United States, ExxonMobil supports initiatives to improve math and science education at the K-12 and higher education levels. Globally, ExxonMobil provides funding to improve basic education and combat malaria and other infectious diseases in developing countries. In 2007, together with its employees and retirees, Exxon Mobil Corporation, its divisions and affiliates, and ExxonMobil Foundation provided $207 million in contributions worldwide, of which $70 million was dedicated to education. Additional information on ExxonMobil’s community partnerships and contributions programs is available at www.exxonmobil.com/community.
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Tags: Engineering, exxonmobil, Fair, Science, texas
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