AUSTIN, Texas—The University of Texas at Austin and five other leading research universities in the United States will assist in judging, planning and administering the regional competitions of the Siemens Westinghouse Science & Technology Competition, officials with UT Austin and the Siemens Foundation announced today. The Siemens Foundation is the non-profit organization established by the global technology company Siemens.
The event will take place at the Joe C. Thompson Conference Center on the UT Austin campus on Nov. 19-21 featuring contestants from Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas and Oklahoma. The scholarship prize for each regional individual winner totals $20,000. Each regional team winner divides $30,000.
The Siemens Westinghouse Science & Technology Competition is the national million-dollar scholarship and awards program developed by the Siemens Foundation to promote and advance math and science education in America. The competition, in its inaugural year, is open to individuals and teams of high school students who develop independent research projects in the physical or biological sciences, or mathematics.
As part of the collaboration with the Siemens Foundation, UT Austin, Carnegie Mellon University, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Notre Dame, Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will each host the regional events of the Competition.
During the two-day regional event, UT Austin will host up to 20 student competitors and their chaperones at on-campus activities, science and technology-related demonstrations and tours of university laboratories and facilities. These and a variety of other activities are intended to contribute to an atmosphere of fun and spirited competition among the high school contestants.
UT Austin faculty from various science and mathematics–related disciplines will serve on judging panels for the regional competitions. Competing students will present their projects to the panel of judges on the Saturday morning of each scheduled regional competition. Based on that presentation, one individual and one team of winners (per each region) will be chosen and recognized at an on-campus banquet that evening.
Regional competitions and judging also will be held:
- Oct. 29-31 at Carnegie Mellon University.
- Nov. 5-7 at University of California at Berkeley.
- Nov. 12-14 at MIT and Notre Dame.
- Nov. 19-21 at Georgia Institute of Technology (and UT Austin).
“The University of Texas at Austin and the other leading research universities inherently understand the need for rigorous coursework in the sciences and mathematics æ from as early as grade school through the university level,” said Albert Hoser, chairman and CEO of the Siemens Foundation. “Our university partners are dedicated to delivering the knowledge and skills necessary for students to succeed as workers and professionals in a challenging and technologically advanced environment. These are the very skills that enhance U.S. competitiveness worldwide, and help make Siemens a key player in the global arena,” he added.
“This is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate how a partnership between Siemens, a prestigious multinational technology company, and a flagship research institution, The University of Texas at Austin, can reach out to our high school students,” said Dr. Larry R. Faulkner, UT Austin president. “We are working together to encourage our young people to concentrate on their math and science skills. This is an essential step toward creating the highly skilled and educated workforce we need to build the nationÌs economy.
In addition to hosting regional competitions, UT Austin and the other institutions may work with SiemensÌ operating companies throughout the United States to coordinate research internships for winners of the Siemens Westinghouse Science & Technology Competition.
The Siemens Westinghouse Science & Technology Competition will be judged first on the regional level on partner university campuses, with regional awards going to six individual students and six teams. The culmination will be a $100,000 national scholarship to a winning individual student, with the top team winning $90,000 in scholarships (to be divided among the participating students).
Panels of scientists and university faculty will serve as judges at the regional and national competitions, under the direction of the national education organizations The College Board and the Educational Testing Service, which have partnered with the Siemens Foundation to administer the competition. Siemens will in no way be involved with the selection of judges or influence their decisions.
The Siemens Westinghouse Science & Technology Competition recognizes student projects for originality, creativity, academic rigor and clarity of communication. The Siemens Foundation is dedicated to providing scholarships and increasing access to higher education for students who are gifted in the sciences, and in mathematics and technology-related disciplines.
Established in 1998 to promote and support educational activities, the Siemens Foundation recognizes and supports AmericaÌs most promising math and science students and teachers, as well as schools that are doing the most to promote education in the hard sciences. Its mission is based on the culture of innovation, research and educational involvement and support that is a hallmark of Siemens Corporation, its operating companies and its parent company, Siemens AG.
Through the partnerships it has established with leading research universities, the Siemens Foundation will promote recruitment of students and coordinate research internship opportunities for them on-campus or at Siemens companies around the United States.
For more information about the Siemens Foundation and its university partners, please visit the website: www.siemens-foundation.org.
In the United States, Siemens is an industry leader in telecommunications; energy and power; lighting and precision materials; industry and automation; and healthcare, and a key player in microelectronics and components; transportation; information systems; and other products. Siemens AG, based in Berlin and Munich, is one of the world’s largest electrical engineering and electronics companies and employs more than 400,000 people in a total of 193 countries.
NOTE to EDITORS: For additional information, contact: Tom Varney, Siemens Corporation, (212) 258-4335, or thomas.varney@sc.siemens.com; and Esra Ozer, Siemens Corporation, (212) 258-4348, or esra.ozer@sc.siemens.com.
