Honeywell Inspires The Next Generation Of Engineers By Sponsoring Nobel Laureate George Smoot At Universidad Autonoma de Baja California In Mexico

MEXICALI, Mexico, March 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Honeywell (NYSE: HON) today welcomed Nobel Laureate George Smoot to Universidad Autonoma de Baja California (UABC), Mexicali. Dr. Smoot lectured students and faculty members on new approaches to astrophysics and cosmology with an aim toward nurturing the next generation of scientists and engineers in Mexico.

The visit, organized by Honeywell Hometown Solutions, the company's corporate citizenship initiative, marks the fifth time Honeywell has sponsored a Nobel laureate in Mexico through its Honeywell Initiative for Science & Engineering (HISE), an award-winning program that has benefited university students in Eastern Europe, Latin America, India, China and other emerging countries. It's also the second time Honeywell has chosen UABC for its Nobel laureate lecture series.

Smoot, an American astrophysicist and cosmologist, received the Nobel Prize in physics in 2006 for key discoveries that advanced our understanding of the Big Bang, which marked the birth of the universe nearly 14 billion years ago. During his visit, Smoot talked about "Mapping the Universe and Its History" in which he described the most advanced tools and methods for understanding the events surrounding the birth and development of the universe.

"Techniques such as computer modeling are so precise we are able to determine what happened over billions of years with amazing certainty and accuracy," Smoot explained. "Although there remain numerous mysteries yet to be solved, we continue to make strides toward unlocking the history of the universe, discovering new forms of matter, and making scientific advances in molecular physics."

Later, Smoot toured the university's laboratory and engaged in informal meetings with students and faculty members.

"UABC has always put fostering talents as our highest priority," said Juan Manuel Ocegueda, Ph.D. and president of UABC. "We are delighted to collaborate with Honeywell to bring the world's greatest scientists to our campus. Dr. Smoot's visit has given our students a once-in-a-lifetime chance to talk with a Nobel Prize winner, ask questions, and further fuel their interest in engineering and science."

"As a world-leading high-tech manufacturing company, Honeywell is committed to cultivating innovation and talent development in Mexico," said Luis F. Sanchez, president of Honeywell Mexico. "Programs like HISE are an important way to build a base of young engineers in Mexico that will help drive the economic, social, and cultural improvement of Mexico well into the future." 

In addition to its Nobel laureate program, Honeywell also encourages science, technology, engineering and math education in Mexico by inviting Mexican middle school science and math teachers to attend the Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy and the Honeywell Green Boot Camp in the United States each year.

Smoot is a professor of astrophysics and cosmology at the University of California, Berkeley, a senior scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and a professor of physics at the Paris Diderot University, France. In 2003, he was awarded the Einstein Medal and in 2009 received the Oersted Medal.

About Honeywell Hometown Solutions
The Honeywell Initiative for Science & Engineering program is part of Honeywell Hometown Solutions, the company's corporate citizenship initiative, which focuses on five areas of vital importance: Science & Math Education, Family Safety & Security, Housing & Shelter, Habitat & Conservation, and Humanitarian Relief. Together with leading public and non-profit institutions, Honeywell has developed powerful programs to address these needs in the communities it serves. For more information, please visit: http://citizenship.honeywell.com/.  

About Honeywell
Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes, and industry; turbochargers; and performance materials.  For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywellnow.com.

About Honeywell in Mexico
Mexico has been an important growing region for Honeywell since 1947. All four of its strategic business groups: Aerospace, Automation and Control Solutions, Performance Materials and Technologies, and Transportation Systems, are operating in Mexico with approximately 15,000 employees in 12 manufacturing sites, 2 test laboratories in Baja California and Chihuahua, 5 corporate offices located in Nuevo Leon, San Luis Potosi and Mexico City and an engineering and technology center. Honeywell's technologies are being used in Mexico, and are helping to make the country safer and more secure, more comfortable and energy efficient, and more innovative and productive.

About Universidad Autonoma de Baja California
UABC celebrates 58 years of educational excellence supported by Federal Government recognition, with seven consecutive years of high percentages of students enrolled in undergraduate programs of good quality, and for being one of the three public universities in Mexico accredited by Institutional Committees for Higher Education Evaluation (CIEES). From 2002 to 2012 the university doubled its total enrollment by 127 percent, and in the current school year, it was the only public university in the country that managed to record in new revenue by admitting more than 19,000 students.

On its three campuses there are more than 55,000 students in undergraduate and graduate programs. Of these, 70 percent are recognized by the National Quality Graduate Program (PNPC) of CONACYT. The UABC has 261 professors-researchers attached to the National System of Researchers, and 93 percent of full-time academics have a graduate degree. Internal research projects are created in support of science and technology, as well as the creation of the program "Cimarrones en la Ciencia," and the Unit for Liaison and Technology Transfer (UVTT), which has helped 24 patents registered in the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI). Visit www.uabc.mx.

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