Siemens Awards for Advanced Placement Honor Top U.S. Science and Math Students and Teachers

ISELIN, N.J., Feb. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the Siemens Foundation revealed the nation's top achievers in Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) science and mathematics courses and furthered its long-standing commitment to honoring excellence in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

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"The Siemens Foundation is proud to recognize these outstanding students and teachers for their extraordinary accomplishments," said James Whaley, president of the New Jersey-based Siemens Foundation.  "Our student winners balance multiple challenging AP courses with a full schedule of extracurricular activities – and our honored teachers consistently commit their time and dedication to ensuring that their students excel in these vitally important fields," added Whaley.

Since 1998, the Siemens Awards for Advanced Placement has supported the efforts of students and teachers who perform exceptionally well in STEM-related Advanced Placement initiatives across the nation. This includes $2,000 college scholarships for students (one male and one female in each state) and $5,000 scholarships for a male and female national student winner. In addition, one exceptional teacher per state is selected; a $1,000 grant is provided to each teacher's high school to support science and mathematics education. One of the 50 teachers is selected as the Siemens National AP Teacher of the Year and his or her high school will receive a $5,000 grant.

This year's national student winners are Jenny Lu from Pomperaug High School in Southbury, Connecticut, and Joshua Ma from High Technology High School in Lincroft, New Jersey. The national teacher winner is Jeff Johnson, an AP Physics B teacher from Hoover High School in Hoover, Alabama.

The Siemens Awards for Advanced Placement is one of six Siemens Foundation programs that support STEM education from grade school through graduate school – including The Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge (www.wecanchange.com), The Siemens STEM Academy (www.siemensstemacademy.com), Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology, Siemens Science Days (www.siemensscienceday.com) and Siemens Teacher Scholarships.

Gaston Caperton, president of the College Board, said, "We congratulate the dedicated teachers and hard-working students who have taken up the challenge of AP science and math and accomplished so much. The best teaching and learning can be found in AP classrooms. I'm delighted to join with the Siemens Foundation in honoring these exceptional students and teachers."  

Student Winners

Up to 100 students (potentially one female and one male in each state) receive a $2,000 college scholarship for earning the greatest number of grades of 5 on the following AP courses:  Biology, Calculus BC, Chemistry, Computer Science AB, Environmental Science, Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, Physics C: Mechanics and Statistics. Students must obtain a grade of 5 on at least two of these exams to qualify. In addition, two national winners (one male and one female with the greatest number of grades of 5) are each awarded a $5,000 college scholarship. 

Teacher Winners

The Siemens Foundation honors winning high school science and mathematics teachers by providing a $1,000 grant to each teacher's high school to support science and math education. One Siemens National AP Teacher of the Year earns a $5,000 award for his or her school. Teachers with a minimum of five years of teaching experience in math, science or technology AP courses are selected for their exemplary teaching and enthusiastic dedication to students and the AP Program.

Siemens Foundation

The Siemens Foundation provides more than $7 million annually in support of educational initiatives in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in the United States. Its signature programs include the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology, Siemens Awards for Advanced Placement, and The Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge, which encourages K-12 students to develop innovative green solutions for environmental issues. In February 2010 the Siemens Foundation launched its newest initiative, The Siemens STEM Academy, a national STEM education program for teachers designed to support educators in their efforts to foster student achievement in these fields. By supporting outstanding students today, and recognizing the teachers and schools that inspire their excellence, the Foundation helps nurture tomorrow's scientists and engineers. The Foundation's mission is based on the culture of innovation, research and educational support that is the hallmark of Siemens' U.S. companies and its parent company, Siemens AG. For further information, visit www.siemens-foundation.org.

The College Board

The College Board is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the College Board is composed of more than 5,700 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations. Each year, the College Board serves seven million students and their parents, 23,000 high schools, and 3,800 colleges through major programs and services in college readiness, college admission, guidance, assessment, financial aid and enrollment. Among its widely recognized programs are the SAT®, the PSAT/NMSQT®, the Advanced Placement Program® (AP®), SpringBoard® and ACCUPLACER®. The College Board is committed to the principles of excellence and equity, and that commitment is embodied in all of its programs, services, activities and concerns. For further information, visit www.collegeboard.com.

All winners' names will be spotlighted in the Monday, February 22, 2010 edition of USA Today. A full listing of winners is posted on www.siemens-foundation.org.

SOURCE Siemens Foundation