MIDLAND, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW) announced today a $1 million commitment with FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) to promote STEM education. As part of Dow’s STEMtheGAP™ initiative, today’s announcement is aligned to the Company’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) mission of building the workforce of tomorrow by supporting teachers, motivating student achievement, developing careers, and collaborating with communities to transform STEM education into a driver for innovation, manufacturing, and economic prosperity.
“In addition to their financial commitment, Dow employees have also been generous with their time and knowledge by mentoring teams and volunteering at events. We are pleased to recognize Dow as a FIRST Strategic Partner, and are thankful for their continued, multidimensional support.”
The announcement was made at the opening ceremonies of the 2015 Great Lakes Bay Region FIRST Robotics Competition District Event by Deborah Borg, president, Dow USA and Dean Kamen, founder, FIRST. Alongside community leaders, educators and participating students, Borg and Kamen solidified Dow’s partnership with FIRST and each organization’s commitment to STEM education through strategic collaborations and engagement.
“Dow has survived and thrived for more than a century because of the strength of our innovation engine, built on a foundation of STEM talent,” said Andrew N. Liveris, Dow’s chairman and chief executive officer. “Investing in the education of our youth means investing in our shared future and the future of our Company. There is no better way to inspire children to pursue careers in STEM than through the hands-on project based learning experiences that FIRST provides.”
FIRST, a not-for-profit organization founded by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology, has designated Dow as a FIRST Strategic Partner. The FIRST partnership will allow Dow to continue driving student excitement around STEM in its local communities by engaging its employees, with the ultimate goal of inspiring students to choose a future career in a STEM field.
“Engaging students in STEM through hands-on experiences is a key component to getting students excited about STEM careers,” said Borg. “Dow understands the importance of STEM and collaborative efforts such as this, which is why we are proud to partner with FIRST.”
Through this new commitment, Dow will connect new and existing FIRST teams with Dow mentors. As part of the Company’s STEM strategy, it believes that engaging mentors will enable students to learn from professionals who can inspire innovation and share their insight about career opportunities in STEM. In addition, more than 75 new FIRST teams located in strategic Dow communities will be created. The commitment between Dow and FIRST will also help send teams to FIRST regional and district championships, provide support for the annual FIRST championship event, and drive new team growth in Europe and emerging geographies.
“Dow has generously provided support to FIRST since 2000, and they have been instrumental in helping us grow FIRST programs in their home state of Michigan,” said Kamen. “In addition to their financial commitment, Dow employees have also been generous with their time and knowledge by mentoring teams and volunteering at events. We are pleased to recognize Dow as a FIRST Strategic Partner, and are thankful for their continued, multidimensional support.”
About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company is driving innovations that extract value from the intersection of chemical, physical and biological sciences to help address many of the world’s most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, clean energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow’s integrated, market-driven, industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 180 countries and in high-growth sectors such as packaging, electronics, water, coatings and agriculture. In 2014, Dow had annual sales of more than $58 billion and employed approximately 53,000 people worldwide. The Company’s more than 6,000 products are manufactured at 201 sites in 35 countries across the globe. References to “Dow” or the “Company” mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.
More information about Dow’s commitment to promoting STEM education can be found at www.dow.com/company/citizenship/stem.htm.
About FIRST®
Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies and more than $20 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC® ) for students in Grades 9-12; FIRST® Tech Challenge (FTC® ) for Grades 7-12; FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL®) for Grades 4-8; and Junior FIRST® LEGO® League (Jr.FLL®) for Grades K-3. Gracious Professionalism® is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community.
For more information about FIRST programs and sponsorship opportunities, please contact development@usfirst.org.
®TM Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow
Contacts
For further information contact:
The Dow Chemical Company
Sara Steele, 202-429-3428
smsteele@dow.com
or
FIRST®
Cheryl Walsh, 603-206-2460
cwalsh@usfirst.org
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