Bayer Corporation Names Indian Woods Middle School Student as Its First-Ever Bayer Making Science Make Sense Scholar; Student to Attend Astronaut's International Science Camp, Tackle Global Issues 6/15/2004
From: Nicole Riegel or Bob Walker, 816-242-2920 or 913-268-2577, both of Bayer Corporation KANSAS CITY, June 15 -- Crystal Zhang Lu, a seventh-grader at Indian Woods Middle School, has been named Kansas City's first-ever Bayer Making Science Make Sense (MSMS) Scholar and will spend her summer vacation tackling important global issues with fellow students from around the world, Bayer Corporation announced today. As the Bayer MSMS Scholar, she will attend former astronaut Dr. Mae C. Jemison's international science camp The Earth We Share (TEWS) at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, from July 2 -- 30, 2004. Crystal is one of about 40 students attending TEWS '04 who represent Alaska, Texas, Florida, Canada, Ghana and Sierra Leone, among other places in the United States and around the world. By attending TEWS as a Bayer MSMS Scholar, Crystal believes she will be able to develop new ideas about how to make her Kansas City-area neighbors and local developers and builders "more environmentally conscious (so that) they would understand the importance of preserving trees." "We at Bayer are delighted to award Crystal this inaugural scholarship and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to interact with peers from different corners of the globe," said John Payne, president and general manager, Bayer HealthCare LLC -- Animal Health Division. Dr. Dietmar B. Westphal, senior vice president, NAFTA Industrial Operations, Bayer CropScience, added, "With the TEWS camp deeply rooted in the MSMS cornerstones of problem solving, critical thinking and team work, the experience will surely help to hone Crystal's science literacy skills and show her just how important science literacy is for all students today." During the four-week residential camp, Crystal and thhe other students will use an experiential science curriculum to solve current global dilemmas, such as "How many people can the earth hold?" "What do we do with all this garbage?" and "Design a non-fossil fuel energy source for the world," among others. Designed to strengthen middle and high school students' science literacy and its associated skills, the TEWS curriculum is based on a hands-on learning philosophy. "Based on her outstanding application, we are confident that Crystal will be a real asset to this year's TEWS camp, bringing to it a very unique vision and approach," said Dr. Mae C. Jemison, scientist, physician, the nation's first African-American female astronaut and Bayer's national MSMS science literacy advocate, who founded TEWS in 1994. She said choosing one winner from Kansas City "proved a challenge for us at TEWS because of the very high caliber of the applications. All Kansas City residents should be proud of their motivated and talented young people who are clearly engaged in their surrounding community." The Bayer MSMS Scholar Search provides an all-expenses paid scholarship to attend TEWS to one winning seventh through 11th grade student in the Missouri counties of Bates, Cass, Clay, Jackson, Johnson and Platte, and in the Kansas counties of Johnson, Leavenworth, Miami and Wyandotte. It is the newest component of MSMS, Bayer's companywide initiative that advances science literacy through hands-on, inquiry-based science learning, employee volunteerism and public education. Bayer's Kansas City site is one of 15 Bayer sites around the country that operate local MSMS programs, representing a national volunteer corps of more than 1,200 employees. Here, Bayer has a roster of 130 employee-volunteers who work in elementary schools to help teachers teach and students learn science the way scientists do -- by doing it. These volunteers also serve as mentors and science fair judges. In addition, the site has established partnerships with several local schools and sponsors training workshops for teachers to help them implement hands-on, inquiry-based science learning in their classrooms. Bayer has long demonstrated a strong commitment to the Kansas City area. It is home to Bayer CropScience's Core Technology Center and Bayer HealthCare's Animal Health Division's North American headquarters. Bayer CropScience researches, develops, manufactures and sells a broad range of innovative crop science products for the crop protection, biotechnology and seed markets; the turf & ornamental and professional pest management markets; and the consumer lawn and garden markets. Bayer CropScience, with worldwide headquarters in Monheim, Germany, is a business area within the worldwide Bayer Group. Bayer CropScience LP in the United States has its business headquarters in Research Triangle Park, N.C. Sites in Kansas City, Mo., and Stilwell, Kansas, comprise the company's Core Technology Center. Bayer HealthCare's Animal Health Division is the maker of K9 Advantix(r), a triple-protection mosquito, tick and flea control product for dogs, and of Advantage(r) flea control for dogs and cats. The division is a worldwide leader in parasite control and prescription pharmaceuticals for dogs, cats, horses, cattle and poultry. North American operations for the Animal Health Division are headquartered in Shawnee, Kansas. Bayer Animal Health is a division of Bayer HealthCare, one of the world's leading companies in the health care and medical products industry. Both companies are part of the global Bayer Group. Bayer Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh, is the U.S. holding company of the worldwide Bayer Group, an international health care and chemicals group based in Leverkusen, Germany. Bayer employs 23,300 in North America with net North American sales of $11 billion in 2003. Bayer's four operating business areas - HealthCare, CropScience, Polymers and Chemicals -- produce a broad range of products that help diagnose and treat diseases, purify water, preserve local landmarks, protect crops, advance automobile safety and durability and improve people's lives. The Bayer Group has 115,400 employees. Its stock is a component of the DAX and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: BAY). For 2003, the Group recorded sales of 28.6 billion euros and a group net loss of 1.4 billion euros. Capital expenditures totaled 1.7 billion euros, and 2.4 billion euros was invested in research and development. The Earth We Share, founded in 1994, is a project of The Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization established by Dr. Mae C. Jemison, the nation's first African-American female astronaut, to honor and implement the teaching principles and life accomplishments of her late mother, who was a teacher in the Chicago Public Schools for over 25 years. The Foundation is located in Houston, Texas. For more information, please visit http://www.jemisonfoundation.org. For more information or to learn how to apply to become a Bayer Making Science Make Sense Scholar, please call the local MSMS hotline at 816-242-2341 or visit Bayer's web site at http://www.BayerUS.com/msms. ------ BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH CRYSTAL ZHANG LU KANSAS CITY'S FIRST-EVER BAYER MAKING SCIENCE MAKE SENSE SCHOLAR Crystal Zhang Lu -- Lenexa, Kansas, USA: 12 years old; will enter eighth grade in the fall at Indian Woods Middle School. Parents: Dan and Queenie Lu. An award-winning pianist, Crystal also plays the flute in her school's small ensembles and participates in the talent show. Beyond music, she is a member of the math clubs, Mathcounts and Mathletics, the Science Olympiad, the Girl Scouts and has taken ballet classes since the age of four. In her free time, Crystal likes to play chess, read books, go swimming, play tennis and collect state quarters. She currently studies French in school and hopes to spend her junior year in high school abroad in France. By attending TEWS as a Bayer Making Science Make Sense Scholar, Crystal hopes to create a plan to make her Kansas City area neighbors and local developers and builders "more environmentally conscious (so that) they would understand the importance of preserving trees." Her future plans include attending college to major in biomedical sciences. | |