THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., June 17, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN) today announced the 34 science teachers in the United States (U.S.), Canada and Puerto Rico who are this year's recipients of the Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence. The award recognizes teachers in grades K-12 whose dedication to students has had a significant impact on the learning and interest of the future generation of scientists.
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Since the program's inception in 1992, Amgen has awarded nearly $2.5 million to educators in communities where Amgen has a presence who have made exceptional science-teaching contributions and who have had a measurable impact on the lives of their students. All of the teachers honored have demonstrated an outstanding ability to inspire their students and produce results in science education.
In 2009, Amgen received more than 300 applications for the 18th annual Amgen Science Teaching Awards program and winners were honored at special ceremonies in their respective Amgen communities or during surprise presentations at their schools. The 2009 award recipients are:
California
Daniel Barth, Tahquitz High School in Hemet
Brian Hopper, Hoopa Valley High School in Hoopa
Larry Madrigal, Saint Joseph High School in Santa Maria
Byron Philhour, Saint Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco
Lance Powell, Menlo-Atherton High School in Atherton
Michael Wing, Sir Francis Drake High School in San Anselmo
Colorado
Helen Douglass, Centennial Elementary in Longmont
Emily Haynes, Centaurus High School in Lafayette
Susan Kidder, Gold Hill Elementary in Boulder
Carol Seemueller, Rocky Mountain High School in Fort Collins
Kentucky
Michael DiEnno, Overdale Elementary in Louisville
Marlon Francis, Fern Creek Traditional High School in Louisville
Lisa Klette, Dayton High School in Dayton
Sara Poeppelman, Lewis County High School in Vanceburg
Massachusetts
Brian Dempsey, Acton-Boxborough Regional High School in Acton
Shari Fedorowicz, Carver High School in Carver
Sarah Juhlin, Blackstone Valley Regional Technical High School in Upton
Brian Palm, Brooks School in North Andover
Rhode Island
John Labriola, Chariho Middle School in Wood River Junction
Francis Lenox, East Greenwich High School in East Greenwich
Charlene Tuttle, Jamestown School-Melrose in Jamestown
Susanne Warburton, Fishing Cove School in North Kingston
Washington
Tamara Caraballo, Glacier Peak High School in Snohomish
Darin Detwiler, BEST High School in Kirkland
Barbara Franz, North Elementary in Moses Lake
Michelle Whittaker, Olympia Regional Learning Academy in Olympia
Puerto Rico
Janelise Aldea Delgado, Segunda Unidad Clara Maldonado de Aramburu
in Juncos
Rosa M. Costa Castro, Colegio Santa Gema in Carolina
Aileen Morales Figueroa, Secundaria Amalia Marin in San Juan
Maryenis Sanjurjo Arroyo, Escuela Lcdo. Jesus Rivera Bultron in Carolina
Canada
Chantale Maheux, Ecole secondaire de l'Horizon in Saint-Jean
Chrysostome, Quebec
Glenn Wagner, Centre Wellington District High School in Fergus, Ontario
Jane Diner, Old Scona Academic School in Edmonton, Alberta
David Riendl, York House School in Vancouver, British Columbia
"At Amgen, we believe it is important to help prepare the next generation of scientists," said Phyllis J. Piano, vice president Corporate Communications and Philanthropy, Amgen. "We applaud the award recipients for their success in teaching science in a way that is fun and inspiring for their students."
The 34 selected winners will receive the following benefits:
-- An unrestricted cash award of $5,000 USD or $5,000 CAD; and
-- A restricted $5,000 USD or $5,000 CAD cash grant to the recipient's
school for the expansion or enhancement of a school science program,
science resources, or the professional development of the school's
science teachers.
Along with the award applications, teachers were asked to submit an innovative science lesson plan which had been successfully introduced in their classroom. Amgen will post select winning lesson plans to its Web site to promote the sharing of this knowledge with educators across the country to bolster excellence and innovation in science teaching.
Amgen partnered with the University of Wisconsin - Madison School of Education to judge the teaching awards in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. The School's Department of Curriculum and Instruction is consistently recognized as a leader in education, and their expertise aided in the selection of the strongest possible winners.
Nominations are solicited every fall with winners selected based on the following criteria: innovative science lesson plan, creativity and effectiveness of teaching methods; and the plan for the use of grant money to improve science education resources in their schools.
For more information about this year's winners and the program, please visit http://www.amgen.com/citizenship/aaste.html.
About Amgen
Amgen discovers, develops, manufactures and delivers innovative human therapeutics. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen was one of the first companies to realize the new science's promise by bringing safe and effective medicines from lab, to manufacturing plant, to patient. Amgen therapeutics have changed the practice of medicine, helping millions of people around the world in the fight against cancer, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis and other serious illnesses. With a deep and broad pipeline of potential new medicines, Amgen remains committed to advancing science to dramatically improve people's lives. To learn more about our pioneering science and our vital medicines, visit www.amgen.com.
CONTACT: Amgen, Thousand Oaks
Kristen Davis, (805) 447-3008 (media)
SOURCE Amgen