FIRST SIEMENS TEACHER SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED $1 Million Program Aims to Encourage Minority Students To Become Math and Science Teachers Iselin, NJ, April 17, 2006 - The Siemens Foundation today announced the first winners of a major scholarship initiative aimed at encouraging minority students to pursue teaching careers in science and math. The announcement comes just two months after President Bush established math and science education as a national priority in his State of the Union address. Thirty-nine students will receive scholarships in the 2005-06 Siemens Teacher Scholarships program, a collaboration between the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund (TMSF), the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and the Siemens Foundation. Each recipient will receive an average scholarship of $2,000 to help supplement his or her higher education costs toward a teaching degree in math and science. “Many of these students have overcome great challenges on the way to getting an education and they’ve expressed a strong desire to give back to their communities once they become teachers,” said James Whaley, Vice President of the Siemens Foundation. “With the addition of the Siemens Teacher Scholarships to our signature Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology, Siemens Awards for Advanced Placement and Siemens Science Days programs, Siemens is on the front lines providing comprehensive action to enhance math and science education across the board from middle school through college.” “TMSF is proud to join forces with Siemens' and UNCF in developing a new generation of math and science educators for the future,” said Dwayne Ashley, CEO and President, Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund. “By investing in the development of new science teachers, we are investing in the future pipeline of young men and women who will be inspired to explore, analyze and probe the unknown by these Siemens' Scholars.” The Siemens Foundation is providing $1 million in scholarships over the next five years to undergraduate and graduate students through the Siemens Teacher Scholarships. The program was launched in March 2005 at the U.S. Department of Education. The funds are administered by the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund and the UNCF, with each organization receiving $500,000 to be awarded to students accepted to any one of America’s 85 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) that are members of the two organizations. HBCUs play a vital role in meeting America’s need to increase and diversify science professionals at a time of declining bachelor degrees awarded in science, technology, engineering and math. A 2005 report by the Southern Education Foundation found that black colleges in the South are producing close to one-fourth of the entire nation’s African-American college graduates in the sciences. A complete list of the 2005-06 Siemens Teacher Scholarships winners follows: 2005-06 UNCF Siemens Teacher Scholarships * Brandon Baxter, Benedict College (Math Education) * Kenneth Dawkins Jr., Benedict College (Math Education) * Deidre Alleyne, Bennett College (Elementary Eudcation) * Hollie Henry, Bethune-Cookman (Education) * April Gary, Claflin University (Math Education) * Janine Santiago, Claflin University (Math Education) * Jason Perry, Florida Memorial University (Math Education) * Pamela Hall, Florida Memorial University (Biology Education) * Marcus Graham, Johnson C. Smith University (Mathematics) * Gregory Deas, Livingstone College (Education) * Vonda Pettigrew, Oakwood College (Education) * Makeda Lane, Oakwood College (Education) * Rachelle Donald, St. Augustine College (Elementary Education) * Tania Coleman, Shaw University (Math Education) * Annie Leathers, Shaw University (Elementary Education) * Alisca Harris, Stillman College (Elementary Education) * Julia Sanders, Stillman College (Elementary Education) * Crystal Benton, Tuskegee University (Elementary Education) * Shanay Benton, Tuskegee University (Elementary Education) * Taryn Sanders, Tuskegee University (Elementary Education) * John Coles, Virginia Union University (Math Education) * Allena Poles, Virginia Union University (Math/Secondary Education) 2005-06 TMSF Siemens Teacher Scholarships * Jacqueline Jones, Alabama State University (Biology) * Shavonda Morrow, Alcorn State University (Biology) * Carl Harvin, Coppin State University (Elementary Education) * Marsha Cole, Grambling State University (Chemistry/Biology) * Natasha Cooper, Grambling State University (Elementary Education) * Connell Kenneth, Howard University (Biology) * Domonick Crane, Langston University (Mathematics) * Mark Moxley, Lincoln University Pennsylvania (Education) * Rolinda McIntosh, Medgar Evers College (Biology) * Antoine Wroten, Morgan State University (Biology) * Courtney Johnson, North Carolina A&T State University (Biology) * Charlotte Ingram, North Carolina A&T State University (Elementary Education) * Deka Holmes, Texas Southern University (Biology) * Reginald Collier, Texas Southern University (Mathematics) * Shanay Benton, Tuskegee University (Elementary Education) * LaShaunta Matthews, Tuskegee University (Biology) * Tiara Turner, University of Maryland Eastern Shore (Mathematics) * William Davis McKean, University of the Virgin Islands (Education) The Siemens Foundation Established in 1998, the Siemens Foundation provides nearly $2 million in college scholarships and awards each year for talented high school students in the United States. Based in Iselin, New Jersey, the Foundation’s signature programs – the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology, the Siemens Awards for Advanced Placement, and the Siemens Teacher Scholarships – recognize exceptional achievement in science, math and technology. 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. operating companies and its parent company, Siemens AG. For more information, visit www.siemens-foundation.org.