DuPont and the State of Delaware formed a partnership in 2005 to improve innovation in the state. The partnership includes three components:
Creation of a DuPont Innovation Center building that will serve as a market-back incubator for new science-based DuPont businesses at the company’s Experimental Station campus in Wilmington, Del. The Experimental Station is the DuPont global research and development headquarters;
The donation of 250 DuPont patents to the Delaware Economic Development Office to help launch the IP (intellectual property) Business Creation Program, a part of Delaware’s Economy Initiative;
A collaboration with the Delaware Department of Education to conduct biotechnology seminars for state teachers and high school students.
Six seminars a year have been hosted since 2005 and the program will continue through the 2009 school year. On Oct. 23, 2008, two biotechnology seminars took place at the DuPont Experimental Station. First, nearly 20 Delaware high school teachers attended a workshop on microbiology evolution taught by a DuPont scientist and Delaware Department of Education personnel. Nearly 80 high school students and teachers from public and charter schools across Delaware attended a STEMulating© Career Path Seminar that included talks from and interactions with nearly a dozen DuPont chemical engineers. These DuPont engineers have careers that span science, marketing, business, legal and human resources professions.
“Offering biotechnology seminars for high school students is a critical part of this partnership. We leverage the impact on students by offering more programs for teachers. Fostering our future scientists with the opportunity to experience science in our labs provides them so much more than they can learn from a textbook.” – DuPont Chairman & CEO Charles O. Holliday, Jr.
The teacher seminar conducted on Oct. 23 was an in-service day for teachers learning how microbiology has advanced from the early pharmaceutical application to the development of biotechnology tools to create everyday products like fibers. Teachers learned about how they could apply this cutting-edge scientific discipline into the course work for today’s modern high school science laboratories. The STEMulating© Career Seminar for high school students is based on the disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). DuPont professionals discussed with the teenagers the education paths required for success in STEM careers.
“Science, technology, engineering and mathematics are skills essential to personal success in life. Every child is entitled to an education that emphasizes the value of these disciplines. STEM educated students will be the future work force of DuPont as we continue to focus on delivering sustainable science solutions to global markets.” -- DuPont Senior Vice President and Chief Science & Technology Officer Uma Chowdhry
In addition to in-service and career day biotechnology seminars held each year, the program has included Science Fair Poster Sessions, Community Science Days, National Chemistry Week with multiple programs and activities and special events linked to the National Agriscience Teacher Ambassador Academy (NATAA) sponsored by DuPont for the National Future Farmers of America (FFA) Foundation.
Another example of support to Delaware schools is the DuPont-sponsored “Our Genes Our Selves” 7th-grade curriculum (with an expected impact of approximately 9,200 students annually). Provided to Delaware public schools in 2007, the curriculum provides local schools with new ways to prepare students to understand higher-level genetics. Each kit contains the specific required materials for use in inquiry-based, hands-on experimentation and investigation that are a key part of the Delaware science curriculum.
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10/08
