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34 Outstanding Teachers and Schools Receive $10,000 Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence

Posted on: Wednesday, 17 June 2009, 11:33 CDT

2009 Awardees Recognized in Amgen Communities Across North America

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., June 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- 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.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081015/AMGENLOGO)

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

Source: PR Newswire

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