PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW) returns as lead sponsor of the second annual Philadelphia Science Festival in an ongoing effort to get youth, educators, business and the general public excited about innovations in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Dow is committed to helping advance the greater Philadelphia region as a hub for cutting-edge science and technology and will present festival organizers with a donation from the Dow Foundation for next year’s Festival during the Carnival in the Parkway kick-off event on April 21st.
Dow is an active participant in the 10-day event taking place April 20-29 throughout the city. Approximately 50 employee volunteers from several of the Dow businesses based in the Delaware Valley will host hands-on exhibits that demonstrate the science behind our everyday success, from drinking clean water from the tap to staying connected with smart phones.
“Scientists in Philadelphia and around the globe use creativity every day to invent the future, solving the challenges of our global society and creating sustainable solutions that make our lives better,” says Jerome Peribere, president and CEO of Dow Advanced Materials Division, the umbrella group of Dow’s specialty materials businesses based in Philadelphia. “Without a strong foundation in STEM education, innovation and economic prosperity are not possible. That’s why it’s so important to show our kids how incredibly rewarding and promising careers in STEM can be. Our collective future depends on it.”
Science Festival visitors will get to see how Dow is putting science to work in the areas of water, energy, health and consumer electronics. At the “Carnival on the Parkway” kick-off event April 21st, four Dow businesses will host the following demonstrations:
• “The Science Behind Smart Phones” hosted by Dow Electronic Materials. A giant smart phone lets kids plug in different components of the phone and learn about the technologies behind them.
• “The Science Behind Clean Drinking Water” hosted by Dow Water & Process Solutions. Visitors learn about reverse osmosis by pouring soda and other colored liquids into the filtration unit and watching it emerge as clean, clear water right before their eyes.
• “The Science Behind Sunscreen” hosted by Dow Home & Personal Care. Here visitors will see the value of skin protection by seeing how sunscreens keep harmful UV rays away from their skin with an experiment using specially treated wristbands. They will also have the opportunity to help magically turn liquids into solids, and learn how science makes lotions smooth and creamy so that they can stay on your skin longer.
• “The Science Behind Energy Savings at Home” hosted by Dow Solar. Visitors will get to see and touch a demo model of the new DOW POWERHOUSE™ Solar Shingle, which offers a completely new approach to solar power that isn’t on the roof; it IS the roof. Kids will learn how the shingle captures energy from the sun, and how much electricity it takes to run common household appliances and electronic toys.
“Dow is deeply committed to STEM education and research, and views the Philadelphia Science Festival as a tremendous opportunity to showcase and celebrate science in its own backyard, and in a city that was founded on education and innovation,” says Peribere. “We are proud to be the first to make a commitment for the 2013 Science Festival and encourage our neighbors to do the same.”
Dow is one of the world’s leading proponents of STEM learning. The Company spends $10-$15 MM per year globally on education-related efforts. Since 2008, Dow programs have positively impacted more than 11,500 teachers and 1.5MM students in the U.S. alone. In Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley, where Dow has five R&D, manufacturing and office facilities, Dow has contributed more than $3MM in the past five years for student programs and teacher training in STEM. Employees also regularly give back through hands on work with local area organizations.
For more information on Dow’s commitment to STEM education, please visit: http://www.dow.com/education/index.htm.
About Dow
Dow (NYSE: Dow) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world’s most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow’s diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2011, Dow had annual sales of $60 billion and employed approximately 52,000 people worldwide. The Company’s more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 197 sites in 36 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.
®Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow
About The Philadelphia Science Festival
The Philadelphia Science Festival is a citywide collaboration April 20-29 showcasing the impact of science and technology past, present and future. Part of a national movement to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers, the Festival builds on Philadelphia’s own rich history of innovation with dozens of lectures, debates, hands-on activities, special exhibits and other informal learning experiences at museums, libraries and even street corners and concert halls. More than 105 institutions are collaborating to produce the Festival, which is funded in part by the National Science Foundation, presented by The Dow Chemical Company and organized by The Franklin Institute. To learn more, visit PhilaScienceFestival.org or call 215-448-1128.
®TM Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow