Midland, MI - May 28, 2009
In support of our 2015 Sustainability Goals, Dow recently inaugurated the first Dow Sustainability Innovation Student Challenge at strategic universities around the world.
The Sustainability Innovation Student Challenge is part of Dow's new recognition program to promote sustainable solutions to the world's most pressing social, economic and environmental problems. The overall initiative, the Dow Sustainability Innovation Challenge, pays tribute to outstanding developments in Sustainability and Sustainable Chemistry, and this academic award recognizes graduate students for innovative research on sustainability.
Students participating in the challenge worked on thesis-like projects on a sustainability-related issue of their choice. This year's projects featured a diverse range of topics, including photovoltaics, low-sulfur fuel, sustainable urban food supplies, vaccines for honeybees, and rice hull as a feedstock for insulation. The projects are assessed according to their alignment to Dow's 2015 Sustainability Goals and their potential for solving significant world challenges.
"Sustainability is the cornerstone of our continuing success at Dow and it is imperative that we foster sustainability education for our future workforce," said Neil Hawkins, vice president, EH&S and Sustainability. "We are rewarding students who recognize the importance of innovative and sustainable solutions and value the impact that they have on our future."
The strategic universities participating in the 2008-2009 inaugural program were: Peking University, Cambridge University, University of Sao Paolo, University of California at Berkeley, Northwestern University, University of Michigan and Tufts University. Winners will be recognized at their respective university, and Dow will recognize all them at an event at the University of Michigan later this year. Winning students also receive a cash award.
For more information on this initiative or Dow's 2015 Sustainability Goals overall, please visit http://www.dow.com/commitments/.
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Stacey Siler
The Dow Chemical Company
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