8.13.2007 - 09:30am ET

(CSRwire) PITTSBURGH - August 13, 2007 - As a follow-up to the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Education Diversity Forum it hosted last fall, Bayer Corporation announced today it will be the lead sponsor of a similar regional conference developed and hosted by the Pittsburgh Technology Council and Catalyst Connection to take place on Wednesday, August 15, 2007.

Pittsburgh STEM Summit 2007: Enhancing Education Now for Pittsburgh's Business Future will showcase for regional STEM industry executives a number of model business-education partnerships, as well as best practice national and regional STEM education programs that are helping to foster the next generation STEM workforce in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

"The Pittsburgh Technology Council is extremely pleased to be a partner with Bayer in the STEM Summit. As a company that has long been involved in helping to strengthen STEM education in the United States, Bayer understands that if education, industry and government unite to take action now, we can reverse the impending workforce shortage in STEM careers," said Krista Paternostro, acting president of the Council. "At this first event of its kind in the region, business leaders will be able to influence regional growth by getting involved and helping educators inspire today’s students to pursue STEM careers."

Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell is slated to speak in the morning, following opening keynote speaker Dr. Mae C. Jemison. Dr. Jemison is the nation's first African-American female astronaut and has served as national science literacy spokesperson for Bayer's company-wide Making Science Make Sense(R) initiative for a dozen years.

Governor Rendell will discuss Pennsylvania's Science: It's Elementary initiative, which is currently rolling out the Bayer-spearheaded and Pittsburgh-based ASSET science education reform program to elementary schools throughout the state. Dr. Jemison will echo themes she addressed last fall -- the importance of science literacy and STEM education reform, as well as the need to build a more diverse STEM workforce both in the region and in the country.

"Whether a company, community, region or the country, innovation is at the heart of what keeps us competitive. What drives innovation is a world-class STEM workforce that is equipped with requisite skills, knowledge and ingenuity for success in today's global marketplace," said Dr. Attila Molnar, President and CEO, Bayer Corporation. "With competition exploding around the world, we need to engage today's students in STEM, including girls and underrepresented minorities, as never before. That is why Bayer, as part of our "Science For A Better Life" mission, is pleased to sponsor this conference which aims to provide greater numbers of students with quality STEM education."

While the 2006 Bayer forum showcased K-12 STEM education programs that are successfully closing achievement gaps between male and female and majority and minority students, the Pittsburgh STEM Summit will take a broader approach, presenting programs that are designed to help all students achieve in STEM subjects, including:

DigiPen Institute of Technology Summer Camps/Urban League of Pittsburgh

The summit also will feature panels with model business-education partnerships, such as Bayer-ASSET; the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse; the Pennsylvania Department of Education; Robert Morris University; California University of Pennsylvania; PPG Industries; Del Monte Foods; Hamill Manufacturing; H.B. Maynard; Echo Strategies; Carnegie Science Center; South Park School District; West Jefferson School District; and the Allegheny Conference on Community Development.

"As a company that has long been committed to supporting quality STEM education around the country, we certainly hope this event will spur other companies in our region -- large, medium and small -- to recognize their social responsibility when it comes to improving education and to get involved by helping support these worthy programs," said Bayer's Molnar.

To help companies do so, Bayer recently made available two resource guides that resulted from the Forum. Both reports, Planting the Seeds for a Diverse U.S. STEM Pipeline: A Compendium of Best Practice K-12 STEM Education Programs and Bridging the Diversity Gap in Science and Engineering: Introducing STEM Industries to K-12 Best Practice Programs - Highlights Report, are available free at Bayer's Web site, www.BayerUS.com.

About Bayer Corporation and Making Science Make Sense

Making Science Make Sense(R) (MSMS) is a Bayer company-wide initiative that advances science literacy through hands-on, inquiry-based science learning, employee volunteerism and public education. It is one of 300 corporate social responsibility programs Bayer supports globally. Currently in the United States, 12 Bayer sites operate local MSMS programs, which together feature a national volunteer corps of more than 1,000 Bayer employees.

Bayer Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh, is a subsidiary of Bayer AG, an international health care, nutrition and innovative materials group based in Leverkusen, Germany. In North America, Bayer had 2006 net sales of 7.8 billion euros and employed 17,200 at year end. Bayer's three subgroups, Bayer HealthCare, Bayer CropScience and Bayer MaterialScience, improve people's lives through a broad range of essential products that help diagnose, prevent and treat diseases; protect crops and enhance yields; and advance automobile safety and durability. Bayer AG stock is a component of the DAX and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: BAY).

About Pittsburgh Technology Council

The Pittsburgh Technology Council is the first and largest regional technology trade association in the United States with approximately 1,300 member companies within its geographic territory of 13 counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Its mission is to contribute to the success of the region's technology businesses, and it focuses on developing the economic strength of three main industry clusters: information technology, life sciences and advanced manufacturing.

About Catalyst Connection

Catalyst Connection is a private nonprofit regional economic development organization based in Pittsburgh that operates under contract with the Manufacturing Extension Partnership of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (U.S. Commerce Department), as well as the Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Centers. The organization's mission is to advance the competitive performance of the 13-county region's small- and medium-sized manufacturing and technology companies, while strengthening the region's capability to support manufacturing growth.

For more information please contact:

Rebecca L. Luccore
(412) 777-5200

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