Samsung Scholarships Support Careers in STEM and Provide a College Life Experience to New Jersey High School Students

RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J., July 9, 2014 /3BL Media/ – Samsung today announced that the company has awarded 63 scholarships to New Jersey high school students to serve as Samsung Scholars at the Rutgers Summer Science Program in July, which provides participants with week-long science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) immersion sessions. Further, two former Summer Science Program attendees received the first Samsung STEM College Scholarship which grants $2,500 to New Jersey students pursuing undergraduate degrees in STEM fields.

This is the second year that Samsung has provided scholarships for under-served high school students to continue learning science, technology, engineering and math subjects during the summer. This also marks the first year that Samsung offered Rutgers Summer Science Program graduates a college scholarship to help continue their education beyond high school. With Samsung’s support, STEM College Scholarship recipient Aliya Blackwood will major in computer and electrical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, and recipient Michael Scott will study nursing at the University of Virginia.

“As the largest electronics company in the world, Samsung is made up of employees who are interested in science, technology, engineering and math. We know that we must work today to build the workforce of the future, and ensure that tomorrow’s leaders are interested in and excel in these topics,” said Ann Woo, director of Corporate Citizenship at Samsung Electronics North America. “Through the Rutgers Summer Science Program and Samsung STEM College Scholarships, we hope to help foster student engagement and passion in STEM across New Jersey.”

All of the scholarship recipients are from Mercer, Passaic, Middlesex, Essex and Union counties, and were chosen for their passion for STEM beyond the traditional school year, as well as their commitment to help improve learning among their peers across New Jersey. To qualify for a Samsung STEM College Scholarship, applicants must have previously attended the Rutgers Summer Science Program, been accepted at a four year higher education institution and plan to major in a STEM field.

“I have always been interested in science and participating in the Summer Science Program has taught me that science, technology, engineering and math can revolutionize the world we live in,” Scott said. “In the fall, I will start at the University of Virginia as a full-time student, where I plan to major in nursing. I am confident that the skills I gained as a Samsung Scholar in the Rutgers Summer Science Program will prepare me for the challenges that lay ahead.”

The 2014 Summer Science Program curriculum centers on biotechnology, biomedical engineering, environmental science, exercise physiology, mobile app development and marine science. Classes are taught by Rutgers University professors, with the support of graduate students. During the program, students live in Rutgers dorms and use Galaxy Note 10.1 tablets, donated by Samsung, to collect and process data from lessons, share real-time updates and capture photos and videos from the program.

“The Rutgers Summer Science Program offers an incredibly unique experience for high school students in three regards: to experience how science content and technology are integrated in the process of science, to be challenged to use science practices to tackle real world relevant science questions, and to broaden their perspectives of what it means to be a scientist and different ways to pursue science,” said Kristin Hunter-Thomson, SET program coordinator for the 4-H Youth Development Department at  Rutgers Cooperative Extension. “In this program, the students are doing and being scientists by jumping into the science, aided by state-of-the art Samsung technology, rather than just being talked at about science."

Upon completion of the Summer Science Program, the Samsung Scholars will share lessons from the program with high school students across New Jersey, which will help increase academic awareness and interest in STEM subjects among teenagers.

The Rutgers Summer Science Program is a Samsung Solve for Tomorrow initiative, which aims to engage students across the country in active, hands-on STEM learning. Since 2004, Samsung has provided more than $15 million in technology to more than 750 public schools in the United States.

About Samsung Electronics North America
Samsung Electronics North America (NAHQ), based in Ridgefield Park, NJ, is an arm of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. The company markets a broad range of award-winning consumer electronics, information systems, and home appliance products, as well as oversees all of Samsung’s North American brand management including Samsung Electronics America, Inc., Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC and Samsung Electronics Canada, Inc. As a result of its commitment to innovation and unique design, Samsung is one of the most decorated brands in the electronics industry. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com. You can also Fan Samsung on www.facebook.com/SamsungUSA or follow Samsung via Twitter @SamsungTweets.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in technology, opening new possibilities for people everywhere. Through relentless innovation and discovery, we are transforming the worlds of televisions, smartphones, tablets, personal computers, cameras, home appliances, printers, LTE systems, medical devices, semiconductors and LED solutions. We employ 286,000 people across 80 countries with annual sales of US$216.7 billion. To discover more, please visit www.samsung.com.

CONTACT:
Danielle Meister Cohen
Samsung Electronics North America
201-329-7554
d2.cohen@sea.samsung.com

Elizabeth Banta
Edelman
212-704-4510
elizabeth.banta@edelman.com