FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

James Shields

1661 Park Rd. NW, Suite 201

Washington, DC 20010

Phone: 202-265-8280

www.catalystdc.org

intern3@catalystdc.org

Youth Science Award and Scholarship Established

The Benjamin Banneker Institute for Science and Technology will provide a $1000 scholarship to the winner of the Benjamin Banneker Youth Legacy Award at their annual Awards Gala on November 7^th.    The Benjamin Banneker Youth Legacy Award was created to provide recognition to young persons in Junior and Senior High School who excel both in science and in service to their communities.   The winning student will join five other winning finalist of the Benjamin Banneker Legacy Award.  The finalists are selected on the basis of their work in furthering the Banneker Institute’s mission of increasing the number of African Americans involved in STEM professions and fields of study.

This year’s focus on youth is the continuation of a process initiated at last year’s awards gala which showcased the Electronic Vehicle Team from West Philadelphia High School.  Recently featured in Edutopia Magazine, this dynamic team of outstanding young people have already built multiple electric vehicles that utilize alternative fuels, and they have taken top honors at the Tor de Sol (eco-friendly car competition) two years in a row. 

In keeping with this year’s focus on youth, the Student Showcase will be expanded for the 2007 Gala to provide the opportunity for as many as 20 outstanding students and teams to display their science projects.  The Student Showcase is open to middle school and high school students and provides an excellent opportunity for students to discuss their work with the hundreds of prominent science professors and STEM professionals who will be in attendance.   Detailed instructions for Showcase participation are available at www.thebannekerinstitute.org.

The Stars assembled for the 2^nd Annual Benjamin Banneker Awards Gala on November 7^th promise a truly electrifying evening.  Bill Cosby is the keynote speaker for the evening.  Washington, DC’s own Kojo Nnamdi will MC, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Juan Williams will give the call to action, and the evening features a stunning array of Black scientists both as award winners and award presenters.    Nominations for the Benjamin Banneker Legacy Award are still open and can be made at the Banneker Institute’s website: www.thebannekerinsitute.com.  Nominations for the Legacy Award close September 30 and applications to participate in the Student Showcase must be submitted by October 5.   

The Benjamin Banneker Legacy Awards Gala will be celebrated on November 7^th at the JW Marriott in Washington, DC and is open to all.  Tickets are available through the Banneker Institute website at www.thebannekerinstitute.org ,   This Gala is part of the Decade of Blacks in Science, an initiative designed to mobilize the resources necessary to increase the level of participation of Blacks in STEM fields.  To learn more about the Banneker Institute, the Awards Gala, and The Decade of Blacks in Science, visit the website at www.thebannekerinstitute.org