Amgen Award For Science Teaching Excellence Honors Outstanding Teachers

Award Demonstrates Amgen's Commitment to the Next Generation of Innovators and the Teachers who Inspire Them

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Jun 19, 2013, 04:02 ET

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., June 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Amgen is pleased to announce the nine science teachers in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico who are this year's recipients of the Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence (AASTE). Now in its 21st year, the award recognizes extraordinary teachers at the kindergarten through 12th grade level who have an outstanding ability to inspire students and produce results in science education.

With a long-standing commitment to science education, Amgen established the teacher awards program to promote and encourage science teaching excellence in public and private schools. Since the program's inception in 1992, Amgen has awarded more than $3 million in cash awards and grants to educators in communities where Amgen operates who have made exceptional science-teaching contributions.

"At Amgen, we are keenly aware of the importance of inspiring and preparing the next generation of scientists," said Joseph P. Miletich, M.D., Ph.D., senior vice president of Research and Development at Amgen. "We applaud each of the award recipients for their dedication to delivering quality science education to tomorrow's innovators."

In 2013, the Award for Science Teaching Excellence winners were honored at surprise presentations at their schools. The 2013 award recipients are:

Mary Murphy, The Urban School of San Francisco, San Francisco, Calif.
Laura Todis, Sierra High School, Fillmore, Calif.
Mark Paricio, Smoky Hill High School, Aurora, Colo.
Susan Buehner, Brandeis Elementary School, Louisville, Ky.
Rebekah Ravgiala, Tyngsborough High School, Tyngsborough, Mass.
Luz Burgos, Colegio Radians, Cayey, Puerto Rico
David Upegui, Central Falls High School, Central Falls, R.I.
Amanda Rainwater, Bothell High School, Bothell, Wash.
Glyn Davies, Henry Anderson Elementary School, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada

Winners are selected based on a variety of criteria including, among others, a teacher's ability to effectively engage students while deepening their scientific understanding, the plan for the use of grant money to improve science education resources in their schools, and a letter of recommendation.

The nine selected winners receive the following benefits:

An unrestricted cash award of $5,000 USD or $5,000 CAD; and
A restricted $5,000 USD or $5,000 CAD cash grant to the recipient's school for the expansion or enhancement of a school science program, science resources, or the professional development of the school's science teachers.

Amgen partnered with Education Development Center (EDC) to select the 2013 AASTE recipients. EDC is a global non-profit organization that designs, delivers and evaluates innovative programs to address some of the world's most urgent challenges in education, health, and economic opportunity.

The AASTE awards provided to teachers in the United States were funded by the Amgen Foundation and the award in Canada was funded by Amgen.

For more information about this year's winners and the program, please visit http://www.amgen.com/citizenship/aaste.html.

About the Amgen Foundation
The Amgen Foundation (www.amgen.com/citizenship/overview.html) seeks to advance science education; improve patient access to quality care; and strengthen the communities where Amgen staff members live and work. To date, the Foundation has donated over $200 million in grants to nonprofit organizations throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and Europe that impact society in inspiring and innovative ways, and those that provide disaster relief efforts both domestically and internationally. The Amgen Foundation can be followed on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AmgenFoundation.

About Amgen
Amgen discovers, develops, manufactures and delivers innovative human therapeutics. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen was one of the first companies to realize the new science's promise by bringing safe, effective medicines from lab to manufacturing plant to patient. Amgen therapeutics have changed the practice of medicine, helping people around the world in the fight against serious illnesses. With a deep and broad pipeline of potential new medicines, Amgen remains committed to advancing science to dramatically improve people's lives. For more information, visit www.amgen.com and follow us on www.twitter.com/amgen.

CONTACT: Amgen, Thousand Oaks
Kristen Davis, 805-447-3008 (media)

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SOURCE Amgen