NSTA and Shell Oil Company Unveil Innovative New Science Competition to Bring Needed Lab Equipment to Schools Nationwide

$93,000 in Prizes To Be Awarded to Middle and High School Teachers Through the NSTA Shell Science Lab Challenge

ARLINGTON, Va., Nov. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the largest professional organization in the world promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning, and Shell Oil Company (Shell) today unveiled a new competition for middle and high school teachers that will bring much needed laboratory resources to school districts nationwide.  Through the NSTA Shell Science Lab Challenge, schools will compete for up to $93,000 in prizes, including a grand prize school science lab makeover valued at $20,000.  

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The laboratory experience is integral to science education, but many schools across the nation, especially schools in urban and rural areas, do not have the resources to invest in quality lab equipment. A recent report from the National Academy of Sciences titled Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America's Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads recommends reaching out to underserved groups to ensure a qualified workforce to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.  Targeting those underserved demographics is a goal for the NSTA Shell Science Lab Challenge.

"We know that science lab experiences at the middle and high school level are critical, yet far too many schools have little or no lab equipment, materials or training for teachers," says Francis Eberle, NSTA Executive Director. "The NSTA Shell Science Lab Challenge will provide teachers with the resources and tools necessary to provide quality lab experiences to their students."

Teachers who have found innovative ways to deliver quality lab experiences for their students will be encouraged to submit their strategies.  Entries will be judged on the basis of several criteria, including uniqueness, creativity, and replicability of their submissions. 18 regional winners will be selected.  Of the 18 winners, five national winners will be chosen, and from the national winners a grand prize winner will be selected.

All winners will receive donated science lab equipment or gift certificates, a grant to purchase additional science lab tools and resources, a $300 gift certificate to the NSTA Bookstore, and membership to the NSTA and the NSTA Learning Center. All entries will be put into an online library to create a repository of strategies and ideas that teachers, looking for exciting ways to create quality labs for their students, can access and use.

"We are proud to be a part of a program that gives teachers and students the necessary tools to build and maintain an interest in the sciences," said Frazier Wilson, Vice President, Shell Oil Company Foundation. "The knowledge and skills that students learn in the laboratories during middle school, high school and university are essential for future generations to develop new energy resources and overcome the energy challenge."

The NSTA Shell Science Lab Challenge is part of a larger grant to the John Glenn Center for Science Education and the establishment of the Shell Leadership Institute.  The Institute will work to further initiatives that promote diversity and research-based practices and will focus on national solutions to improve science education at the state, federal, and local levels. The Shell Leadership Institute will offer workshops, seminars (both face-to-face and online), and other highly visible initiatives.

Applications will be available Nov. 15. For more information, including how to apply, please visit http://shellsciencelab.nsta.org.

About NSTA

The Arlington, VA-based National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), www.nsta.org, is the largest professional organization in the world promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.  NSTA's current membership includes approximately 60,000 science teachers, science supervisors, administrators, scientists, business and industry representatives, and others involved in science education.

About Shell Oil Company

Shell Oil Company, including its consolidated companies and its share in equity companies, is one of America's leading oil and natural gas producers, natural gas marketers, gasoline marketers and petrochemical manufacturers. Shell, a leading oil and gas producer in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, is a recognized pioneer in oil and gas exploration and production technology. Shell Oil Company is an affiliate of the Shell Group, a global group of energy and petrochemical companies, employing approximately 101,000 people and operating in more than 90 countries and territories.

Disclaimer statement

The companies in which Royal Dutch Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate entities. In this press release "Shell", "Shell group" and "Royal Dutch Shell" are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and "our" are also used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These expressions are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular company or companies. ''Subsidiaries'', "Shell subsidiaries" and "Shell companies" as used in this press release refer to companies in which Royal Dutch Shell either directly or indirectly has control, by having either a majority of the voting rights or the right to exercise a controlling influence. The companies in which Shell has significant influence but not control are referred to as "associated companies" or "associates" and companies in which Shell has joint control are referred to as "jointly controlled entities". In this press release, associates and jointly controlled entities are also referred to as "equity-accounted investments". The term "Shell interest" is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect (for example, through our 34% shareholding in Woodside Petroleum Ltd.) ownership interest held by Shell in a venture, partnership or company, after exclusion of all third-party interest. This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Royal Dutch Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management's current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Royal Dutch Shell to market risks and statements expressing management's expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as ''anticipate'', ''believe'', ''could'', ''estimate'', ''expect'', ''intend'', ''may'', ''plan'', ''objectives'', ''outlook'', ''probably'', ''project'', ''will'', ''seek'', ''target'', ''risks'', ''goals'', ''should'' and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Royal Dutch Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this press release, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for the Group's products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserve estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments including potential litigation and regulatory effects arising from recategorisation of reserves; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; and (m) changes in trading conditions. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional factors that may affect future results are contained in Royal Dutch Shell's 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2008 (available at www.shell.com/investor and www.sec.gov ). These factors also should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this press release, May/12/2010. Neither Royal Dutch Shell nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) permits oil and gas companies, in their filings with the SEC, to disclose only proved reserves that a company has demonstrated by actual production or conclusive formation tests to be economically and legally producible under existing economic and operating conditions. We use certain terms in this press release that SEC's guidelines strictly prohibit us from including in filings with the SEC. U.S. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC website www.sec.gov. You can also obtain these forms from the SEC by calling 1-800-SEC-0330.

SOURCE National Science Teachers Association

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