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Imperial Oil and York University Team Up to Boost Science and Engineering
| Toronto, ON,
May 15, 2007
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The 28th annual York University Engineering & Science (YES) Olympics will
showcase some of the country’s brightest high school students in the areas of
science and engineering on Tuesday, May 15.
The YES Olympics
is made possible by a $500,000 gift from the Imperial Oil Foundation to York
University’s Science Outreach Program. In addition to the Olympics, the
Science Outreach Program also sees York host summer science camps for kids and
a speaker’s program in which professors visit elementary and high school
classes to generate excitement about the sciences.
“Imperial
Oil believes that educating and inspiring young people in the areas of science
and technology is beneficial for them and vital for the future prosperity of
the country,” said Monica Samper, president, Imperial Oil Foundation. “We
share this belief with York University and are delighted to continue our joint
efforts to demonstrate to young people that careers in these fields are
exciting and rewarding.”
It’s a message that’s
certainly being heard. The YES Olympics now attracts more than 1,200 students
from more than 70 high schools across Canada, including a team this year from
the northern First Nations community of High Level, Alberta. The students will
be given a number of challenges, such as designing and building a small
planetary lander, as well as designing a glue made entirely from edible
products.
“Engagement and outreach to the community is part
of our mission at York University,” said President and Vice-Chancellor Lorna
Marsden. “We recognize the special role we play in educating young people
about their options in life and we thank Imperial Oil for helping us fill that
important role.”
Paul Marcus, president and CEO of York
University Foundation points out that the YES Olympics is a special day for
many students. “The success of this event speaks for itself in terms of the
numbers of students who attend and their excitement level,” he says. “As a
result of the support from Imperial Oil Foundation, this event and other
Science Outreach activities will continue to encourage young minds toward a
university education and career in the sciences.”
Monica Samper, Lorna Marsden, Paul Marcus, and representatives from the
Faculty of Science and Engineering will be among those kicking off the YES
Olympics at 9:00 am at the Computer Sciences Building, Lecture Hall A at York
University.
With a goal to being an active member of the
community and to building a life-long learning system in Canada that ranks
among the best in the world, Imperial Oil Limited has been contributing to
communities across Canada for the past 126 years. Imperial Oil contributed
more than $12 million to enhance the well-being of communities across Canada
in 2006, building on a tradition of corporate giving that began with the
company's inception in 1880. Supporting organizations where we live and work,
the company emphasizes investment in education of math and sciences,
environment, and civic and community programs where we have employees or
business operations.
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