Covestro launches i3 STEM in Pittsburgh with its first Greenlight for Girls Day

PITTSBURGH, Feb. 3, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Covestro LLC, a leading supplier of high-tech polymers, kicked off its i³ (ignite, imagine, innovate) STEM initiative in its U.S. headquarters city of Pittsburgh today by sponsoring its first greenlight for girls Day. A global sponsor of greenlight for girls (g4g), Covestro brought more than 100 11- to 15-year-old girls from local schools to Carnegie Science Center for a day of hands-on science aimed at sparking their interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).

William ("Bill") Yosses, former White House executive pastry chef and founder of Kitchen Garden Laboratory, headlined the daylong event with a keynote address and his STEM Cooks! Kitchen Chemistry workshop. Yosses is one of the world's pioneering "chef-scientists" who uses food and cooking as a prism to help students understand science and its role in everyday life. He was joined by 40 Covestro scientists and engineers, as well as g4g and Carnegie Science Center representatives, who conducted such workshops as "Funlab: Innovations with Covestro," "Codebreaking with Star Wars" and "Making a Human DNA Necklace," among others.

g4g is an international organization dedicated to encouraging girls of all ages and backgrounds to pursue STEM careers by introducing them to the world of science in fun and exciting ways.

Covestro has its own rich history of supporting and strengthening STEM education. Recently, the company announced a $1.85 million sponsorship with Carnegie Science Center to help fund museum programming to further STEM education.

Together, Covestro and g4g share a common mission to expose more girls to STEM subjects and role models and increase their participation in STEM careers. According to the National Science Foundation, while women have made gains in U.S. STEM fields, they remain sorely underrepresented in engineering (15%), the physical sciences (31%) and computer and mathematical sciences (25%).

"It's no secret that we need more women working in STEM fields to push innovation and solve the world's most pressing problems," said Jerry MacCleary, president of Covestro LLC.  "In order to bring more girls into these fields, we need to start early by giving them access to quality science experiences, STEM role models and real-world examples of how science impacts everyday life."

"In our experience, grls' interest in science is booming. The significant scientific contributions that both women and men have made historically and continue to make today provides incredible inspiration to follow in the steps of these role models," said Melissa Rancourt, founder and chairman, g4g. "The events and activities of greenlight for girls, especially this daylong initiative, provide an important platform to tap into that interest and to inspire and encourage girls to pursue a future in STEM by learning from these role models."

"I applaud Covestro and g4g for showing girls they have an important place at the STEM table," said chef-scientist Yosses. "The more they understand the role of science in our world, the more they'll want to explore that science in deeper ways."

About Covestro LLC and i³ (ignite, imagine, innovate):
Covestro LLC is one of the leading producers of high-performance polymers in North America and is part of the global Covestro business. Covestro manufactures high-tech polymer materials and develops innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction and sports and leisure industries. The Covestro group has 30 production sites around the globe and employed approximately 15,700 people at the end of September 2015.i³ (ignite, imagine, innovate) is Covestro's U.S.-based corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative that aims to spark curiosity, to envision what could be and to help create it. i³ uses the three pillars i³ STEM, i³ Engage and i³ Give to fuel Covestro's commitment to STEM education, employee volunteerism and philanthropy—all to create sustainable and lasting impacts.

Find more information at www.covestro.com.

About greenlight for girls:
Greenlight for girls is an international organization dedicated to encouraging girls of all ages and backgrounds to pursue STEM careers by introducing them to the world of science in fun and exciting ways. Founded five years ago by engineer, Melissa Rancourt, greenlight for girls has volunteers operating in every continent of the world, encouraging girls of all ages and backgrounds to get involved in science-related careers, through a variety of activities. Find more information at www.greenlightforgirls.org.

About Kitchen Garden Laboratory:
Kitchen Garden Laboratory (KGL) was founded in 2014 by former White House Executive Pastry Chef, William ("Bill") Yosses. KGL is an education initiative that utilizes the three prongs of cooking (Kitchen), planting and growing (Garden) and scientific experimentation (Laboratory) to promote food and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) literacy. KGL, a project of Global Roots, a 501 (c)(3) education organization, has developed curriculum that uses good and cooking as a platform for learning science, and, conversely, science as a way to understand healthy, nutritious eating. KGL is an outgrowth of Yosses' work with First Lady Michelle Obama on her "Let's Move" initiative to fight childhood obesity, including planting the White House gardens. Find more information at www.kitchengardenlaboratory.org.

About Carnegie Science Center:
Carnegie Science Center is dedicated to inspiring learning and curiosity by connecting science and technology with everyday life. By making science both relevant and fun, the Science Center's goal is to increase science literacy in the region and motivate young people to seek careers in science and technology. One of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, the Science Center is Pittsburgh's premier science exploration destination, reaching more than 700,000 people annually through its hands-on exhibits, camps, classes, and off-site education programs.

Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Covestro AG or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Covestro's and Bayer's public reports which are available on the Covestro website at www.covestro.com as well as on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. Covestro and Bayer assume no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

This press release is available for download from our website. Click here to view all our press releases.

Editor's Note: Follow news from Covestro on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CovestroGroup 

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SOURCE Covestro LLC

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