AkzoNobel Opens ‘Tomorrow’s Answers Today’ Post-Graduate Contest

AkzoNobel to award cash prize, free trip to Chicago for post-graduate students to meet with industry leaders to encourage exploration of the role that chemical engineering and material sciences play in innovation. Call for Entries now through March 15, 2013.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: George Nolan | AkzoNobel

(312) 544-7457 | george.nolan@akzonobel.com

CHICAGO, Mar. 8, 2013 — AkzoNobel, the largest global paints and coatings company and a major producer of specialty chemicals, today announced that it will be extending the deadline on its U.S. ‘Tomorrow’s Answers Today’ poster competition to encourage additional students to enter for the chance to win a $1,000 cash prize, an all-expenses paid trip to visit AkzoNobel’s North American headquarters in Chicago, Ill. and the opportunity to meet with company executives and industry leaders at an event in June.

The competition is open to students who are pursuing graduate (masters, Ph.D., or post-doctoral) research in the chemical sciences or technologies, including chemistry, chemical engineering and material science at any educational institution in the U.S.

The competition aims to highlight the best ideas that show the greatest insight into future trends in our society in response to the following questions:

* What are going to be the biggest trends and challenges for the development of our society over the next 10 years in which chemistry will have a decisive role to play?

* What new scientific and technological developments will society need to make in the areas of the chemical sciences to realize the trends?

* What are going to be the most important new applications for novel products and process developments which will improve the lives of citizens and what sciences will underpin them?

To enter or learn more about the competition, students are encouraged to visit http://www.akzonobel.com/innovation/poster_competition/.

Following the submission process, a panel of AkzoNobel scientists and engineers will choose five finalists to be invited to attend a special event at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago on June 6, 2013, where their posters will be showcased to an audience of leading academics, business executives and media.

After the event in Chicago, one finalist will be selected and awarded a $1,000 cash prize as well as the opportunity to visit AkzoNobel research facilities located in the U.S.

For additional details including official rules, prizes and key dates, as well as background on previous competitions’ winners, visit http://www.akzonobel.com/innovation/poster_competition/

As a global leader in decorative and industrial coatings and a leading specialty chemicals company, AkzoNobel is constantly exploring areas of innovation in which chemical technology will play an important role in meeting the needs of the world. The aim of the competition is to encourage young researchers to explore the role that chemistry, chemical engineering and materials science will play in driving sustainable innovations that will meet the needs of society, the environment and consumers in the future.

AkzoNobel first held the regional competition in China in 2010 with subsequent competitions held in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. To reflect the increasingly global nature of the company, the Tomorrow’s Answers Today poster competition is being further extended to Sweden and the U.S. in 2013.

AkzoNobel

AkzoNobel is the largest global paints and coatings company and a major producer of specialty chemicals. We supply industries and consumers worldwide with innovative products and are passionate about developing sustainable answers for our customers. Our portfolio includes well-known brands such as Glidden, Dulux, Sikkens, International and Eka. Headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, we are a Global Fortune 500 company and are consistently ranked as one of the leaders in the area of sustainability. With operations in more than 80 countries, our 55,000 people around the world are committed to excellence and delivering Tomorrow’s Answers Today.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains statements which address such key issues as AkzoNobel’ s growth strategy, future financial results, market positions, product development, products in the pipeline, and product approvals. Such statements should be carefully considered, and it should be understood that many factors could cause forecasted and actual results to differ from these statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, price fluctuations, currency fluctuations, developments in raw material and personnel costs, pensions, physical and environmental risks, legal issues, and legislative, fiscal, and other regulatory measures. Stated competitive positions are based on management estimates supported by information provided by specialized external agencies. For a more comprehensive discussion of the risk factors affecting our business please see our latest Annual Report, a copy of which can be found on the company’s corporate website www.akzonobel.com.

Additional Contact for Newspaper Editors

AkzoNobel North America Communications, +1-312-544-7457, George Nolan

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MIT STUDENT INVENTOR NIKOLAI BEGG RECEIVES LEMELSON-MIT STUDENT PRIZE

$30,000 Lemelson-MIT Collegiate Student Prizes Awarded to Inventive Students at Three Leading Universities

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Molly Owen | Lemelson-MIT Program

(617) 939-8445 | mowen@conecomm.com

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (March 5, 2013) – Nikolai Begg grew up in a box of LEGO® bricks and hasn’t stopped tinkering since. Today he is an accomplished inventor with a portfolio of novel medical devices. Begg is the recipient of the prestigious $30,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for his inventions that are making surgical procedures less invasive. He is honored alongside the 2013 $30,000 Lemelson-MIT Collegiate Student Prize winners from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Begg, a PhD candidate in the department of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), first became interested in medical device engineering during junior high school after studying surgical robots and realizing their profound impact on human health. Today he works with doctors and nurses across medical disciplines in hospitals throughout Boston, to better understand how he can have a positive influence on medicine.

“Nikolai has a true appreciation for the importance of living a problem,” said Alexander Slocum, Begg’s advisor and Pappalardo Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT. “In a field where the end user is often difficult to reach, Nikolai is frequently invited into operating rooms after exciting a passion in physicians who can see that he is motivated only by the opportunity to create something that will transform the way they work.”

A New “Gold-Standard” of Safety in Surgical Procedures

Epidurals, intravenous catheter placements and bone marrow biopsies are all examples of “puncture access procedures” in which a sharply-pointed instrument, the puncture device, is used to create a pathway into the patient’s body. Despite puncture access being the first step in many minimally-invasive procedures like laparoscopic surgeries, existing devices often plunge forward after breaking through tissue until the surgeon can react and stop applying force, posing a risk to any underlying organs.

Begg invented a puncture access mechanism with a blade that retracts at the moment it passes completely through skin tissue after years of observing laparoscopic surgeries first-hand. A “force-sensing” instrument, the tip withdraws within 1/100 of a second. The mechanism, which is purely mechanical in nature with only a few parts, is scalable for use in nearly any medical puncture device.

Begg also learned that in right kidney laparoscopic procedures, an additional incision has to be made to hold the liver and clear a direct pathway to the kidney. This additional step risks over-puncture, infection and pain. He developed an incision-less laparoscopic retractor to address this challenge. Inserted through an existing incision, a suture stored within the device is passed out of the body and tensioned to move the organ out of the operating field.

An Ambassador for Invention

Begg’s personal passion for invention is no more important than working to inspire the same in others. He has used his knack for explaining complex technologies to be an active mentor throughout his time at MIT. As a graduate instructor Begg helps undergraduate students design, prototype and refine novel devices to meet the needs of medical practitioners. He also worked with high school students at an MIT-sponsored summer course in design to invent and build functional prototypes of devices to introduce exercise into the workplace.

“I believe in showing others that invention does not mean being smart enough to get it right the first time,” Begg said. “Creativity is powered by a willingness to learn and take risks.”

Bringing a New Face to Invention

“Nikolai Begg exemplifies the modern inventor,” said Joshua Schuler, executive director of the Lemelson-MIT Program. “Far from the image of a white-coat scientist at the lab bench, he follows his innate interests, immersing himself in them and collaborating with others to uncover opportunities to invent in every experience. By giving a fresh face to invention he is inspiring others– including those who may not have ever imagined or believed themselves to be inventors before.”

The Lemelson-MIT Program also recognized the 2013 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize finalists:

• Benjamin Peters developed a pin bed mechanism for directly forming physical three-dimensional contoured surfaces from a digital file.

• Ahmed Kirmani invented compact, low power cameras that capture the world in three-dimensions, which could usher new forms of human-machine interaction, automation and medical imaging.

Lemelson-MIT Collegiate Student Prizes

Winners of the $30,000 Lemelson-MIT Collegiate Student Prize will also be announced at their respective universities:

• Lemelson-Illinois Student Prize: Eduardo Torrealba launched the Plant Link platform in 2013, which monitors the moisture needs of plants and delivers water on an as-needed basis using smart valves, interconnected sensor systems and mobile devices. This wireless platform will make agricultural water resource management easier and more affordable, impacting the sustainability of water usage on a global scale.

• Lemelson-Rensselaer Student Prize: Ming Ma has developed a new method to manufacture light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that are brighter, more energy efficient, and have superior technical properties than those on the market today. His innovation holds the promise of hastening the widespread adoption of LEDs and reducing the overall cost, energy consumption, and environmental impact of illuminating our homes and businesses.

ABOUT THE $30,000 LEMELSON-MIT STUDENT PRIZE

The $30,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize is awarded annually to an MIT senior or graduate student who has created or improved a product or process, applied a technology in a new way, redesigned a system, or demonstrated remarkable inventiveness in other ways. A distinguished panel of MIT alumni including scientists, technologists, engineers and entrepreneurs chooses the winner and finalists.

ABOUT THE LEMELSON-MIT PROGRAM

Celebrating innovation, inspiring youth

The Lemelson-MIT Program celebrates outstanding innovators and inspires young people to pursue creative lives and careers through invention.

Jerome H. Lemelson, one of U.S. history’s most prolific inventors, and his wife Dorothy founded the Lemelson-MIT Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1994. It is funded by The Lemelson Foundation and administered by the School of Engineering. The Lemelson Foundation uses the power of invention to improve lives, by inspiring and enabling the next generation of inventors and invention based enterprises to promote economic growth in the US and social and economic progress for the poor in developing countries. http://web.mit.edu/invent/

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AUSTRALIA IS HIRING, TOURISM AUSTRALIA LAUNCHES SEARCH TO FILL “BEST JOBS IN THE WORLD”

New Campaign Highlighting Australian Work and Travel Opportunities Features Six New Dream Jobs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kourtney Schepman | Ketchum PR
(310) 295-3319 | Kourtney.Schepman@ketchum.com

Tourism Australia is teaming up with industry and State and Territory tourism partners in a new global campaign directed at the international youth market to promote tourism opportunities provided by Australia’s Working Holiday Maker (WHM) program.

At the heart of the campaign is a global competition involving six of Australia’s State and Territory Tourism Organisations that is each offering their own unique “Best Job in the World” as a prize.

The six ‘Best Jobs in the World’ each come with an attractive six month salary package worth A$100,000 including living costs and are:

• Chief Funster (New South Wales)

• Outback Adventurer (Northern Territory)

• Park Ranger (Queensland)

• Wildlife Caretaker (South Australia)

• Lifestyle Photographer (Melbourne)

• Taste Master (Western Australia)

The competition was unveiled today in Cairns, one of the country’s most popular destinations amongst young travellers, by the Federal Minister for Tourism, Martin Ferguson AM MP, alongside Ben Southall who was the winner of Tourism Queensland’s highly successful “Best Job in the World” campaign in 2009.

The “Best Jobs in the World” initiative is part of a major international marketing push which will target travellers between 18 and 30 years of age in Australia and overseas but is also open to all travellers worldwide. Final deadline for the first round is 9:00 pm AEST April 10, 2013 (7:00 am PST, April 9, 2013).

Tourism Australia Managing Director Andrew McEvoy said the competition provided an excellent platform to entice more young people from around the world to come to Australia to holiday and work.

“We’ve taken one of the most successful tourism campaigns in recent times – “Best Job in the World” – and made it bigger and better by coming up with a competition which represents the very best of our country – our breath-taking landscapes and scenery, our unique nature and wildlife, great food and wine and, of course, our huge sense of fun,” Mr McEvoy said.

Ben Southall added: “A few years ago I won “The Best Job in the World” – being an Island Caretaker on the Great Barrier Reef. Unfortunately for me, my time is up. But luckily for the world ‘The Best Job in the World’ is back. This time there’s not one, but six amazing jobs in Australia up for grabs.”

Jane Whitehead, Tourism Australia Vice President, Americas added that the competition was expected to appeal to youth travellers’ sense of fun and adventure and also those seeking a gap year and international experience.

“Educated young Americans are interested in working abroad,” Mrs Whitehead said. “The Washington Post recently reported a survey that showed the percentage of Americans aged 18-24 that were interested in moving overseas had surged from 12% in 2007 to 40% in 2011.

“The Department of Immigration and Citizenship’s (DIAC) latest ‘Working Holiday Maker visa program report 2012’ has shown a continued growth in the number of American visas granted since the WHM visa launched in 2007. In the 12 months to year end June 2012, the United States saw a 4.7 per cent increase over the previous year.

“Australia, with its quality of living, wage levels and job opportunities offers attractive options for those that want to strengthen and round out their resumes while having the time of their life experiencing a beautiful and dynamic country.”

For those who are interested in exploring work and travel opportunities beyond the competition jobs, Tourism Australia has secured industry partners to support the campaign and help make it easier for young travellers to find jobs and make travel arrangements.

Virgin Australia and STA Travel are providing travel deals and travel options. For job opportunities, recruiter Monster.com has created an online ‘jobs board’, advertising temporary jobs within the Australian tourism industry that are suitable for travellers visiting the country on a Working Holiday or Work and Holiday Visa.

Other partners supporting the campaign include Citibank, DELL, IKEA, and Sony Music.

The youth segment contributes A$12 billion annually in total tourism spending and delivers nearly 1.6 million (26%) of Australia’s international arrivals. In 2012, Working Holiday Makers contributed A$2.5 billion to the Australian economy.

For further details of the campaign and competition visit Tourism Australia’s Working Holidays Facebook page, www.facebook.com/australianworkingholiday or www.australia.com/bestjobs

For further information contact:

Kristen Malaby, Tourism Australia, on +1 310 695 3214 kmalaby@tourism.australia.com

Kourtney Schepman, Ketchum on +1 310 295 3319 Kourtney.Schepman@ketchum.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/TourismAus

To access the multimedia press release which includes image, video and campaign assets please go to http://medianet.multimediarelease.com.au/bundles/3c23ebea-051a-4079-ad10-cc8dbb556d8b

For further details on Working Holiday Maker Program, visit www.immi.gov.au/visitors/working-holiday/.

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Filmmaker Challenges Univ Students to Join Immigration Reform Campaign

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Lisa Cohen | Emerson Collective
(310) 395-2544 | lisa@lisacohen.org

The Dream Is Now Campaign to Announce Contest Challenging College Students to Sign Petition in Support of Immigration Reform

Schools Where Students Gather the Most Signatures for Online Petition Will Be Selected As Sites for Premiere of New Documentary Directed by Award-Winning Filmmaker Davis Guggenheim; Students From University With Most Petitions Signed Will Travel to Premiere of Film in Washington, DC

WHO:

Academy Award-winning director Davis Guggenheim of Waiting for Superman and An Inconvenient Truth

Eduardo J. Padrón, Ph.D., President, Miami Dade College

Ruben Elias Canedo Sanchez, The Dream Is Now College Outreach Director

Terrence Park, University of California Berkeley Math Club President and DREAMer

WHAT:

The Dream is Now (www.thedreamisnow.org) is a partnership formed by filmmaker Davis Guggenheim and Emerson Collective to provide supporters of immigration reform with a platform to voice their support for an earned path to citizenship for undocumented youth. The campaign web site allows individuals from around the country—documented and undocumented alike—to tell their own stories in writing or through video and to sign a petition affirming their support for the principles of the Dream Act. During Spring 2013, the campaign will release a 30-minute documentary directed by Guggenheim featuring many of the stories submitted to the campaign in an effort to show Congress that an earned path to citizenship is the right thing to do for these students and for our country’s economic future.

On a conference call with student newspapers, the campaign will announce a challenge to college students: Universities that get the most students to sign an online petition in support of the Dream Act principles will be selected for campus movie premieres. Students from the University with the most signatures will earn a trip to the premiere of the film in Washington, DC.

The DREAM Act, which is being considered as part of immigration reform efforts, would provide a pathway for undocumented youth who came to the U.S. at a young age and have been attending school, to earn their citizenship by attending college or serving in the military.

WHERE:

Conference Call – Please RSVP at lisa@lisacohen.org and you will be provided with the number and passcode.

WHEN:

March 5, 2013 at 1pm/ET, 10am/PT

For more information on the campaign visit:

www.thedreamisnow.org
twitter.com/TheDreamisNow
facebook.com/TheDreamisNow

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Mt. Sinai Eliminates Pre-Med Reqs for Accepted College Sophomores

Mount Sinai Is Revolutionizing Medical Education by Eliminating Traditional Pre-Med Requirements and the MCAT for Half of Admitted Students

Program Aims To Attract Sophomores In Fields As Diverse As Biophysics And Computer Science, To Global Health And The Arts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Christie Corbett | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai(212) 241-9200 | christie.corbett@mountsinai.org

(New York – February 27, 2013) – The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is the first medical school in the United States to drive a fundamental shift in pre-medical education by offering college sophomores with any undergraduate major early acceptance, no MCAT, and progressive pre-med requirements for half of each entering class. Sophomores will be admitted in 2013 into the new program called “FlexMed”, with foundations in computational science and engineering; humanities and social sciences; or biomedical sciences, which will allow them to pursue any undergraduate major unencumbered by traditional pre-med requirements.

Many medical educators have called for significant reform of the current pre-med model for training, established nearly a century ago. The pace of discovery and innovation and the changing landscape of healthcare delivery warrant different requirements for students entering medical school. For example, genetics and genomic sciences are rapidly becoming a mainstay in medical research and clinical care, but such coursework is not part of typical pre-med programs.

“The current model of medical school training has stagnated despite major advances in science and medicine,” said Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs of The Mount Sinai Medical Center. “We want to attract students with bright, creative minds who understand the role of precision medicine and big data and want to change the world. We also want innovators in clinical care who think of medicine in the larger social context and identify new practices for better care delivery. We believe FlexMed signals a paradigm shift in how we select, prepare, and educate the next generation of physicians, and hope other medical schools will follow suit.”

FlexMed builds on the success of Mount Sinai’s Humanities and Medicine (HuMed) program, which in 1987 was the first program in the United States to offer early assurance of acceptance to sophomores with a humanities background. Data from the HuMed program shows that these graduates perform as well as their classmates in areas such as honors grades in clerkships, class ranking, research and publications, school leadership, and community service.

“Traditional pre-med programs consume so much time and effort that students do not have the opportunity to see the bigger picture of their education or of medicine as a profession,” said David Muller, MD, Marietta and Charles C. Morchand Chair in Medical Education and Dean for Medical Education at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “We started HuMed because we wanted our students to thrive on a culture of academic rigor, mentorship, and self-discovery. The success of this program inspired us to take the lead in redefining medical education with FlexMed. This new paradigm fits perfectly with transformations that are occurring at Mount Sinai in medical school curricula, clinical care, and biomedical investigation.”

Steven T. Case, PhD, Professor of Biochemistry and Associate Dean for Medical School Admissions at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and a national thought leader on medical education, said, “Armed with a quarter century’s success with the Humanities and Medicine Program, the new FlexMed program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has the potential to revolutionize pre-medical education and truly transform medical school admissions. By discarding the MCAT, undergraduate students are afforded unparalleled flexibility in selecting majors, furthering academic pursuits and enhancing personal growth beyond what is feasible in traditional premedical curricula. This bold step, more than any other, will enhance the diversity and contribute to the educational excellence of medical students trained at Mount Sinai. Medical schools nationwide should note this courageous decision and closely monitor FlexMed outcomes.”

FlexMed is replacing turn-of-the-20th-century science courses with more relevant translational science and humanities coursework for 21st century physicians. Required coursework will include Ethics, Health Policy/Public Health, and Biostatistics. For students who have not pursued science majors, Biochemistry, Cell Biology, and Genetics will be taught at Mount Sinai prior to matriculation. Students will also be required to volunteer time in clinical settings as an undergraduate, and complete a senior thesis or its equivalent in any topic. They will be encouraged to be proficient in Spanish or Mandarin and to defer one or two years prior to starting at Mount Sinai to further pursue their academic interests.

“The science and technology of medicine, the delivery of care, and the populations we serve have changed substantially in recent decades. Furthermore, we are concerned whether we will have enough physicians and physicians with the requisite skills to meet society’s needs,” said George E. Thibault, MD, President of the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, an organization that supports projects that improve health professional education. “FlexMed is responding to these changes and these needs, and I applaud Mount Sinai for taking an important step forward in changing the way we select and prepare the health care leaders of tomorrow.”

Valerie Parkas, MD, Associate Dean of Admissions and Associate Professor of Medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said, “FlexMed will prime our students for the intellectual rigors of medical school by providing them with outstanding skills in communication and analytic thinking.”

Students will be selected for the FlexMed program based on a comprehensive review of their academic and extracurricular activities. They will also be interviewed to assess personal attributes such as collaboration, commitment, creativity, curiosity, empathy, innovation, initiative, and social conscience.

Mount Sinai plans to conduct a longitudinal study to measure cognitive and non-cognitive development as well as performance indicators of key skills desirable in a student. Demographic and scholastic information, personal attributes, scholarly activity, community service, and leadership skills will all be collected in the study.

For more information, visit www.mssm.edu/flexmed.

About The Mount Sinai Medical Center

The Mount Sinai Medical Center encompasses both The Mount Sinai Hospital and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Established in 1968, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is one of the leading medical schools in the United States. The Icahn School of Medicine is noted for innovation in education, biomedical research, clinical care delivery, and local and global community service. It has more than 3,400 faculty members in 32 departments and 14 research institutes, and ranks among the top 20 medical schools both in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding and by U.S. News & World Report.

The Mount Sinai Hospital, founded in 1852, is a 1,171-bed tertiary- and quaternary-care teaching facility and one of the nation’s oldest, largest and most-respected voluntary hospitals. In 2012, U.S. News & World Report ranked The Mount Sinai Hospital 14th on its elite Honor Roll of the nation’s top hospitals based on reputation, safety, and other patient-care factors. Mount Sinai is one of just 12 integrated academic medical centers whose medical school ranks among the top 20 in NIH funding and by U.S. News & World Report and whose hospital is on the U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll. Nearly 60,000 people were treated at Mount Sinai as inpatients last year, and approximately 560,000 outpatient visits took place.

For more information, visit http://www.mountsinai.org/

Find Mount Sinai on:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mountsinainyc

Twitter @mountsinainyc

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/mountsinainy

Note: Dr. David Muller, Dean of Medical Education at Mount Sinai, is available for interviews, as are students currently enrolled in the Humanities and Medicine program, on which FlexMed is based.

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Top 20 Highest Rated Companies Hiring Interns Right Now

Google, Procter & Gamble, QUALCOMM, Microsoft & Nordstrom Among Top 5 Companies

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: MaryJo Fitzgerald | Glassdoor
(920) 420-6832 | maryjo.fitzgerald@glassdoor.com

SAUSALITO, Calif. (February 27, 2013) – With many companies already advertising for summer internships, Glassdoor, a jobs and career community, is helping intern candidates figure out where to apply with its second annual list of the Top 20 Highest Rated Companies Hiring Interns Right Now. This year, Google ranks #1 for the second year in a row, followed by Procter & Gamble, QUALCOMM, Microsoft and Nordstrom.

“Glassdoor’s mission is to help all job seekers make more informed career decisions, and that includes college students looking for internships,” said Amanda Lachapelle, Glassdoor’s director of HR and talent acquisition. “This list helps college students hoping to get their foot in the door at companies they might like to work at, and gives them a snapshot of which companies other interns appreciate working at most, what the interview process is like, and what their earning potential might look like.”

Google ranks as the highest rated company among interns with its 4.6 company rating, improving on its 4.3 rating in last year’s report. (Company ratings based on a 5-point scale: 1.0=very dissatisfied, 3.0=OK, 5.0=very satisfied). Google interns speak favorably about working on projects that impact others, helpful employees who treat interns well, generous compensation packages, and perks like free meals. One Google Platforms Project Manager Intern (Mountain View, CA) shared: “Google treats interns even better than full time employees. All of the employees all the way up to VP personally spend time with you and take your opinion.” In addition, Google Software Engineer Interns bring in an average monthly base pay of $6,432 per month. Other Google Interns earn an average monthly base pay of $5,787.

Check out the complete results below, including company ratings, interview difficulty ratings, and average monthly base pay, entirely based on current and recent intern feedback:

Approximately 15,000 interns have shared company reviews on Glassdoor. The Glassdoor company review survey asks employees, including interns, to rate their satisfaction with the company overall and to provide feedback on the benefits (pros) and downsides (cons) of working at the company, among sharing other workplace insights. For the purposes of this list, a company’s ranking was determined using each company’s average company rating on Glassdoor according to interns who participated in the survey between January 29, 2011 and January 28, 2013.

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Media Contacts:

Scott Dobroski, Cell: (415) 847-4622

MaryJo Fitzgerald, Cell: (920) 420-6832

pr@glassdoor.com

About Glassdoor:

Glassdoor is the leading social jobs and career community that is changing the way people find jobs and companies recruit top talent. Founded in 2007, Glassdoor offers members access to the latest job listings, the ability to see Inside Connections™ via their Facebook network, and get access to proprietary user-generated content including company-specific salary reports, ratings and reviews, CEO approval ratings, interview questions and reviews, office photos, and more. Plus, employers can get involved in the conversation through Glassdoor’s suite of social recruiting solutions to reach target job candidates when they’re making career decisions. Glassdoor is backed by Benchmark Capital, Sutter Hill Ventures, Battery Ventures and DAG Ventures. More information about Glassdoor can be found on its blog, and by following the company on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Glassdoor.com is a registered trademark of Glassdoor, Inc.

TRICH IS MOST COMMON STD, YET MOST WOMEN UNAWARE, NEW SURVEY SHOWS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Naria Williams | American Sexual Health Association

(202) 481-8291 | nwilliams@gpgdc.com

(Research Triangle Park, NC) – Trichomoniasis (trich) is the most common curable sexually transmitted Infection (STI), yet only one in five (22%) women are familiar with it, according to a new survey commissioned by the American Sexual Health Association (ASHA). Women surveyed perceive trich as the least common STI, when in reality there are more new cases of trich annually in the U.S. (7-8 million) than syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea combined.

“Trich is the forgotten STI – few are aware, and few know it is easy to get tested and treated,” said ASHA President and CEO Lynn B Barclay. “Yet trich poses risks to a woman’s health, many of which can be prevented with a simple, easy and painless test and cured with a dose of antibiotics.”

Trich is a parasite that is passed on during sex. Only about 30 percent of people with trich develop any symptoms, which in women can include itching, burning, redness or soreness of the genitals, discomfort with urination, or a thin discharge with an unusual smell that can be clear, white, yellowish, or greenish. Trich can also make sex unpleasant.

The CDC recommends that any sexually active woman seeking treatment for vaginal discharge should be tested for trich. However, 65% of women surveyed would not seek medical attention if they experienced unusual symptoms, instead waiting to see if the symptoms go away or treating themselves with over-the-counter medicine.

Pregnant women with trich are more likely to have preterm or low birth weight (less than 5.5 pounds) babies. Trich also increases the risk of acquiring and transmitting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Among women surveyed who were concerned about contracting an STD, nearly half (49%) worry about trich increasing their risk of HIV.

ASHA recommends that women encourage their partners to get tested, as 1 in 5 people can be reinfected within three months of treatment. “Women – treat your man. You could be at risk for trich even if you have only one sexual partner,” said Barclay. “Trich is often symptomless and can last for many months, meaning a person can be infected before meeting their current partner.” According to the survey, 63% of women cite having only one sex partner as a reason they would not get tested for trich.

“Bottom Line: Testing for trich is simple, easy, and painless. Trich can be easily cured. If you have symptoms, seek medical attention and get tested for trich.” Barclay adds, “Preventing STIs is a key aspect of sexual health. Being able to communication with our partners and health care providers is essential.”

The survey was conducted on behalf of the American Sexual Health Association (ASHA) via an online panel by Research Now, an independent research company. Interviews were conducted between January 28th – February 2nd, 2013 among a nationally representative sample of 1,000 female respondents between the ages of 18 and 50.

For more information on trich and other sexually transmitted infections, please visit http://www.ashastd.org.

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About ASHA

The American Sexual Health Association (ASHA) is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1914 to improve the health of individuals, families, and communities, with a focus on educating about and preventing sexually transmitted infections. ASHA’s educational web sites include: www.ASHAsexualhealth.org, www.iwannaknow.org (for teens and young adults), and www.quierosaber.org (Spanish language site).

Beyond Academics: Reflect by GMAC Develops Skills for Career Success

New Soft Skills Assessment and Tool from the Graduate Management Admission Council

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Tracey Briggs | Graduate Management Admission Council

(703) 668-9726 | tbriggs@gmac.com

RESTON, Virginia (February 20) — For the past 16 years, college seniors have been told that the most important things they can do for their future are to focus on academics and to get good grades. Although academic performance matters a great deal, the critical element that shapes success in the workplace is what experts call “soft skills”—qualities such as how well you work with others and how well you perform under pressure.

In other words, your career potential is as much about how you work as it is about what you know.

Recent reports from The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Fast Company have stressed that employers are increasingly evaluating job candidates based on their workplace attitudes and instincts. For instance, a survey analysis featured in Forbes last year noted that failure of new hires within 18 months of starting a job is overwhelmingly due to cultural mismatch or attitude clashes rather than any shortcoming of critical skills.

This emerging consensus among businesses and human resources professionals is why the Graduate Management Admission Council, the non-profit education organization of graduate business schools and developer of the GMAT exam, is launching Reflect by GMAC. Reflect is a personality assessment and personal development tool that offers job seekers a competitive edge by measuring soft skills and providing specially tailored resources that can help test takers make the most of their own talents. Among the personal-professional qualities that Reflect assesses are an individual’s tendencies toward innovation, strategic vision and collaboration.

“For undergraduates applying to graduate school or entering the workforce, Reflect can provide self-awareness that can help them craft their essays or present themselves in an interview,” said Pepe Carreras, GMAC vice president of marketing. “A command of the soft skills Reflect assesses — and helps you improve — is an essential quality both schools and recruiters look for and respond to.”

Schools, like companies, can use Reflect to help them build collaborative teams and cultivate individual talent, but Reflect is designed to be used outside the admissions process.

Self-administered and self-directed, Reflect provides instructive advice tailored to the strengths and needs of individual test takers once they’ve reviewed their results. Upon completing the hour-long assessment, students are presented with actionable tips for self-improvement based on the 10 competencies assessed by the exam. They can use their competency scores as a benchmark to see how they compare with high performers in 14 different career fields.

Reflect also includes three years’ access to a library of articles, book summaries and videos, which can be saved in a personal work plan. The comprehensive suite of resources will help a new generation of leaders nurture their professional strengths, help them navigate potential derailers and showcase their talents in the workplace.

The Reflect self-assessment and tool is available at gmac.com/reflect for $99.99. As students prepare to make the transition from school to workplace, they can get the Reflect advantage: the power of getting where you want to go by knowing who you are.

For more information, contact: Tracey Briggs, tbriggs@gmac.com or 703-668-9726.

About Hogan Assessment Systems: With more than 30 years of experience, Hogan is the global leader in providing comprehensive, research-based personality assessment and consulting. Grounded in decades of science, Hogan helps businesses dramatically reduce turnover and increase productivity by hiring the right people, developing key talent, and evaluating leadership potential.

About GMAC: The Graduate Management Admission Council (gmac.com) is a nonprofit education organization of leading graduate business schools and owner of the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT exam), used by more than 5,700 graduate business and management programs worldwide. GMAC is based in Reston, Virginia, and has regional offices in London, New Delhi and Hong Kong. The GMAT exam—the only standardized test designed expressly for graduate business and management programs worldwide—is continuously available at more than 560 test centers in 110 countries. More information about the GMAT exam is available at mba.com. Please visit gmac.com/newscenter.

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TEACH FOR AMERICA FOUNDER VOTED CHAIR OF THE BOARD

– Teach For America’s COO and President to become co-CEOs –

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Steve Mancini | Teach For America
415.531.5396 | steve.mancini@teachforamerica.org

NEW YORK, NY – February 13, 2013 – In a vote yesterday, the Teach For America Board of Directors named CEO and founder Wendy Kopp as board chair, succeeding Walter Isaacson, who will become chair emeritus after more than seven years as chair. The board also appointed Matt Kramer and Elisa Villanueva Beard co-CEOs of Teach For America, effective March 1. Kopp will continue in her current role as founding CEO of Teach For All, a global network working to expand educational opportunity.

As board chair of Teach For America, Kopp will work closely with Villanueva Beard and Kramer to inform the organization’s strategic direction. She will develop and lead the national board of directors, cultivate external support, and provide advice and counsel to the leadership team.

“Today’s announcement reflects Teach For America’s strength. Our dramatic growth over the past few years calls for more leadership capacity to respond to growing needs and opportunities,” said Isaacson. “We are excited to elevate two proven leaders who have a lot more to contribute and free up our founder to focus on the areas where she can add the most unique value.”

Elisa Villanueva Beard and Matt Kramer have served as senior members of Teach For America’s leadership team for eight years, and this transition is a natural evolution of their existing responsibilities. As co-CEOs, they will be jointly accountable for the organization’s performance and will assume the leadership role in charting its strategic direction, developing its team and culture, building external relationships, and raising public awareness.

Elisa Villanueva Beard will oversee Teach For America’s regional operations and represent the organization publicly. A native of the Rio Grande Valley, Villanueva Beard joined Teach For America in 1998, teaching bilingual first and second grade in Phoenix for three years. She then spent four years as executive director of Teach For America’s Rio Grande Valley region, before joining the national staff as chief operating officer. In that position, she managed Teach For America’s now 46 regions, which are responsible for the placement and development of more than 10,000 corps members, fostering the leadership of their local alumni, and raising 80 percent of Teach For America’s funding.

“Having grown up in the Rio Grande Valley, my life’s work is fighting for educational justice for underserved kids in my hometown and across the country,” said Villanueva Beard. “I am honored to continue this work as co-CEO of Teach For America, an organization that I know has such deep potential to move us toward the day when all children have the opportunity to attain an excellent education. Matt and I look forward to working together to take Teach For America to the next level.”

Matt Kramer will manage all aspects of the central Teach For America structure, including recruiting and admissions, corps member training, administration, development, marketing and communications, and central programmatic support of the regions. Inspired by his wife’s experience as a corps member, Kramer originally joined Teach For America as chief program officer in 2005. He then moved into the role of president, where over the past five years he has helped oversee all aspects of Teach For America’s national operations, from growth and strategy to performance and organizational culture.

“I am thrilled to continue my partnership with Elisa, now as co-CEOs of Teach For America,” said Kramer. “Teach For America plays such an important role in developing the leadership our country needs to live up to our highest ideals, and Elisa and I are eager to continue the hard work of ensuring that all children in our country have the opportunity to reach their full potential. I am also excited that we will continue to benefit from Wendy Kopp’s extraordinary energy and wisdom in her new role as chair of the board.”

To ensure strong governance, the board has created a new role of independent lead director and has appointed Dick Parsons, former CEO and chairman of Time Warner, to this position. As chair of the board’s executive committee, he will help ensure the effectiveness of the board, support the development of the co-CEOs, and provide additional support in cultivating external relationships.

As CEO of Teach For All, Kopp leads a growing global network of independent organizations that, like Teach For America, are enlisting their countries’ most promising future leaders to become lifelong advocates for educational excellence and equality. Now in its sixth year, the Teach For All network includes organizations in 26 countries worldwide. In the coming years, Teach For All aims to build support for the growth of the network and its partners, and to accelerate the growth and progress of its partners by fostering learning, sharing, and innovation.

“It has been my privilege to serve as CEO of both Teach For America and Teach For All for more than five years,” said Kopp. “Today’s announcement helps ensure that each organization has the leadership capacity necessary to meet growing aspirations. Elisa and Matt are exceptional leaders and great partners. They have already contributed immeasurably to Teach For America’s growth and impact and I look forward to supporting them as they lead Teach For America into the future.”

About Teach For America
Teach For America works in partnership with communities to expand educational opportunity for children facing the challenges of poverty. Founded in 1990, Teach For America recruits and develops a diverse corps of outstanding individuals of all academic disciplines to commit two years to teach in high-need schools and become lifelong leaders in the movement to end educational inequity. Today more than 10,000 corps members are teaching in 46 urban and rural regions across the country, while nearly 28,000 alumni are working across sectors to ensure that all children have access to an excellent education. For more information, visit http://www.teachforamerica.org/ and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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U.S. FDA APPROVES BAYER’S SKYLA™ (LEVONORGESTREL-RELEASING INTRAUTERINE SYSTEM) 13.5 mg FOR PREVENTION OF PREGNANCY FOR UP TO THREE YEARS

First new IUD (intrauterine device) to enter market in more than a decade 
Approval of Skyla expands Bayer’s IUD portfolio

Wayne, NJ, January 29, 2013 - Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. recently announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Skyla™ (levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system) 13.5 mg, a new hormone-releasing system that is placed in the uterus for the prevention of pregnancy for up to three years.¹

“Research shows that nearly 50 percent of pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended,² which emphasizes the need for increased education and access to effective birth control options,” said Anita L. Nelson, M.D., Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA. “Skyla is more than 99 percent effective at preventing pregnancy and may be appropriate for women who want a birth control method that they do not have to take daily. Further, Skyla may be used by women whether or not they have ever had a child, representing an important new choice for women who don’t want to become pregnant for up to three years.”

Skyla is a small, flexible plastic T-shaped device containing 13.5 mg of a progestin hormone called levonorgestrel. The size of the Skyla T-body is 28mm x 30mm and the outer diameter of the placement tube is 3.8mm. Because Skyla slowly releases levonorgestrel into the uterus, only small amounts of the hormone enter the blood. During the first three to six months of using Skyla, women may experience irregular periods and an increase in the number of bleeding days. Women may also have frequent spotting or light bleeding. Some women may have heavy bleeding during this time. After using Skyla for a while, the number of bleeding and spotting days is likely to lessen, and there is a small chance that periods may stop altogether.^1,3

Women can have Skyla placed by a healthcare provider during an in-office visit. Skyla is intended for long-term use for up to three years but may be removed by a healthcare provider at any time. Women could become pregnant as soon as Skyla is removed, so they should use another method of birth control if they do not want to become pregnant. About 77% of women who want to become pregnant will become pregnant sometime in the first year after Skyla is removed.³

“The approval of Skyla expands Bayer’s IUD portfolio and highlights our continued commitment to empower women with a variety of birth control options at different reproductive stages of their lives,” said Pamela A. Cyrus, M.D., Vice President and Head of U.S. Medical Affairs, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals. “We are pleased to bring the first new IUD to market in the U.S. in 12 years, and to provide women who are seeking contraception with an important new and effective option to consider with their healthcare providers.”

Skyla (levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system) 13.5 mg will be available by prescription the week of February 11.

About the Clinical Trial for Skyla¹

The approval of Skyla is supported by data from a Phase 3 trial that included 1,432 women aged 18-35 who received Skyla, of which 38.8% (556) had not yet had a child. The trial was a multicenter, multinational, randomized open-label study conducted in 11 countries in Europe, Latin America, the U.S. and Canada. Women less than six weeks postpartum, with a history of ectopic pregnancy, with clinically significant ovarian cysts or with HIV or otherwise at high risk for sexually transmitted infections were excluded from the trial.

The pregnancy rate calculated as the Pearl Index (PI) in women aged 18-35 years was the primary efficacy endpoint used to assess contraceptive reliability. The PI was calculated based on 28-day equivalent exposure cycles; evaluable cycles excluded those in which back-up contraception was used unless a pregnancy occurred in that cycle. Skyla-treated women provided 15,763 evaluable 28-day cycle equivalents in the first year and 39,368 evaluable cycles over the three-year treatment period. The PI estimate for the first year of use based on the five pregnancies that occurred after the onset of treatment and within seven days after Skyla removal or expulsion was 0.41 with a 95% upper confidence limit of 0.96. The cumulative three-year pregnancy rate, based on 10 pregnancies, estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method was 0.9 per 100 women or 0.9%, with a 95% upper confidence limit of 1.7%.

Of Skyla-treated women, 21.9% discontinued the study treatment due to an adverse event. Most common adverse reactions (occurring in 5% users) were vulvovaginitis (20.2%), abdominal/pelvic pain (18.9%), acne/seborrhea (15.0%), ovarian cyst (13.2%), headache (12.4%), dysmenorrhea (8.6%), breast pain/discomfort (8.6%), increased bleeding (7.8%) and nausea (5.5%).

Other serious adverse reactions were also observed, including ectopic/intrauterine pregnancy, life-threatening infections, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), perforation and expulsion.

Important Safety Information for Skyla (levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system) 13.5 mg

If you have a pelvic infection, get infections easily, or have certain cancers, don’t use Skyla. Less than 1% of users get a serious infection called pelvic inflammatory disease.

If you have persistent pelvic or stomach pain or if Skyla comes out, tell your doctor. If Skyla comes out, use back-up birth control. Skyla may attach to or go through the uterus and cause other problems.

Pregnancy while using Skyla is uncommon but can be life threatening and may result in loss of pregnancy or fertility. Ovarian cysts may occur but usually disappear.

Bleeding and spotting may increase in the first few months, and remain irregular. Over time, periods are likely to become shorter and lighter, or may stop.

Skyla does not protect against HIV or STDs.

Only you and your healthcare provider can decide if Skyla is right for you. Skyla is available by prescription only.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

For additional information about Skyla, please see full prescribing information at www.skyla-us.com.

About Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. 

Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. is the U.S.-based pharmaceuticals business of Bayer HealthCare LLC, a subsidiary of Bayer AG. Bayer HealthCare is one of the world’s leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry, and combines the activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Diabetes Care, and Pharmaceuticals divisions. As a specialty pharmaceutical company, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals provides products for Diagnostic Imaging, General Medicine, Hematology, Neurology, Oncology and Women’s Healthcare. The company’s aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human health worldwide by diagnosing, preventing and treating diseases.

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BAYER_® and the Bayer Cross_® are registered trademarks of Bayer. Skyla is a trademark of Bayer.

Media Contact:

Marcy Funk, Tel. +1 (973) 305 5385
E-Mail: marcy.funk@bayer.com

Forward-Looking Statement
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group 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 Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

1 Skyla Prescribing Information, January 2013

2 Mosher WD, Jones J. Use of contraception in the United States: 1982–2008. National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Health Stat 23(29). 2010. “Introduction” Available at www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_23/sr23_029.pdf. Accessed on 1/2/13.

3 Skyla Patient Prescribing Information, January 2013