ExxonMobil donates $100,000 to the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP) for its Junior Academy

University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) professor Herb Schroeder, founder and executive director of the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP), announced a $100,000 donation from ExxonMobil. "This significant gift will benefit ANSEP's Junior Academy, a program aimed at pre-college students who are between their junior and senior years in high school," Schroeder said.

In presenting the contribution to ANSEP, Dale Pittman, ExxonMobil's production manager in Alaska, said, "ExxonMobil believes that education is the key to progress, development and economic growth. We are committed to being a responsible partner in the communities where we operate."

Junior Academy students live on the UAA campus for six weeks while attending classes in biology, physics, trigonometry, chemistry and introduction to engineering. Students also take part in problem-solving team activities, such as assembly and testing of submersible robots, sensor equipped rockets and projectile motion experiments. Students who successfully complete Junior Academy are awarded $2,000 scholarships toward furthering their education at any University of Alaska campus.

The Junior Academy's "parent" program, ANSEP, is nationally recognized as a successful model that provides inspiration, guidance and opportunity for students from the time they are in middle school, into high school, through the undergraduate years and to completion of graduate degrees. The ANSEP model is being replicated at 11 higher education institutions in nine states. The program's objective is to effect a systemic change in the hiring patterns of Indigenous Americans in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by increasing the number of individuals on a career path to leadership in STEM fields.

ExxonMobil is one of Alaska's largest private investors, contributing to training, jobs and incomes for Alaskans.

For additional information about the ExxonMobil gift, or to learn more about the ANSEP Junior Academy, please contact Herb Schroeder at (907) 786-1860, or by e-mail at herb@uaa.alaska.edu.