Dow Chairman/CEO Liveris to receive STEM Leadership Hall of Fame Award

The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) announced recently that Andrew Liveris, Dow's chairman and CEO, will receive the U.S. News Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Leadership Hall of Fame Award at the publication's upcoming STEM Solutions National Leadership Conference in San Diego, Calif.

"STEM education and career fields drive the innovation needed to solve the major challenges humanity is facing," said Liveris. "This is why STEM education has been a priority of mine and a centerpiece of Dow's commitment to building the workforce of tomorrow. On behalf of the tens of thousands of innovators, manufacturers and problem solvers at Dow, I am honored to be recognized for helping ignite students' excitement for STEM education and for supporting people in finding fulfilling careers in STEM fields."

A chemical engineer himself, and a true believer in the power of STEM jobs to grow economies, Liveris has made supporting education and workforce a cornerstone of his leadership. He shares his passion for the importance of STEM education to drive innovation and manufacturing growth in the U.S. through both his book, "Make It in America", and through his leadership role of U.S. President Trump's Manufacturing Jobs Initiative.

Under Liveris' leadership, Dow has mobilized employee volunteers, known as STEM Ambassadors, to support teachers and inspire students by providing real life examples to make technical concepts easier to understand and to share insights on exciting opportunities in STEM careers. In support of Dow's 2025 Sustainability Goal to Engage Employees for Impact, in 2016 these more than 2,200 Dow STEM Ambassadors logged more than 25,000 STEM-related volunteer hours, supporting more than 1,900 teachers and enhanced STEM opportunities for more than 360,000 students.

A few examples of Dow's STEM partnerships include:

FIRST

As a strategic partner of FIRST, Dow has created more than 200 FIRST Robotics teams in communities near our operations, many of which are mentored by Dow employees. Many of the skills needed for manufacturing and engineering roles are demonstrated through participating in FIRST.

You Be The Chemist

To inspire middle school students to get excited about chemistry, more than 14,000 middle schoolers in 15 U.S. states were reached in 2016 through Dow's support of You Be the Chemist, a national chemistry competition, in local communities where Dow people live and work.

Smithsonian Science Education Center

Since 2007, Dow has partnered with the Smithsonian Science Education Center to bridge the connection between the classroom and the real world through the Dow Smithsonian Teacher Scholars professional development program and the joint development of hands on activities for STEM Ambassadors to bring into classrooms. Dow has reached approximately 300 teachers through the program, and in 2016 began co-sponsoring with business partner CH2M.

U.S. Apprenticeship Program

Launched in 2015, the Dow U.S. Apprenticeship Program offers a pathway to manufacturing careers through both formal education and on-the job training. The program has already grown to just under 100 apprentices across four states-MI, CA, TX, LA-with projections of reaching 130 by the end of 2017. In addition to high school graduates, the program is being marketed to veterans. In celebration of National Manufacturing Day in October of 2016, Dow employees hosted events and activities across the apprenticeship sites and others to help expose young people to careers in manufacturing, meet employees, and understand what education programs existed in their communities.

Great Lakes Bay Region (Michigan) STEM Impact Initiative

Through Dow's support, the Initiative launched college and university networks to advance STEM in the region based on recommendations identified through a comprehensive study of the region's STEM infrastructure. In 2016, the region was chosen as one of 27 communities in the U.S. to participate in the first STEM Learning Ecosystems Initiative, a new effort to find community-based approaches to providing more effective STEM opportunities to young people.

The U.S. News STEM Solutions National Leadership Conference is focused on improving America's science, technology, engineering and math skills. Produced by U.S. News & World Report, the conference highlights STEM issues on a national stage and assembles major corporations, leading educators and top policymakers to find solutions to the STEM crisis. In addition to Liveris, U.S. News will also present the STEM Leadership Hall of Fame Award to Ursula Burns, chairman of Xerox Corporation; Susan Hockfield, PH.D., president emerita, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and president-elect of AAAS; Iaonnis N. Miaoulis, PH.D., president and director of the Museum of Science in Boston, Mass.; and Ellen Ochoa, PH.D., former astronaut and director of NASA Johnson Space Center.