CAMBRIDGE, MA – June 10, 2008 – Genzyme Corporation announced today that West Roxbury resident Olivia Schwob, a 15-year-old sophomore at Boston Latin High School, won top honors at the 2008 Massachusetts State Science and Engineering Fair (MSSEF) for her project on “How Worms Learn.” The 59th annual fair was held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on May 2-3, 2008. Schwob, her science teacher, and high school will share in the $17,500 prize awarded by Genzyme.
Schwob’s project studied how worms’ nervous systems function. Schwob manipulated proteins in the worms to determine how they correlate to learning ability. She found that without the Goa 1 Protein, worms had significantly lower learning function.
“I have always had a keen interest in behavioral science and my science project gave me an opportunity to see first hand how analyzing differences on a small scale can help me to draw conclusions about the bigger picture,” said Schwob. “I learned so much about the scientific process from my mentor, Dr. Peter Juo of the Tufts University Sackler School of Physiology, and I am very excited to continue to hone my research skills during my summer internship at Genzyme.”
More than 400 students entered approximately 300 group and individual projects in this year’s fair, open to middle and senior high school students from all public, private and home-educated environments in Massachusetts. Students may enter a project in one of 10 science categories that range from astronomy and biology, to computer science and physics.
“Students who participate in the state science fair are given an invaluable opportunity to conduct their own research and then present their findings in front of their peers, teachers and some of the area’s leading scientists and are judged by leading scientists in MA,” said Mark Bamforth, Genzyme’s senior vice president of corporate operations and pharmaceuticals who presented the award at the fair. “Olivia’s love of learning and her commitment to the scientific process helped her to excel in her research. She and her peers at the MSSEF will make great contributions to the sciences in the years to come.”
The Genzyme Science Award, valued at $17,500, is multi-tiered to acknowledge the many factors that contribute to the success of a student. It includes a $5,000 cash award in recognition of a student’s exceptional achievement in science project development, research and presentation, and a $2,500 paid summer internship for the student at a Genzyme facility in Massachusetts. In addition, the student’s high school science department will receive $5,000 and the student’s teacher will be offered a $5,000 independent study opportunity. In addition to funding this award, Genzyme is a lead corporate sponsor of the fair, and provides additional awards at the regional middle school and high school fairs.
Genzyme seeks to recognize and invest in the various factors that contribute to success in science. The company supports science education through program grants, internships, teacher development programs, career development initiatives for students, and tours of its facilities.
About Genzyme
One of the world’s leading biotechnology companies, Genzyme is dedicated to making a major positive impact on the lives of people with serious diseases. Since 1981, the company has grown from a small start-up to a diversified enterprise with more than 10,000 employees in locations spanning the globe and 2007 revenues of $3.8 billion. In 2007, Genzyme was chosen to receive the National Medal of Technology, the highest honor awarded by the President of the United States for technological innovation.
With many established products and services helping patients in nearly 90 countries, Genzyme is a leader in the effort to develop and apply the most advanced technologies in the life sciences. The company’s products and services are focused on rare inherited disorders, kidney disease, orthopaedics, cancer, transplant, and diagnostic testing. Genzyme’s commitment to innovation continues today with a substantial development program focused on these fields, as well as immune disease, infectious disease, and other areas of unmet medical need.
Genzyme’s press releases and other company information are available at www.genzyme.com and by calling Genzyme’s investor information line at 1-800-905-4369 within the United States or 1-678-999-4572 outside the United States.
