OREANDA-NEWS. September 24, 2015. BG Brasil has recently taken part in a number of important initiatives supporting STEM education. In September, BG supported the Young Scientist award ceremony, the signing of the STEM Brazil agreement with the Government of the State of Rio de Janeiro, and the closure of the entry period for the Science Education Award. Through its continued support, BG Brasil hopes to raise the profile of STEM education amongst Brazilian public school students, contribute to their academic future, and prepare them for the job market in sectors of great importance for the socioeconomic development of the country.

BG sponsored the Young Scientist Award for the first time, with the award ceremony taking place at Planalto Palace in Brasilia on the 15th September, in the presence of President Dilma Rousseff. The event was organised by the National Scientific and Technological Development Council (CNPq). The Young Scientist Award is one of the most important awards for Brazilian scientists. Now in its 28th edition, this year’s award focused on research projects in the "Food Security and Nutrition" area.

Another important milestone was the signing of an agreement between BG Brasil and the Government of the State of Rio de Janeiro, through the State Department of Education, to implement the STEM Brasil Program in 26 schools. BG Brasil allocated over R\\$ 1.2 million for training the school teachers in STEM methodology.

Paulo Macedo, BG Brasil’s Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, attended the signing of the agreement at a ceremony on the 10th September. The event was held in the Main Hall of the Guanabara Palace in the presence of the State Governor, Luiz Fernando Pez?o, and the Secretary of Education, Antonio Neto.

The STEM Brazil Program, developed by Worldfund ONG, provides subsidies to teachers to make their physics, chemistry and biology and mathematics classes more dynamic and interesting. This has helped to increase interest from students in the subjects and encouraged them to pursue careers in related scientific fields.

Earlier this month, we reached the end of the entry period for the second Science Education Award – a BG Brasil initiative that aims to encourage public school teachers working at Middle and Secondary Schools in Rio de Janeiro to develop innovative and creative teaching practices for Science and Mathematics. This year, we had twice as many entries as last year. In total, 97 teachers from 29 municipalities of Rio de Janeiro entered their projects and now await the decision from the jury. The announcement of the winners will be held on 24 November at a ceremony in the Museum of Tomorrow.

The winning six teachers, three from each educational segment, will receive an educational eight day trip to London, England, with all expenses included plus a cash prize.