High School student to join cancer research team through PBS Emperor Science Award

Alexandra Ruszczyk from California Academy of Math and Science Selected As a Winner of The Inaugural Bristol-Myers Squibb Emperor Science Award. End Quote

Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA (1888PressRelease) January 30, 2016 - Today, Bristol-Myers Squibb announced Alexandra Ruszczyk from California Academy of Math and Science as one of 100 award recipients for the inaugural year of The Emperor Science Award program. Bristol-Myers Squibb is a founding donor of the Emperor Science Award program, an initiative designed to encourage high school students to explore careers in science, specifically cancer research and care, through a unique mentoring opportunity. The opening of applications was announced in September by partners Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, and PBS LearningMedia, a media-on-demand service designed for K-12 classrooms. Bristol-Myers Squibb, along with Genentech and Novartis, have provided funding to award 100 students every year, for three years.

"Bristol-Myers Squibb is proud to recognize Alexandra Ruszczyk as an Emperor Science Award recipient. Alexandra was chosen from a pool of nearly 1,200 well-qualified 10th and 11th grade students from across the country with a passion for pursuing a career in science and cancer research," said Laura Bessen, Vice President, Head of U.S. Medical, Bristol-Myers Squibb. "Our hope is to inspire more students to explore careers that may lead to future innovation in cancer care, and know Alexandra will represent California Academy of Math and Science and the entire Long Beach/Los Angeles community as she continues to enhance her knowledge and skills through this one-of-a-kind mentorship program."

The Emperor Science Awards recipients will receive an opportunity to work alongside an esteemed scientist on a rewarding multi-week cancer research project, a Google Chrome Notebook to enhance their studies and to extend the reach of mentors to students living in rural and suburban communities, a $1,500 stipend for expenses, and the opportunity to continue the mentoring program, through high school, to further their academic pursuits.

Stand Up To Cancer and PBS LearningMedia received almost 1,200 applications from 10th and 11th grade students interested in pursuing a career in science research throughout the U.S. Students from rural, suburban and urban communities in 40 states comprise the first class of Emperor Science Awardees. These students demonstrated awareness of emerging developments in cancer treatment including precision medicine, immunotherapy and epigenetics. They are interested in nanotechnology, basic cellular biology, gene mapping, toxicology, genetics, DNA splicing, development of biomarkers and computational sciences. From laboratory studies and mouse models to exploring marine organisms and their potential to provide "natural" cytotoxins for cancer research, students' research interests were impressive. To view the full list of Emperor Science Award recipients, visit EmperorScienceAward.com.

About Stand Up To Cancer
Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) raises funds to accelerate the pace of research to get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives now. SU2C, a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, was established in the United States in 2008 by film and media leaders who utilize the industry's resources to engage the public in supporting a new, collaborative model of cancer research, and to increase awareness about cancer prevention as well as progress being made in the fight against the disease. As SU2C's scientific partner, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and a Scientific Advisory Committee led by Nobel Laureate Phillip A. Sharp, PhD, conduct rigorous, competitive review processes to identify the best research proposals to recommend for funding, oversee grants administration, and provide expert review of research progress. For more information about Stand Up To Cancer, visit: www.standup2cancer.org.

About PBS LearningMedia
As America's largest classroom, PBS offers digital content and services for teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS LearningMedia, a partnership of PBS and WGBH Educational Foundation, is a free and paid media-on-demand service offering educators access to the best of public media and delivers research-based, classroom-ready digital learning experiences to engage students in exploring curriculum concepts that align with National and Common Core State Standards. Nationwide, more than 1.8 million teachers and users have registered access to more than 100,000 digital resources available through PBS LearningMedia. More information about PBS LearningMedia is available at www.pbslearningmedia.org or by following PBS LearningMedia on Twitter and Facebook.

Media Contact:
PBS LearningMedia | Atiya N. Frederick | anfrederick ( @ ) pbs dot org | 703-739-5147
360 Public Relations | Allison Salzberg | asalzberg ( @ ) 360PR dot com | 617-585-5793
Stand Up To Cancer | Jane E. Rubinstein | jrubinstein ( @ ) eifoundation dot org | 646-386-7969

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