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The Bayer Foundation has given Penn State $300,000 to fund two awards in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering: $225,000 will establish the Bayer Graduate Fellowship in Materials Science, and $75,000 will create the Bayer International Internship Scholars fund.

Bayer fellowships will be awarded on a competitive basis to the most outstanding students entering the Materials Science and Engineering graduate degree program. The Bayer scholars fund will provide travel expenses and a partial stipend for undergraduate materials science and engineering students in the Materials Study Abroad program. This program offers one-semester research internships for selected students based on collaborations of Penn State's faculty, and faculty at host institutions in England, France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.

These two new awards enhance Penn State's and Bayer's commitment to the growth of materials research and education, according to Gary Messing, department head of Materials Science and Engineering in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. "The creation of the Bayer Graduate Fellows in Materials and Bayer International Internships for undergraduates attest to Bayer's commitment to the future of materials science education and research, while providing an unparalleled presence at Penn State," he said.

Penn State and Bayer share a long collaborative history, with Bayer making gifts to the University totaling more than $2.2 million over the past 23 years, plus more than $1 million in research grants. Bayer employs 186 Penn State alumni.

"It's with great pleasure and enthusiasm that the Bayer Foundation awards this grant to Penn State, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to help strengthen U.S. science education at every educational level, from pre-college to graduate programs," said Gregory S. Babe, president and CEO, Bayer MaterialScience and board member of the Bayer Foundation. "As the CEO of a leading producer of polymers and high-performance plastics, I know our future vitality and viability as a science-based company depends, in part, on the kinds of education investments we're making today."

The Bayer Foundation is an endowed 501(c)(3) entity and is the primary source of Bayer Corp.'s philanthropy in the United States. With a programmatic focus on civic and social service programs, education and workforce development, arts and culture, and health and human services, the Bayer Foundation creates and supports partnerships that improve communities in which Bayer employees live and work.

The Bayer Corp., headquartered in Pittsburgh, is the U.S. subsidiary of the worldwide Bayer Group, an international health care, nutrition and innovative materials company based in Leverkusen, Germany.

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