Initiative Underlines Importance of STEM Education

NEWARK, N.J., May 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Panasonic Creative Design Challenge celebrated 25 years of inspiring high school engineering students throughout New Jersey. The top three winning schools for this year's final robotics competition included Kinnelon High School, Newark Academy and Teaneck High School, who were awarded first, second and third place, respectively. Ocean Township High School was also recognized as Rookie of the Year. Individual scholarships and Panasonic product prizes were awarded to the winning teams. The New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), a long standing partner with Panasonic in the Creative Design Challenge, hosted the final round of the robotics competition and award ceremony.

The theme of this year's competition "Nuclear Disaster Pana-Plant Cleanup," created by NJIT honor students, challenged students to design a device that could clean up a nuclear disaster site. The guidelines required teams to build a device that would be able to travel on two aluminum bars, using minimal electrical power, to complete several tasks associated with a nuclear disaster cleanup. In addition to being judged on the performance of their devices, teams were also scored on an oral presentation, the quality of their written reports, and engineering logbook entries. The competition requires the high school student teams to apply mathematical, mechanical and electrical engineering knowledge as well as teamwork and communication skills to be successful.

"For 25 years Panasonic, along with NJIT, has challenged some of New Jersey's brightest high school students to develop real-world solutions in the Panasonic Creative Design Challenge," said Joseph M. Taylor, Chairman & CEO, Panasonic Corporation of North America. "As a company that is concerned about strengthening STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education, we continue to be impressed by the level of engineering and science skills demonstrated by these high school students. Beyond the technical expertise of these students, their commitment to teamwork around a common theme is remarkable. I want to congratulate all of the teams for their work and hope that this experience will inspire them to continue to develop their engineering skills."

The Creative Design Challenge was founded in 1991 by Mr. Taylor in collaboration with Professor Joel S. Bloom, now NJIT President. "Creating a pipeline of science and technology talent is essential for our future workforce," President Bloom said. "Panasonic, a longtime partner, is to be highly commended for continuing this commitment of encouraging the development of young STEM talent." It is the premier science and technology competition for high school students in New Jersey.

For more information on the Panasonic Creative Design Challenge program, please visit http://www.panasonic.com/cdc.

About Panasonic Corporation of North America
Panasonic Corporation of North America provides a broad line of digital and other electronics products and solutions for consumer, business and industrial use. The company is the principal North American subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Panasonic Corporation and the hub of Panasonic's U.S. branding, marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. In Interbrand's 2014 annual "Best Global Green Brands" report, Panasonic ranked number five overall and the top electronics brand in the report. As part of its continuing sustainability efforts, Panasonic Corporation of North America relocated its headquarters in 2013 to a new facility, adjacent to Newark Penn Station in Newark, NJ. It is the first newly constructed office tower in Newark to earn both LEED Platinum and Gold certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council. Learn more about Panasonic at us.panasonic.com/news.