A Commitment to Excellence


In Support of Science Education

The DuPont Challenge© Science Essay Competition truly challenges students in junior and senior high school to explore, learn, and write about their quest to understand the natural world.

After more than two decades, The DuPont Challenge© is a tribute to the ongoing DuPont commitment to improve the world for the future through science and education.

The DuPont Office of Education works with educators and the business community to help prepare today’s students to make well-informed decisions as citizens and consumers of science-based products and services.

Furthermore, DuPont hopes that as students’ interest in—and understanding of—science and technology increases, this may motivate them to pursue a career in one of these dynamic fields. To that end, the company brings inquiry-based science programs to DuPont site communities and nurtures young Americans’ interest in science- and mathematics-oriented professions through national and international competitions that motivate them to excel.


Putting Science to Work

For more than 200 years, DuPont has been putting science to work to develop sustainable, global solutions that enhance human health, safety, and the environment.

Below are just a few examples of the many innovative DuPont products that demonstrate how DuPont continues to harness new technologies:

  • In the area of Agriculture and Nutrition, DuPont has developed an insect-resistant corn to help create a greater global food supply.
  • DuPont Coatings and Color Technologies produce automotive paints that save energy and reduce pollution.
  • To help reduce global warming, DuPont Electronic & Communication Technologies have developed new refrigerants.
  • DuPont Performance Materials have helped produce better seals for semiconductors and plastics that can replace metals.
  • In the area of Safety and Protection, DuPont produces everything from protective building materials to life-saving fibers used in bullet-resistant vests.

For additional information on DuPont products, visit: www.dupont.com

DuPont/NASA SEMAA

In addition to DuPont products for NASA that enhance space travel safety, DuPont has joined with NASA to inspire the next generation of explorers through their partnership with NASA Science, Engineering, Mathematics, and Aerospace Academy (SEMAA). NASA’s work is dependent upon the availability of trained scientists, technologists, and engineers to meet its workforce needs now and in the future. NASA SEMAA is working to develop a steady stream of Next Generation Pioneers—a diverse group of young people who will provide the workforce for vital U.S. jobs in the areas of NASA research, medicine, computers, science, defense, and security.

NASA SEMAA is an innovative national program that has engaged nearly 328,000 K-12 students, parents/adult family members, and teachers in exciting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) instructional and enrichment activities over the last five years. NASA SEMAA students who have participated in the entire K-12 set of activities will have completed 441 hours of advanced studies in STEM prior to their enrollment in a post-secondary institution.

For additional information on NASA SEMAA, visit: http://www.semaa.net

Program Collaborators

The DuPont Challenge© is sponsored by the DuPont Center
for Collaborative Research & Education in cooperation
with the organizations discussed below.

Kennedy Space Center—An Adventure to Remember

The DuPont Challenge© 2009 First Place winners and their teachers will experience a VIP tour and lunch with an astronaut and NASA scientists at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The DuPont-NASA connection is ongoing, with DuPont products helping to bring closer the day when space travel is as routine and safe as an airplane flight. Through The miracles of scienceTM, DuPont scientists, engineers, and technicians design and manufacture products that reduce weight, decrease volume, and provide durability and resistance in the extreme environments found in space.

For additional information on the Kennedy Space Center, visit: www.kennedyspacecenter.com

National Science Teachers Association

Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) is a member-driven organization, 55,000-strong. NSTA publishes books and journals for science teachers from kindergarten through college. Each year NSTA holds four conferences on science education: three regional events in the fall and a national gathering in the spring.

NSTA also provides ways for science teachers to connect with one another. It informs Congress and the public on vital questions affecting science literacy and a well-educated workforce. And with your help, NSTA can do even more.

Please note that the awards for teachers of the first-place winners from The DuPont Challenge© will include an expenses-paid trip to the 2010 national NSTA conference.

For additional information on the National Science Teachers Association, visit: www.nsta.org

THE WALT DISNEY WORLD® RESORT

First-place student winners in both the junior and senior divisions of The DuPont Challenge© will receive an expenses-paid trip in April 2009 with one parent and sponsoring teacher to THE WALT DISNEY WORLD® RESORT in Orlando, Florida. Covering 30,000 acres, THE WALT DISNEY WORLD® RESORT is the largest recreational resort in the world and contains four main theme parks.

All DuPont Challenge© guests will stay at one of the world-class WALT DISNEY WORLD® resort hotels and will enjoy free access to all of the theme parks and related recreational activities.

For more information on THE WALT DISNEY WORLD® RESORT, visit: disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/index.html