For Immediate Release
Contact: Lynn Solorio, Manager, Stakeholder Communications, Carus Corporation, 224-6682 or lynn.solorio@caruscorporation.com

LASALLE/PERU, ILLINOIS -- The summer of 2006 marked the ninth consecutive year that Carus Corporation has provided paid internships to teachers and participated in the SWEPT (Scientific Work Experience Program for Teachers) initiative. The goal of SWEPT is to increase the effectiveness of teachers by giving them hands-on business and industrial work experience during the summer. In the fall, teachers return to the classroom, ready to explain to their students how the study of science, math, and technology relates to the “real world.”

This summer, Carus Corporation continued its commitment to local education by hiring 10 teachers to work at various projects at its LaSalle manufacturing facility and at Peru headquarters. Now that school is back in session, the SWEPT teachers are relating to their students what they did over their summer breaks.

Jean Stanmar, a Chemistry and Biology teacher at Peoria High School, is a seven-year veteran of Carus Corporation’s SWEPT program. In 2006, she worked on production, shipping, and materials coordination at Carus’ LaSalle manufacturing facility. According to Stanmar, “I was able to use the knowledge I gained in designing classroom activities this fall. At the same time, the experience gave me an excellent opportunity to see how material studied in the classroom is used by people in industry.”

Jennifer Rexius, who teaches Physical Science at L-P High School, returned for a second summer as a SWEPT intern in Carus Corporation’s Quality Assurance/Quality Control laboratory, working on data generation and refinement of lab techniques. Rexius said, “The most important things I gained from my SWEPT experience were the importance of accuracy and precision in a laboratory. I found my experiences at Carus to be rewarding and interesting. I learned new techniques and made new friends.” According to Rexius’ mentor, Carus Chemist Lori Setchell, “The laboratory benefits directly from the SWEPT program by having extra hands to lighten the workload. The SWEPT teachers benefit by using lab techniques they are unfamiliar with or reviewing techniques they have not used in years. The SWEPT teachers also have a new respect for the chemicals the lab deals with every day. They return to the classroom better prepared to talk about lab safety, a topic they know about intuitively but now have actual life experiences to relate.”

Mike Kriz, who teaches Science at Ohio High School, said, “In the coming year, I plan to use many aspects of my summer work within my classroom.” Kriz has developed a series of experiments based on testing techniques he learned during his SWEPT internship, where he worked on sampling and analysis of permanganate process streams in support of Carus Corporation’s cost reduction research.

Kathy Wujek, a teacher at Peru Catholic School, worked with the Carus Sales & Marketing department to identify new drinking water purification markets. According to Wujek, “I never realized what Carus Corporation did for the different communities. I think that the word ‘chemicals’ made me think of labs and test tubes. During my internship, I learned a lot about what Carus does to improve our water supply and all the work it takes to make drinking water healthy for everyone. I hope to be able to share this with my students.”

Don Loebach, junior high Science teacher at Peru Catholic School, directed the Carus Science Camp for the sixth consecutive summer. During the weeklong camp, area children had the opportunity to conduct experiments in various fields of Science, including Ecology, Physics, Astronomy, Biology, and Chemistry. Loebach, along with fellow teachers Mary Beth Boehm, Jennifer Lasik, and Melinda Reed, taught the campers laboratory safety and how to keep a lab notebook to record hypotheses, observations, results, and conclusions of their lab experiments. Boehm, who teaches fifth grade at Peru Catholic, said, “My SWEPT internship allowed me to feel more confident with science. Hopefully, my students will develop a love of science and problem-solving.”

The SWEPT initiative is just one of the many educational outreach programs that Carus Corporation provides to the community as part of its commitment to local education. Other programs sponsored by Carus include classroom chemistry demonstrations during National Chemistry Week in October each year, the “You Be The Chemist” Challenge at the regional and national levels, and workshops for Illinois Science teachers.

Founded in LaSalle, Illinois in 1915, Carus Corporation is the world’s largest producer of potassium permanganate, which is used mainly in environmental applications: to improve the quality of drinking water, to treat municipal and industrial wastewater, in air purification systems, and in groundwater remediation. Carus is a member of the American Chemistry Council and an active participant in the industry’s award-winning Responsible Care® initiative, working to make life better, healthier, and safer through chemistry.