Study program and LANXESS Rubber Student Award aim to nurture rubber engineers and scientists for the future

Qingdao, China, 23 June 2009 – German specialty chemicals company LANXESS AG has announced in Qingdao, China, the launch of an education initiative in collaboration with the Qingdao University of Science and Technology (QUST). The inaugural LANXESS Rubber Student Award has also been introduced to recognize outstanding students in polymer and rubber science.

In May, graduate students from the School of Polymer Science and Engineering at QUST attended a five-day advanced study program conducted by Dr. Claus Wrana and Professor Dr. Werner Obrecht from LANXESS’s Technical Rubber Products business unit. Under the mentorship and guidance of the faculty staff from QUST and experts from LANXESS, the students worked through some of the most complex technical and scientific problems in polymer physics and rubber chemistry.

At the end of program a final examination was held to select the winner of the LANXESS Rubber Student Award. Ms. Wang Shuang Shuang, a postgraduate student from the School of Polymer Science and Engineering at QUST, became the first recipient of the award and will benefit from one month of technical training at LANXESS’s headquarters in Leverkusen, Germany.

“I am so glad that many future rubber engineers and scientists are being developed here at the university. It is my hope that some will work for LANXESS one day,” commented Dr. Günther Weymans, Head of LANXESS Technical Rubber Products business unit.

LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 6.58 billion in 2008 and currently around 14,600 employees in 23 countries. The company is represented at 44 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manu¬facturing and marketing of plastics, rubber, intermediates and specialty chemicals. More information at http://www.lanxessgoesasia.com.

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Information for editors:
100 years of synthetic rubber – interesting information about the anniversary and the numerous areas of application can be found at www.worldrubberday.com.

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