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"Discovery Communications To Launch New Multimedia, Multi-Year Science Initiative, "Be The Future," Supporting Obama Administration STEM Priorities -- DirecTV Boosts Support of Science Literacy with Move of Science Channel to Total Choice, Offering Millions of Additional Subscribers Access to Quality Science Programming -- November 23, 2009 (Silver Spring, Md.) Underscoring its commitment to leading in science-related programming and education, and answering President Obama's call to action to encourage science literacy, Discovery Communications today announced a new multimedia, multi-year nationwide initiative called "Be The Future." Over the next five years, Discovery will launch a programming block, education curriculum and tools to inspire student learning and careers in the sciences and support the White House's efforts behind science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. "Lifting American students from the middle to the top of the pack in STEM achievement over the next decade will not be attained by government alone," said President Obama. "I applaud the substantial commitments made today by the leaders of companies, universities, foundations, non-profits and organizations representing millions of scientists, engineers and teachers from across the country." "The exploration of science, technology and the natural world is central to the mission and DNA of Discovery Communications and we are incredibly proud to put the full muscle of our content and resources behind this critical White House initiative," said John S. Hendricks, founder and chairman, Discovery Communications. "Through 'Be the Future' we will spark the innate curiosity in school-aged viewers and people of all ages, help drive interest and leadership in science-related careers and inspire a lifelong interest in how science shapes our everyday lives." A sweeping, multi-platform initiative, "Be the Future" will be built on two primary Discovery businesse

"netTrekker is a leader in the delivery of digital K-12 educational content and is dedicated to enhancing the education of today's youth with highly effective technologies that deliver rich educational content to every child in a safe, relevant, easy-to-use format. With the mission to help every child learn and a belief that technology can transform education, netTrekker was first to market with a standards-based educational search tool. The netTrekker mission to enhance the education of youth with highly effective technologies flows directly from the company's Leadership Team , each of whom has a strong personal commitment to significantly impact and improve the educational process. The team's philosophy permeates all areas of the company and is a guidepost for all corporate decision making. To support the corporate mission and ensure that the company continues to develop products that meet the changing needs of their users, netTrekker staff is in constant communication with customers. Customer feedback drives the company's product development, resulting in award-winning products that truly serve educators, students and parents. netTrekker is the #1 educational search tool in K-12 schools and is currently used in thousands of schools nationwide. Peers, educators, and parents have honored netTrekker over 25 times for its contribution to education. In 2007, netTrekker was named the Best Education Solution in SIIA's CODiE award competition, and was named to the 2007 Inc. 5000 and 2006 Inc. 500 lists as one of the fastest growing private companies in the United States. netTrekker, also known as Thinkronize, Inc., was founded in 1999 and currently serves millions of students worldwide."

"Library Video Company is the leading distributor of educational video, DVD and audiobook to schools and public libraries nationwide. The company stocks thousands of titles covering a diverse range of topics for all ages and grade levels. Each program has been carefully reviewed and selected for content that is appropriate for the classroom and public library setting"

"Since Trivantis was founded in 1999, people, ideas and innovation have fueled our growth. Our flagship product, Lectora , blazed the elearning trail as the first, easy-to-use authoring software and made rapid elearning a reality. Our family of Lectora products is complemented by Lectora Integrator, CourseMill LMS products, and the design services of our Custom Development Services group. In 2009, we introduced Lectora Online which combines the power of collaborative online elearning with the same great authoring capabilities of Lectora Publisher. Trivantis software is utilized by leading companies from consumer products, retail, universities and high schools, to governments and manufacturing. Our products serve over 70% of the Fortune 100, most of the Fortune 500 and all five U.S. military branches. Global 2000 companies in more than 70 countries make our products their elearning solution of choice. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Trivantis Corporation also has offices in Boca Raton, Paris, London and Beijing."

"Zinio is revolutionizing reading. Through digital products and services, the Company creates better ways for people to discover published content, get more of it and do more with it. Zinio works closely with publishers worldwide to reinvent reading. For consumers, Zinio enables the ability to shop for, search inside, read, share and save digital content in new ways and on many devices. With over 50,000 digital magazines and books, and e-stores localized in 15 languages, zinio.com is the largest online newsstand in the world. Founded in 2001 and privately held, Zinio is headquartered in San Francisco and has offices in New York, London, Paris, Barcelona and Taipei."

"NIIT is a leading Global Talent Development Corporation, building skilled manpower pool for global industry requirements. The company which was set up in 1981, to help the nascent IT industry overcome its human resource challenges, has today grown to be amongst world's leading talent development companies offering learning solutions to Individuals, Enterprises and Institutions across 40 countries. NIIT's training solutions in IT, Business Process Outsourcing, Banking, Finance and Insurance, Executive Management Education, and Communication and Professional Life Skills, touch five million learners every year. NIIT's expertise in learning content development, training delivery and education process management make it the most preferred training partner, worldwide"

"Freedom Scientific is the leading worldwide provider of assistive technology products for those with vision impairments. The Company sells its products worldwide and has offices in Florida and Switzerland. The Company's products have been translated into 24 languages and are available in 55 countries. Freedom also has a line of software products for those with learning disabilities. Freedom Scientific®, PAC Mate Omni™, JAWS®, MAGic®, OpenBook®, and FSReader™ are either trademarks or registered trademarks in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners."

"MindLeaders at a Glance: MindLeaders is a learning company with over 25 years of experience designing elearning programs that promote the success of people and companies. We have over 1,000 clients in more than 30 countries across four continents in the commercial, government, and education sectors. MindLeaders offers: Over 3,000 courses on topics from software skills to leadership, from workplace and food safety to programming and network administration. We present expert, dynamic content while maintaining a consistent, easy-to-use interface across all the courses. The MindLeaders Central learning platform that brings all learning tools, administration, and detailed reporting into one spot. A top-rated Professional Services department and a jam-packed Resource Center to work with and equip training administrators to make the most of their MindLeaders products. An online Reference Library of over 1,000 electronic books. These books include best-sellers in both technical and business topics, and are available in their entirety. The MindLeaders Personal Learning Service (PLuS) , which provides Learning Advisors to work with students individually to match them with the courses and other learning resources that most directly help their organizations' business goals and their career objectives. Online access 24/7 to course subject matter experts via Instant Mentoring . The MindLeaders Create service that integrates other training materials into MindLeaders Central, offering one-stop access to all training (online and instructor-led)."

"On the air. On the Web. Around the world. American Public Media, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, is the largest owner and operator of public radio stations and a premier producer and distributor of public radio programming in the nation. It is also the largest producer and distributor of classical music programming in the United States. 780 stations reaching 16.5 million listeners carry our programs each week. Among its portfolio of more than 20 national programs are such public radio staples as A Prairie Home Companion®, Saint Paul Sunday®, Marketplace®, Marketplace Money®, The Splendid Table® Speaking of Faith® and special reports produced by our national documentary unit, American RadioWorks®. Learn more about American Public Media programs» American Public Media is the parent organization for Minnesota Public Radio, Southern California Public Radio and Classical South Florida, operating 42 public radio stations and 32 translators in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, South Dakota, North Dakota, Idaho, California and Florida. American Public Media's subsidiary, Minnesota Public Radio, owns and operates the historic Fitzgerald Theater in downtown St. Paul, home of the live broadcasts of A Prairie Home Companion®. Also under the American Public Media umbrella is the for-profit Greenspring, the parent company of Greenspring Media Group, a diversified regional and national magazine publishing and event management company. American Public Media is also a co-founder and major partner of Gather.com, a social networking Web site that invites the public radio audience to share with others their observations, thoughts and perspectives with others"

"Monsoon is the best solution for marketplace selling for three simple reasons: Our experience, our solutions, and our customer support. Monsoon offers a suite of intelligent tools for online sellers: A monsoon is a prevailing wind that brings an enduring, heavy rainfall - a resource critical to the growth of crops and the welfare of people. To us, a monsoon symbolizes powerful forces that deliver prosperity and growth. And that's what our solutions are - powerful forces for change and success. Monsoon has been working with online marketplace sellers since 2002. Today Monsoon enables several hundred million dollars in transactions on online marketplaces each year and many of the top marketplace sellers use Monsoon to manage their online marketplace sales. But this doesn't mean Monsoon is only for the largest sellers or only for selling on Amazon. In fact, we offer the most comprehensive marketplace solutions to a wide variety of customers - from 500 SKUs to more than 500,000 SKUs, and offer support for eBay, and other primary marketplaces in the US and UK. At any given moment, more than 20 million unique listings are actively managed by Monsoon. Monsoon solutions are designed to simplify the challenging business of selling products profitably on multiple marketplaces . Monsoon gives you intelligent and automated software tools to efficiently manage, price and sell your inventory. One of the hallmarks of our software is Monsoon's Dynamic Pricing Engine, which allows sellers to automatically and quickly price and re-price their inventory according to current market conditions and maintain a competitive position. Monsoon software is installed on your computer, which means that your data is safe and under your control. And because we operate with the highest standards of confidentiality and security, you can be assured that your valuable inventory and pricing data will never be seen by your competitors. Additionally, Monsoon partners

"A Legacy of Education Education has always been a core value of the Walt Disney Company. Since 1945, when Disney became the first studio to bring educational films into schools, educators have turned to Disney Educational Productions for award-winning classroom media that enhances learning and unlocks student creativity. We believe that kids who succeed at learning grow to love learning, and it's that life-long celebration of curiosity and innovation that built the Walt Disney Company. Building Thinkers Every Day...For more than 60 years, our programs have been receiving numerous awards and accolades -- among them Oscars, Emmys, and honors from organizations such as the National Safety Council and Learning Magazine. Today we are harnessing the timeless power of immersive storytelling with the new possibilities of dynamic multimedia to provide teachers with the tools they need to engage, inform, and inspire learners of all types. We collaborate with educators, curriculum specialists, scientists, mathematicians, historians, writers, musicians, artists, and many other skilled and passionate experts to create compelling content based on national curriculum standards. Our classroom edition DVDs include public performance rights, educator's guides, exclusive educational bonus features, and assessment tools to reinforce key lessons."

"Biography Andrew Carnegie was born in Dunfermline, Scotland, on November 25, 1835. The son of a weaver, he came with his family to the United States in 1848 and settled in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. At age thirteen, Carnegie went to work as a bobbin boy in a cotton mill. He then moved rapidly through a succession of jobs with Western Union and the Pennsylvania Railroad. In 1865, he resigned to establish his own business enterprises and eventually organized the Carnegie Steel Company, which launched the steel industry in Pittsburgh. At age sixty-five, he sold the company to J. P. Morgan for $480 million and devoted the rest of his life to his philanthropic activities and writing, including his autobiography. Many persons of wealth have contributed to charity, but Carnegie was perhaps the first to state publicly that the rich have a moral obligation to give away their fortunes. In 1889 he wrote The Gospel of Wealth, in which he asserted that all personal wealth beyond that required to supply the needs of one's family should be regarded as a trust fund to be administered for the benefit of the community."

"The STEM Research and Modeling Network (SRMN) brings together researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and funders who share the goal of using simulation modeling to strengthen student interest, participation and achievement in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The SRMN is hosted by the Business-Higher Education Forum and was founded in 2008 by BHEF, Raytheon Company, and The Ohio State University. The impetus of the SRMN was the development of the U.S. STEM Education Model, a simulation model developed by the Raytheon Company in order to examine ways to increase the number of students choosing to major and graduate in STEM disciplines. Using the model as a starting point, the SRMN provides an open innovation platform for developing a common set of STEM education and research priorities. By bringing together multiple stakeholders, the SRMN fosters dynamic collaboration around modeling and research to improve practice and policy."

"Specializing in turn-key learning systems for education integrating electronic music instruments, audio components, video production tools, computers and software; SoundTree provides advice, planning, sales, complete installation services, staff training and after-purchase support. With SoundTree you get more than a company that sells technology. You get a long-term support specialist that will work with you as an educational partner. SoundTree is the Educational Division of Korg USA."

Founded in 1998, Quantum develops artificial intelligence (AI) tutoring, assessment and professional development software for K-12, higher education, distance learning and adult education. Our software is designed to be affordable and accessible to all students, including those with special needs. Quantum is the only AI company capable of integrating cutting-edge technology for textbook publishers, educational software providers or distance learning organizations. For the first time, the production costs and long lead times associated with content development and manual coding are eliminated. Not only do our partners experience tremendous production savings, they can offer uniquely-integrated AI learning products scientifically proven to increase test scores by as much as 50%. A "technology think tank", Quantum has leveraged over $8.5 million in federal research funding for new product development for its partners with support from the U.S. Department of Education, National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health. As a result of its revolutionary work in AI technology, Quantum was awarded the national Tibbitts Award, the highest recognition given by the federal government for exceptional small business achievement in leading-edge research, technology innovation and economic impact.

"Good corporate citizenship and operating responsibly are important to Microsoft's long term success. We strive to be a positive partner in communities, and manage our environmental footprint. What Citizenship Means at Microsoft: Our mission is to help people and businesses throughout the world realize their full potential. As the world's largest software company, Microsoft helps to create social and economic opportunities wherever we work, live, and do business. Our technology innovations, our people, our partnerships, and our day-to-day business contribute to the prosperity of communities and the sustainability of the planet. Our commitment to good corporate citizenship reflects our belief that social and economic opportunity go hand in hand. When individuals, communities, and governments thrive, so do we. Our citizenship efforts focus on four key areas that allow us to best use our technology, people, partnerships and business to promote social good and economic opportunity."

"The New Media Consortium (NMC) is an international not-for-profit consortium of learning-focused organizations dedicated to the exploration and use of new media and new technologies. Its hundreds of member institutions constitute an elite list of the most highly regarded colleges and universities in the world, as well as leading museums, key research centers, and some of the world's most forward-thinking companies. For more than 15 years, the consortium and its members have dedicated themselves to exploring and developing potential applications of emerging technologies for learning, research, and creative inquiry. The consortium's Horizon Reports are regarded worldwide as the most timely and authoritative sources of information on new and emerging technologies available to education anywhere."

"Welcome to the convenience and flexibility of an online education at Kaplan University. Earn a college degree on your terms. You control the schedule. There are no travel expenses, or hours spent searching a campus map. Simply attend our online classes anytime, anywhere, virtually 24/7. Our Mission: Kaplan University is an institution of higher learning dedicated to providing innovative undergraduate, graduate, and continuing professional education. Our programs foster student learning with opportunities to launch, enhance, or change careers in today's diverse global society. The University is committed to general education, a student-centered service and support approach, and applied scholarship in a practical environment. Who We Are: Kaplan University is a part of Kaplan Higher Education Corp., which is a part of Kaplan, Inc., a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company. Today, Kaplan comprises half of the Post Company's revenue and is its fastest-growing division. Purposes: To accomplish its mission, Kaplan University has established the following purposes: Provide academic programs that have been developed and assessed by faculty, staff, and members of educational, professional, and business communities; Provide intensive and comprehensive instruction using both onsite and online modes of delivery that strengthens student academic achievement; Instill in its students the value of lifelong learning by stimulating intellectual curiosity, creative and critical thinking, and awareness of culture and diversity; Plan and provide facilities and resources that respond to the needs of students, faculty, and staff; Assist students in developing professional attitudes, values, skills, and strategies that will foster success in their careers and in life; Prepare students to meet the ever-changing needs of their communities now and in the future."

Texthelp Systems Inc. is an assistive technology software company with corporate offices in Antrim, Northern Ireland and Woburn, Massachusetts. Texthelp markets a range of award-winning software solutions to help people with reading, writing, and literacy difficulties. The company's mission is to provide high quality and innovative assistive technology for any person of any age seeking to develop their language skills through the use of a computer. Texthelp's products are designed for use by individuals, corporations or government organizations seeking to overcome accessibility difficulties. Products include: Read&Write GOLD, Read&Write GOLD for Mac, BrowseAloud, and Lexiflow. Since 1996, Texthelp has been developing and refining software products to take advantage of the latest technology innovations and to meet the ever increasing need for solutions for individuals with literacy difficulties.

"KNS was founded in 2002 with principals having in-depth experience in education and technology solutions for learning. The company strives to meet the needs of organizations by assisting in integrating and/or transforming legacy instruction and knowledge management with the latest capabilities of instructional technology solutions. To learn more about our KNS leadership, select the following Biographies:"