ConocoPhillips Pairs with Rice University to

ConocoPhillips Rice Elementary Science Lab to train Houston area teachers

ConocoPhillips [NYSE:COP] and Rice University today announced a plan to expand Rice’s Elementary Model Science Lab (REMSL) program.

This nationally renowned program promotes science education by training elementary school teachers to deepen their professional knowledge, explore the latest science concepts and learn new teaching methods aimed at students in Kindergarten through fifth grade. Research shows that if students do not develop an interest in science by the fifth grade, they are unlikely to develop an interest in science at all.

“ConocoPhillips recognizes that science and math are important for students of all ages,” said Jim Mulva, chairman and chief executive officer, ConocoPhillips. “We’re pleased to expand our relationship with Rice University in a way that will help teachers instill a sense of excitement about science among the youngest of our students.”

Housed in the Spring Branch Independent School District, the ConocoPhillips Rice Elementary Model Science Lab will serve the needs of teachers from the Greater Houston Area and train more than 80 teachers during the 2008-2009 school year.

“Unfortunately, many elementary teachers lack the latest science content knowledge or confidence because they are not continually exposed to it themselves,” said Wallace Dominey, Rice Center for Education research scientist who developed the REMSL. “With ConocoPhillips’ support, we hope to provide a unique professional development opportunity for teachers in the Houston area, so that instructors can help students discover the joys of learning about the natural world in which we live.”

The 2008-2009 ConocoPhillips Rice Elementary Model Science Lab will expand the program Rice developed with Houston Independent School District teachers at Sanchez Elementary School. Achievement scores for the students of the REMSL-trained teachers have increased significantly -- as high as 41 percent.

The recent gift for the REMSL builds on ConocoPhillips’ existing support of Rice, which includes membership in the Energy Forum at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, an endowed scholarship at the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management, and support of multiple initiatives within the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Wiess School of Natural Sciences as well as the Rice Summer Business Institute, an outreach program for minority high school students interested in pursuing careers in business. ConocoPhillips also facilitates a program through which it matches the contributions of its employees to the university.