Sony Electronics Launches Education Scholarship Program

Sony Electronics, with the support of Intel, is recognizing deserving students and faculty through a new scholarship program, which will give them the necessary tools to continue to achieve academic excellence.

The program commences in Long Beach this afternoon when the Hearst/California State University Trustee Award winners will be the first recipients of Sony's scholarship grants. The grants include a Sony VAIO notebook, Webbie high-definition camera with 16-gigabyte memory card and Walkman MP3 player.

In addition to the CSU students to be honored at today's event, Sony will also award grants to junior faculty members at several CSU campuses. Selected CSU tenure-track junior faculty members will receive a Sony VAIO notebook, Sony HD Camcorder with 16-gigabyte Memory Stick, Sony Reader and 26-inch display BRAVIA television. The CSU System will be making a separate announcement this fall of their selections for these new faculty awards.

"Technology is a huge part of the learning process today," said Mike Abary, senior vice president of Sony Electronics. "We understand the added pressures students and faculty have during these tough economic times, and want to help outstanding individuals focus on what's really important - education."

"Intel is pleased to join Sony in designing and supporting this program, which provides notebook computers to deserving students at a time when both family and state education budgets are under pressure," said Anne Gregory, Intel's state and local education program manager, "Having a fast, light, and up-to-date notebook computer can help these students keep up with their studies and gives them a boost besides."

At today's announcement, Sony will provide scholarship grants to 30 universities and community colleges across the US at its "First Wave" of participating campuses selected for the new program. Student grant recipients will be chosen by their campuses based on financial need and academic excellence and all grants may be added either to an existing scholarship or used to create a new one. Outside of the CSU System, Sony grants will be awarded to students and junior faculty members at Florida State University at Tallahassee, Indiana University at Bloomington, The Maricopa County Community College District of Tempe, Ariz., New Mexico State University at Las Cruces, The University of Hawaii at Manoa, The University of Oregon at Eugene, University of California at San Diego and The University of Southern California. Each of these institutions will be announcing their grant recipients in the near future and will be hosting awards events this fall.

Headquartered in San Diego, Sony Electronics is a leading provider of audio/video electronics and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. Operations include research and development, design, engineering, manufacturing, sales, marketing, distribution, and customer service.

Sony has played a key role in the development of Blu-ray Disc™ technology, CD, DVD and Super Audio CD technologies, among many others. The company is noted for a wide range of consumer audio-visual products, such as the BRAVIA LCD high-definition television, Cyber-shot digital camera, Handycam camcorder and Walkman personal stereo. Sony is also an innovator in the IT arena with its VAIO personal computers and in high-definition professional broadcast and video equipment, highlighted by the XDCAM HD and the CineAlta™ lines of cameras and camcorders, and the SXRD™ 4K digital projector. The latest news and information is available at the company's website at www.sony.com/news.

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SOURCE: Sony Electronics

CONTACT: Katie McLaughlin of Nuffer, Smith, Tucker, +1-619-296-0605,
ext. 232, km@nstpr.com; or Ana Reyes of Sony Electronics, +1-858-942-2793,
Ana.reyes@am.sony.com

Web Site: http://www.sony.com/news