Local High School Scholar Wins $16,000 Siemens-Sponsored Merit Scholarship; State College Area High School Grad Eric Driscoll Wins Prestigious National Award

Business Wire, August 23, 2006

BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. -- Siemens Building Technologies, Inc., is proud to announce Eric Driscoll, a 2006 graduate of State College Area High School, has been chosen to receive a four-year National Merit Scholarship totaling $16,000 sponsored by the Siemens Foundation. Eric's father, Giles Driscoll, is a Sr. Engineer at the Harrisburg, Penn. branch of Siemens Building Technologies.

For more than 10 years, Siemens has been a proud sponsor of 16 National Merit Scholarships for children of Siemens employees who work in a variety of Siemens operating companies throughout the U.S. In 2006, more than 1.3 million students entered the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT(R)) and by meeting published entry/participation requirements. Eric was one of 8,200 finalists chosen from a pool of 16,000 semifinalists.

Winners are chosen on the basis of academic record throughout high school, test scores, school recommendations, significant contribution to the school and community, and the student's statement of goals and interests. Family financial circumstances are not taken into consideration when selecting winners. All phases of the competition, including the selection of winners and payment of awards, are handled by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), an independent not-for-profit organization.

Eric, who will be attending the University of Chicago this fall, plans to study medieval European cultures while pursuing his varied interests which include romance languages, fencing and playing the bagpipes, a skill he learned during the past three summers attending the Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts in Nova Scotia. "I have many dreams for the future," says Eric. "My interests are rather mercurial, shifting from day-to-day: philosophy, mathematics, classics, medieval studies, history, comparative literature, economics, and Near East languages and civilizations. I know I am not the next Leonardo da Vinci; nevertheless, I hope to fulfill my diverse interests while also producing works valuable to the world."

According to his English teacher Gary Masquelier, "Eric Driscoll has distinguished himself by his work independently with a professor at The Pennsylvania State University. He is a naturally curious scholar who evinces a pure joy of learning in a variety of academic areas. He questions, discusses, and researches the many and diverse curricula and topics that interest him. He is a poet, a mathematician, and a fencer--truly he exemplifies a Renaissance man."

As a leading provider of building controls, fire safety and security system solutions, Siemens Building Technologies, Inc., makes buildings comfortable, safe, productive and less costly to operate. With U.S. headquarters in Buffalo Grove, Ill., Siemens Building Technologies employs 7,200 people and provides a full range of services and solutions from more than 100 locations coast-to-coast. Worldwide, the company has 28,000 employees and operates in more than 42 countries.

For more information on Siemens Building Technologies, visit: www.siemens.com