Janice Zhang and Austin West Earn Highest Honors at 23rd Annual ExxonMobil Texas Science and Engineering Fair

More Than $50,000 in Scholarships, 210 Awards Presented to Top Competitors as
Three-Day State Science Competition Concludes
SAN ANTONIO--(Business Wire)--
Janice Zhang and Austin West received Best in Fair awards today at the 2009
ExxonMobil Texas Science and Engineering Fair. Zhang and West`s projects were
selected from among more than 1,100 as the best in the state, in the senior and
junior division respectively. The 23rd annual competition, which concluded with
today`s awards ceremony, began on March 27.

During the awards, more than $50,000 in scholarships were presented to
outstanding competitors. Students competed in two divisions - junior (grades six
through eight) and senior (grades nine through 12) - and each project was
assigned to one of the fair`s 19 categories. Awards were given to first through
fourth place winners in each category, and Grand Prize and Best in Fair projects
in each division. Senior division Grand Prize winners, including Zhang, received
all-expense paid trips to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
(ISEF) May 10-15 in Reno, Nev. The top 10 percent of competitors in the junior
division qualified to participate in the Discovery Channel Young Scientists
Challenge.

"The ExxonMobil Texas Science and Engineering Fair brings together some of the
best and brightest young minds in the state and we are proud to sponsor it each
year," said Truman Bell, senior program officer for education and diversity,
ExxonMobil Foundation. "This competition provides students with a forum in which
to sharpen the research and critical thinking skills that are vital to their
academic success. Whether they become professors, scientists or engineers, these
young people will find solutions for the challenges we will face in the future,
and we are excited to support them on their path to those goals."

For the ninth consecutive year, ExxonMobil served as the title sponsor of the
state-level competition, which is hosted by The University of Texas at San
Antonio (UTSA) and the Texas Science Careers Consortium. ExxonMobil`s grant of
$75,000 supported not only the fair, but also a diversity recruitment
initiative, which aids qualifying minority students with project and travel
expenses that might otherwise prevent them from competing.

"We are proud to host this competition once again and we`re thankful to
ExxonMobil for their ongoing support of math and science education," said Dr.
Stuart Birnbaum, associate professor, UTSA and executive director of the
ExxonMobil Texas Science and Engineering Fair. "Each student who participated
this year put forth a great deal of effort and ingenuity and that hard work is
apparent in the quality of projects that were presented here. Congratulations to
this year`s winners and we look forward to seeing the innovative projects our
competitors will bring to the fair next year."

Students qualified for the state fair by placing first, second or third in one
of 13 regional fairs throughout Texas. Each regional fair is sanctioned by
Science Service, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the
understanding and appreciation of science among people of all ages.

Special awards were presented to projects in both divisions by nonprofit and
professional organizations, including: National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), National Society of Professional Engineers, Northrop
Grumman, Society of American Military Engineers, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S.
Surgeon General, and the U.S. Water Environment Federation.

Additional information on the 2009 ExxonMobil Texas Science and Engineering Fair
can be found at www.emtsef.org.

About ExxonMobil Foundation

ExxonMobil Foundation is the primary philanthropic arm of the Exxon Mobil
Corporation in the United States. The Foundation and the Corporation engage in a
range of philanthropic activities that advance education, health and science in
the communities where ExxonMobil has significant operations. In the United
States, ExxonMobil supports initiatives to improve math and science education at
the K-12 and higher education levels.

Globally, ExxonMobil provides funding to improve basic education and combat
malaria and other infectious diseases in developing countries. In 2008, together
with its employees and retirees, Exxon Mobil Corporation, its divisions and
affiliates, and ExxonMobil Foundation provided $225 million in contributions
worldwide, of which more than $89 million was dedicated to education. Additional
information on ExxonMobil`s community partnerships and contributions programs is
available at www.exxonmobil.com/community.

For ExxonMobil Foundation
Leah Johnson or Caroline Horner, 214-373-1601

Copyright Business Wire 2009