Don Julio Junior High Students Experiment With Fuel Cell Technology In Sacramento

Sacramento, CA February 12, 2003; Don Julio Junior High School students will experiment with hydrogen fuel cell technology today during the GM "Tech Tour for Students" at the William Land Park in Sacramento.

The Tech Tour for Students program is designed to teach middle school students about fuel cell technology by allowing them to help assemble a hydrogen fuel cell model car and learn about the positive environmental and economic benefits of a hydrogen economy. The program also highlights the ongoing fuel cell research and development that GM is embarking on as part of its ultimate vision of a hydrogen economy.

"In the future, fuel cell technology will be part of these students' daily lives," said Elizabeth A. Lowery, GM vice president of environment and energy. "By creating a curriculum that explores the technology now, we think revolutionary ideas and research will make that day come a little sooner."

The program is an extension of GM's nationwide in-school fuel cell education program called, "Fuel Cells: Driving the Future." This curriculum was launched in the fall of 2002 and has reached nearly 3.5 million middle school students. It was developed by Lifetime Learning Systems®, Inc., a division of Weekly Reader Corporation, and it provides science teachers with an engaging curriculum that highlights the fundamentals of hydrogen fuel cell technology. Weekly Reader is the leading classroom periodical publisher and currently serves more than 11 million children (pre-k through high school) and 400,000 teachers nationwide.

One student at today's event will be assigned the role of student correspondent as part of Weekly Reader's "Online Field Trip." This student reporter will interview other students and engineering experts, while learning the art of interviewing and telling a story. Later, the student correspondent's interview will appear on the education section of www.gmability.com, GM's corporate social responsibility web site, as well as on www.weeklyreader.com.

Tech Tour for Students and Fuel Cells: Driving the Future are part of GM's broader K-12 education initiative which strives to enlighten and educate children about important issues that will impact their futures. These initiatives provide timely and interesting information, as well as suggestions for applying these ideas in a science curriculum.

The Tech Tour for Students is traveling through five U.S. cities in conjunction with the 2003 GM Technology Tour. Cities include Albany, Vancouver, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento. The overall Tour provides local public policy and other opinion leaders an opportunity to experience new technologies and innovative vehicles that foretell the future. Included in the tour is GM's Hy-wire, the world's first drivable vehicle that combines by-wire technology with a fuel cell propulsion system. Other vehicles include hybrids and clean diesels. "GM has created and supported these education initiatives because we believe they are essential in creating a sustainable future," said Lowery. "Through our outreach programs, we involve young people to demonstrate that we all have a responsibility to protect our environment."

General Motors , the world's largest vehicle manufacturer, designs, builds and markets cars and trucks worldwide. It has been the global automotive sales leader since 1931. GM employs about 355,000 people around the world. More information on General Motors can be found at www.gmability.com.