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Gift from Bank of America will Fund Summer Internships for Palm Beach County Science Teachers at Scripps Research Institute in California

La Jolla, CA. March 1, 2004 - Bank of America, Palm Beach County has donated $15,000 to support two secondary school science teachers from Palm Beach County, Florida, at an eight-week summer internship program at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California.

Each teacher intern will conduct basic biomedical research in a laboratory under the supervision of a Scripps Research scientist as part of the 2004 Bank of America Summer Internship Program for Teachers, made possible overall by the generous support of Bank of America, San Diego.

The program emphasizes the scientific process, research planning, bench experience, experimental design, data analysis and interaction with laboratory personnel. In addition to their day-to-day responsibilities, summer interns will attend specially designed programs and field trips throughout the course of the summer, and will present their work at a final program attended by faculty, family, friends, donors and school officials.

The $15,000 gift from Bank of America, Palm Beach County will cover travel and housing expenses, in addition to a stipend for each Palm Beach County science teacher. The Scripps Research Institute is in the process of establishing new operations in Palm Beach County, which will likely include a summer internship program for secondary school teachers and students beginning in 2005.

"Bank of America, Palm Beach County is delighted to join our corporation's efforts in California to provide this very worthwhile experience to two outstanding science teachers from our community," said Victoria M. Rixon, Bank of America president for Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast. "This gift is a continuation of Bank of America's strong commitment to quality public education in our region."

"Bank of America, Palm Beach County's generosity is the springboard for our educational outreach efforts in Florida," says Scripps Research President Richard A. Lerner, M.D. "The institute has long been committed to using its intellectual and material resources to train the next generation of scientists and to perpetuate scientific knowledge."

The goal of the teacher program is to expose educators to current laboratory techniques and procedures, provide information on a variety of contemporary issues in basic biomedical research, create ties and linkages to working scientists who can assist them in curriculum development, and create opportunities for teachers to share information and knowledge with their peers.

As one of the world's leading basic biomedical research institutions, Scripps Research has provided intensive, hands-on laboratory experiences to local educators and students for more than a decade.

This year, Palm Beach County teachers selected for the program will join six San Diego science teachers, six undergraduates, and approximately 25 local high school students as they become members of working labs on the Scripps Research campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in La Jolla, a part of the city of San Diego.

Bank of America Corporation

Bank of America is one of the world's largest financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small businesses and large corporations and institutions with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience for consumers in the United States, serving 1 in 3 American households with 4,277 banking centers, more than 14,400 ATMs and award-winning internet site with more than seven million active online users. Bank of America is rated the number one Small Business Administration Lender in the United States by the SBA. The company serves clients in 150 countries and has relationships with 94 percent of the U.S. Fortune 500 companies and 76 percent of the Global Fortune 500. The seventh most profitable company in the United States, Bank of America had $736 billion in assets, $414 billion in deposits and a market capitalization of $115.9 billion at December 31, 2003. Bank of America Corporation stock (ticker: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. For more information, please go to www.bankofamerica.com.

For more information contact:
Keith McKeown
10550 North Torrey Pines Road
La Jolla, California 92037

Tel: 858.784.8134
Fax: 858.784.8118
kmckeown@scripps.edu