SUNNYVALE, Calif., June 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is hosting 20 middle school and high school teachers over the summer as part of the company's long-standing support of the Bay Area-based Industry Initiatives for Science and Math Education (IISME).  The IISME organization focuses on teachers as the primary agents for effecting meaningful change in mathematics and science education.

IISME's primary initiative, the Summer Fellowship Program, places qualified teachers into local companies and research labs for an eight-week learning experience. During this period, each teacher, paired with industry mentors, augments their science and math skills by solving real-world problems. Upon returning to the classroom, application of the industry experience helps teachers stimulate student interest in math and science and, in turn, helps students to become lifelong learners.

Lockheed Martin IISME Fellows focus on a broad range of technical challenges associated with space systems under development at the company's Sunnyvale and Palo Alto facilities including satellite communications, missiles and other advanced technologies.  In partnership with IISME, Lockheed Martin has sponsored a total of 354 Teacher Fellowships over the past 28 years.

"Building student interest in science, technology, engineering, and math education is a national imperative and a top priority for Lockheed Martin," said Kevin Bilger, Lockheed Martin vice president and general manager, and member of the IISME Senior Advisory Council. "We are committed to providing each teacher a meaningful experience that can be drawn upon back in the classroom to help inspire today's young students to become our next-generation of scientists and engineers."

IISME was founded in 1985 by a consortium of San Francisco Bay Area companies including Lockheed Martin, in partnership with the Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California at Berkeley and seeks to transform teaching and learning through industry-education partnerships.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 123,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's net sales for 2011 were $46.5 billion.

For more information about IISME, please visit www.iisme.org

For additional information on Lockheed Martin Corporation, visit: http://www.lockheedmartin.com

Media Contact:  Stephen Tatum, 408-742-7531; e-mail, stephen.o.tatum@lmco.com

SOURCE Lockheed Martin