SALT LAKE CITY, June 18, 2012 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) Salt Lake City facility recently hosted a student competition focused on engineering to mark the conclusion of the third year of its Worthwhile to Help High School Youth (WORTHY) mentoring and scholarship program. WORTHY is an integral component of the Northrop Grumman High School Involvement Partnership (HIP) programming that assists high school students with career awareness and development goals.

The Salt Lake City facility's WORTHY program began in fall 2009 and encourages students to pursue technical degrees. The program provides on-the-job experience for local high school students, including one day per month working with two Northrop Grumman employee mentors on an engineering and design project.

The WORTHY program's third year concluded May 16 when seven students from West High School of Salt Lake City participated in a "Slate Bot" competition. Using LEGOs and common household items, the students designed and programmed robots to search and load ping pong balls, aim them at a target and throw the balls over a wall. Students were able to demonstrate collaboration skills and engineering principles that they learned during the mentoring program. High school faculty and Northrop Grumman employees cheered on the competitors.

On May 23, the WORTHY students, their parents and West High School administrators gathered with Northrop Grumman employees for an awards banquet where the students gave presentations about their projects and celebrated their accomplishments. Three students were high school seniors who graduated from the program after completing their second year, while four others concluded their first year.

"The WORTHY program offers an engaging, valuable experience for students to learn science and engineering concepts that can be applied to the real world," said Liz Iversen, sector vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman's Navigation Systems division. "The students impressed us with the innovation and enthusiasm that they displayed in their competition performance."

Launched in 1998 by Northrop Grumman in Baltimore, the WORTHY program has expanded to include additional company locations. To be accepted into the Salt Lake City WORTHY program, high school sophomores must attend a Northrop Grumman-partnered public high school, maintain a 3.0+ grade point average, complete an application, submit an essay with two letters of recommendation and be selected through an interview process. The program runs during the school year and requires a minimum two-year commitment.

Students who successfully complete the WORTHY program are eligible for a partial college/university scholarship for four consecutive years. Scholarship requirements include full-time enrollment in an accredited academic program in engineering, physics, computer science or mathematics and maintenance of a 3.0+ grade point average.

Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information. 

  CONTACT: Gina Piellusch
         (818) 715-2285
         gina.piellusch@ngc.com