Twenty high school seniors from schools across the U.S., Canada,
Mexico, and Central America jump-started their college experience
and learned the business of chemistry at the sixth annual BASF
Science Academy.
The two-week summer science program, developed by BASF
Corporation, is held at Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) in
Madison, New Jersey. Working in teams, students use BASF chemistry
to formulate their own personal care products and develop a
go-to-market plan and strategy. At the end of their two weeks,
students present their product to a panel of BASF executives and
FDU academic leaders.
“The Academy is a wonderful opportunity to expose bright young
minds to the wonders of chemistry and business in a college
setting,” said Robin Rotenberg, Vice President of Corporate
Communications for BASF in North America. “It’s rewarding to see
how such a diverse group of teenagers grow together in a dynamic
learning environment. Once they return to their schools and local
communities, our hope is that they will share what they have
learned and inspire other students to pursue a career in science,
technology, engineering or math.”
Following the curriculum theme, “From Molecules to Marketplace”,
students gain invaluable hands-on experience in college chemistry
labs while developing a marketing strategy to link their product to
the consumer. Students also experience chemistry in action by
visiting BASF Research and Development labs in Tarrytown, NY and
meeting with cosmetic chemists and subject matter experts. Through
exposure to real world chemistry, students observe how the
fundamental building blocks of many every day products are
comprised of chemistry.
“The partnership between business and academia is a successful
model for helping students understand the practical applications of
what they learn,” said Dr. Brian Olechnowski, Program Director at
FDU. “I am excited to be a part of the experiences and progress the
students make during the intensive two week program.”
Students graduate from the program with two transferable college
credits to encourage their pursuit in a science, technology,
engineering or math (STEM) field. In addition, FDU offers Science
Academy alumni $5,000 scholarships if they choose to attend FDU in
the fall of 2017.
“When my team and I started to work together to create our body
lotion, that’s when I started learning the most from the students
around me,” said Karla Paola Bonilla, Science Academy participant
from Mexico City, Mexico. “I enjoyed meeting so many students with
diverse backgrounds while at the Science Academy. I was surprised
to see the quality of chemistry labs we were working in and the
exposure to possible career paths in chemistry and business.”
“My dream job is to be at the front of discovery and new
innovations or think of a new take on older ideas,” said Jason
Yang, Science Academy participant from Katy, TX. “I learned that
the most important way to advance chemistry is through
sustainability. I think the combination of business and chemistry
is vital because at the end of the day, you can do as much
chemistry as you want, but you need funding and a business plan to
put your chemistry in the marketplace.”
Several Science Academy alumni have returned to BASF through the
summer hire internship program and the Professional Development
Program (PDP). Most notably, Science Academy class of 2011 alumni,
Kevin Chao, joined BASF as a full-time PDP. Kevin will begin
working for BASF in Beaumont, TX in September.
“BASF is a company that focuses on personal development from a
young age, which is evident from their programs such as Science
Academy,” said Kevin Chao, Science Academy alumni Class of 2011.
“My personal growth from the Science Academy and the PDP internship
programs have prepared me for a full time job with BASF as a
chemical engineer.”
Graduates of the 2016 Science Academy are listed below:
- Virginia Behmer, Elyria High School, OH
- Jacob Bice, Geneva Community High School, IL
- Karla Paola Bonilla Gomez, Colegio Indoamericano, Mexico
- Alexander Chen, Whippany Park High School, NJ
- Lara Dmitruchina, Roosevelt High School, MI
- Winston Hung, West Brook High School, TX
- Joelle Kim, Grissom High School, AL
- Nicole LeJeune, East Ascension High School, LA
- Breanna Lima, St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School, ON,
Canada
- Danielle Matz, Seneca Valley Senior High School, PA
- Anthony Nepomuceno, Bradley-Bourbonnais High School, IL
- Jacob Pate, Columbia High School, TX
- Adithya Ramaswami, Anthony Wayne High School, OH
- Anna Reed, Morris Knolls High School, NJ
- Ana Paula Reyna Maldonado, Bilingue Vista Hermosa,
Guatemala
- Cody Sasser, Port Neches Groves High School, TX
- Alana Tillery, Kings Fork High School, VA
- Jiayuan Wang, Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, VA
- Jason Yang, The Kinkaid School, TX
- Claire Zou, Randolph High School, NJ
See what the 2016 Science Academy students had to say about the
program: https://youtu.be/yRWmMgmcPCc
For press photos, please click on the following
link:https://www.basf.com/press-photos/us/en/photos/2016/08/08-01-16_scienceacademygroup.jpg
Suggested caption: Graduates of the 2016 BASF
Science Academy explore connections between business and advanced
science at Farleigh Dickinson University. Pictured in the front
row, from left: Cody Sasser, Port Neches Groves High School, Texas;
Nicole LeJeune, East Ascension High School, Louisiana; Ana Paula
Reyna, Bilingue Vista Hermosa, Guatemala; Anthony Nepomuceno,
Bradley-Bourbonnais High School, Illinois; Karla Paola Bonilla,
Colegio Indoamericano, Mexico; Breanna Lima, St. Aloysius Gonzaga
Secondary School, Ontario; Jason Yang, The Kinkaid School, Texas.
Middle Row from left: Claire Zou, Randolph High School, New Jersey;
Danielle Matz, Seneca Valley Senior High School, Pennsylvania;
Joelle Kim, Grissom High School, Alabama; Alana Tillery, Kings Fork
High School, Virginia; Virginia Behmer, Elyria High School, Ohio;
Lara Dmitruchina, Roosevelt High School, Michigan. Back row from
left: Jacob Bice, Geneva Community High School, Illinois; Jacob
Pate, Columbia High School, Texas, Winston Hung, West Brook High
School, Texas; Anna Reed, Morris Knolls High School, New Jersey;
Alexander Chen, Whippany Park High School, New Jersey; Adithya
Ramaswami, Anthony Wayne High School, Ohio; Jiayuan Wang,
Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, Virginia.
About Fairleigh Dickinson University
Devoted to the preparation of world citizens through global
education, Fairleigh Dickinson is New Jersey's largest private
university and features more than 100 liberal arts and professional
degree programs, two international campuses, dozens of partnerships
with internationally renowned institutions and special programs and
status within the United Nations. For more information, go to
www.fdu.edu.
About BASF
BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is
the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany.
BASF has nearly 17,500 employees in North America, and had sales of
$17.4 billion in 2015. For more information about BASF’s North
American operations, visit www.basf.us. At BASF, we create
chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success
with environmental protection and social responsibility. The
approximately 112,000 employees in the BASF Group work on
contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors
and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized
into five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional
Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil &
Gas. BASF generated sales of more than €70 billion in 2015. BASF
shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London
(BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information at www.basf.com.
Media Inquiries:
BASF Contact:
Molly Birman
Tel.: (973) 245-5581
Email: molly.birman@partners.basf.com
Farleigh Dickinson University:
Dina Schipper
Tel.: (201) 692-7032
Email: schipper@fdu.edu
Basf Reg (LSE:BFA)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2024 to May 2024
Basf Reg (LSE:BFA)
Historical Stock Chart
From May 2023 to May 2024