BASF awards $5,000 in scholarships to Southern University engineering students

GEISMAR, LA, November 7, 2014 – BASF recently awarded $5,000 in scholarships to two engineering majors at Southern University in Baton Rouge as part of the BASF’s efforts to support science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and careers.

“BASF's Team Chemistry scholarship program focuses on STEM education because these fields are crucial to the future growth and success of our industry," said Tom Yura, Senior Vice President and Manager of the BASF site in Geismar, Louisiana. “This year's recipients earned their scholarships by choosing challenging degree programs and excelling in their studies at Southern University."

The winning students, who each received a $2,500 scholarship from BASF, demonstrated academic success as engineering majors and are active in campus organizations.

Taquincy Damon Alexander , a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering at Southern University, was valedictorian of Jeanerette High School in Iberia Parish and recipient of a Southern University Honors College Scholarship and the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students Performance Award. He is a member of the Louisiana Collegiate Honors Council, the Southern Regional Honors Council, the Student Government Association, the Men’s Federation, the National Society of Black Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Dorlissia Robinson of Houma, Louisiana, is a junior majoring in mechanical engineering at Southern University. She is secretary of the National Society of Black Engineers and is active in a number of campus organizations, including the Student Government Association, the Louisiana Collegiate Honors Council, the Association for Women Students, Beta Kappa Chi, the National Institute of Science and the Society of Women Engineers. She also volunteers for Better Together Serving Our Southern. Robinson also accepted an engineering internship with BASF for the summer of 2015.

"By awarding scholarships to our students, BASF is acknowledging their hard work and encouraging them to continue aiming for academic excellence," said Habib Mohamadian, Ph.D., Southern University’s Dean of College of Engineering. "I'd like to congratulate Taquincy and Dorlissia for receiving this honor and successfully working toward their goal to become future engineers."

BASF’s manufacturing presence near Southern University includes operations in Geismar, the corporation’s largest site in North America, Zachary and Vidalia. BASF employs a workforce of around 2,000 people in Louisiana and invests nearly $300 million in the state through annual payroll, purchases, taxes and charitable contributions. Visit www.basf.us/la for more information.

Suggested caption for press photo 1 (download at right): BASF awarded a $2,500 scholarship to Taquincy Damon Alexander, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering at Southern University.

Suggested caption for press photo 2 (download at right): BASF awarded a $2,500 scholarship to Dorlissia Robinson, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering at Southern University.

About BASF

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has nearly 17,000 employees in North America, and had sales of $19.3 billion in 2013. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, visit www.basf.us.

At BASF, we create chemistry – and have been doing so for 150 years. Our portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. As the world’s leading chemical company, we combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science and innovation, we enable our customers in nearly every industry to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition and improving quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF had sales of about €74 billion in 2013 and over 112,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

 

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