BASF creates chemistry with over 3,000 students across North America during National Chemistry Week

Company taps into the natural curiosity of children with its award-winning Kids’ Lab Program

Florham Park, NJ, November 16, 2015 – BASF celebrated National Chemistry Week (October 18 – 24) by creating fun and exciting chemistry with over 3,000 students across North America through the company’s popular Kids’ Lab program.

“BASF Kids’ Lab encourages students to explore their interest in chemistry through safe and engaging hands-on experiments,” said Robin Rotenberg, Vice President, Corporate Communications & Chief Communications Officer of North America. “Through our science education efforts and STEM focused programs, we are supporting the next generation of our workforce.”

Designed for children between the ages of 6–12, Kids’ Lab teaches students through interactive Q&A, which demonstrates how BASF creates chemistry that affects our daily lives. The Kids’ Lab program is offered to schools in communities where the company operates.

BASF’s outreach for National Chemistry Week includes K-8 grade students at:

• Orchard Knob Elementary School, Chatanooga, TN
• Palmyra Elementary School, Hannibal, MO
• Hutto Middle School, Brainbridge, GA
• Hawks Rise Elementary School, Quincy, FL
• Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, Morristown, NJ
• The London Day School, Florham Park, NJ
• Washington Elementary School, Roselle, NJ
• Parsippany-Troy Hills School, Parsippany, NJ
• Carlstadt Public School, Carlstadt, NJ

During National Chemistry Week, Kids’ Lab was made available in partnership with:

• Liberty Science Center, Jersey City, NJ
• Morris Museum, Morristown, NJ
• Discovery Place, Charlotte, NC
• Great Lakes Science Center, Cleveland, OH
• Gulf Coast Exploreum, Mobile, AL
• Louisiana Art & Science Museum, Baton Rouge, LA

The BASF Kids’ Lab is a global program established in 1997 and is currently available in more than 30 countries worldwide. The program was launched in North America in 2010 and has engaged more than 85,000 participants. BASF’s science education offerings in North America, include Kids’ Lab, the BASF Science Academy, the BASF Tech Academy, a special science theme edition of Kids X-Press Magazine, national sponsorship and participation in the Chemical Educational Foundation’s You Be The Chemist® challenge, have reached more than 300,000 schoolchildren in grades K – 12 over the past five years. The programs have received numerous awards for excellence in science education, most recently, in 2014 from the North Jersey Section of the American Chemical Society.

Download photo on right, suggested caption for National Chemistry Week 1: Students at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School in Morristown, NJ, work together while having fun creating chemistry.

Download photo on right, suggested caption for National Chemistry Week 2:  Dr. Alan McClure, BASF Process Safety Engineer, teaches students how to cackle and laugh like a “mad scientist.” (Photo: Matt Pulford)

National Chemistry Week is an American Chemical Society program that encourages chemists and chemistry enthusiast to build awareness of chemistry at the local level and promote the value of chemistry in everyday life.

About BASF

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 17,000 employees in North America, and had sales of $20.6 billion in 2014. 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 over €74 billion in 2014 and around 113,000 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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