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Alabama Southern Community College interns make real-world connections at BASF
Students learn new skills working side-by-side with employees
MCINTOSH, AL, July 20, 2016 – BASF’s site in McIntosh provided 11 students from various fields of study the opportunity to participate in the annual internship program this summer. The internships help connect the classroom with real-world experiences at BASF with employees working side-by-side with college students and challenging them to contribute to the site’s productivity and performance.
The interns were selected from universities across the southeast including: Auburn University, Faulkner State Community College, University of South Alabama, and Alabama Southern Community College (ASCC).
The students participated in supervised, on-the-job activities focusing on reliability, writing Lockout/Tagout procedures, running samples, preparing equipment for maintenance activities, and working with operators from the Light Stabilizer Production Unit, Maintenance Instrument & Electrical (I&E) Unit, and Utilities Operation Unit.
“As part of our workforce development efforts, BASF hosts local students pursuing careers in the chemical industry through the summer internship program,” said George Vann, Vice President of the BASF site in McIntosh. “It is important to us that students have opportunities to prepare themselves to be the next leaders and innovators in our industry.”
BASF awarded Jaylon Busby, Zane Warr and Brandon Threadgill scholarships valued at approximately $10,000 each toward their studies in chemical process technology at ASCC along with offering them the internship opportunity.
“This internship has been a great learning experience and has given me an idea of what I’ll be doing once I get a job,” Busby said.
Warr added, “I recommend this program to college students because the experience helps us make the right career decisions.”
Three additional students from ASCC joined Busby and Warr in the summer internship program, including Jacob Holston, Dedrick Franks and Zane Montgomery.
For Holston, the internship gave a clearer understanding of the chemical industry, which will be useful in his studies as a mechanical engineer. “My assignments were challenging and help me connect my studies with real-life applications,” he said.
Notably, this summer marks the first time BASF hosted interns in the Maintenance I&E unit, where Franks and Montgomery were assigned.
“I enjoyed working with critical instruments and spending time with the technicians,” said Montgomery. “I gained so much knowledge from them.”
Franks added, “My favorite tasks were tightening bolts, drilling holes and working on the practice equipment.”
For more information about careers at BASF, visit http://careers.basf.us.
Download photo on right, suggested caption #1: Zane Warr, ASCC intern, works with Willie Dyson, Supervisor, Light Stabilizers Production Unit, on the proper way to label hazardous waste storage containers.
Download photo on right, suggested caption #2: Jaylon Busby, ASCC intern, runs samples in the Light Stabilizers Production Unit.
Download photo on right, suggested caption #3: Dedrick Franks, ASCC intern, works with Shane Thornton, Supervisor, Maintenance Instrument and Electrical, and Tim Baxter, Technician, Instrument and Electrical, to troubleshoot a control valve.
Download photo on right, suggested caption #4: Zane Montgomery, ASCC intern, monitors scales to ensure proper package weight prior to shipment.
Download photo on right, suggested caption #5: Jacob Holston, ASCC intern, discusses isolation points for a lockout tagout permit with James Bolger, Engineer, Utilities Operation.
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.
P-US-16-088
