Special experiments from BASF Kids’ Lab to reveal the “WOW” secrets of science
- New “Keep Cool!” experiment at BASF 150th anniversary summer program in Taipei and Kaohsiung this July
- Hands-on experiments allow children to explore how science can tackle global food challenges
Taipei, Taiwan – July 6, 2015 – BASF, the world’s leading chemical company, is introducing a set of new experiments to help kids explore how things “Keep Cool!” with different materials while celebrating its 150th anniversary. This summer, BASF Kids’ Lab will take place on July 6-8 at the National Taiwan Science Education Center in Taipei and July 14-15 at National Science and Technology Museum in Kaohsiung.
With the enthusiastic supports from parents and kids, a total of nearly 850 vacancies have been filled via on-line registration. A charity session was also arranged this year for the underprivileged children sponsored by Taiwan Fund for Children and Families, giving the access for them to experience the magic world of chemistry.
Throughout the 150th anniversary year, BASF is connecting people and ideas to develop solutions for global challenges in three key areas: sustainable food, smart energy and urban living. “We encourage children to cultivate an interest in science at an early age. At BASF 150th anniversary summer program, we will guide children to investigate the topics of temperature and understand more about how chemistry can tackle key global challenges.” said Engleong Goh, Managing Director of BASF Taiwan.
In the Keep Cool! experiment, children will investigate whether items and materials that keep things hot can also keep cold things cold. Kids will create insulation system for ice-cold bottled drinks from a selection of materials and test their effectiveness by measuring changes in temperature over time. In parallel, three other experiments will be conducted to help children understand how food refrigeration plays an important role during transport and storage to avoid large-scale food spoilage and food loss and to ensure sufficient food supply for the growing worldwide population.
The Water Purification experiment will display how dirty water turns into clean water through chemical reactions. Children will produce their own “dirty” water by adding sands, sprinkles and blue ink to the water and then “clean” it with filter paper and activated charcoal. This experiment aims to educate kids the importance of water resource and the role of chemistry in sustainable water development.
Followed by the Kids’ Lab, children will have the chance to participate in BASF Kids’ Farm, which was initiated by BASF Taiwan in 2010. The employees of BASF AgSolution Farm Pingtung will guide children to observe plant diseases, insects, and weeds that farmers have to tackle with when growing rice and fruits. Kids’ Farm gives children a great opportunity to understand the hard work of farmers and valuable food resources and furthermore cherish foods on kitchen tables.
BASF Kids’ Lab is a free, interactive chemistry educational program for school children from 6 to 12. As part of BASF’s social engagement, it offers interesting and safe chemistry experiment and aims to stimulate the interest of children for natural sciences. In Taiwan, more than 8,000 children have participated in the program since 2007. Starting from 2012, BASF Taiwan has been offering BASF Kids’ Lab program at certain remote schools, where education resources are relatively limited, especially for science subjects.
About BASF Greater China
BASF has been a committed partner to Greater China since 1885. With major investments in Nanjing, Shanghai and Chongqing, BASF is one of the largest foreign investors in the Chinese chemical industry, and maintains the BASF Asia Pacific Innovation Campus in Shanghai as a research and development hub for the Asia Pacific region. In Greater China, BASF posted sales of over €5.5 billion in 2014 and employed 8,033 people as of the end of that year. For further information, please visit www.basf.com.
About BASF
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 over €74 billion in 2014 and over 113,000 employees as of the end of the year. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.
