Families create chemistry at the BASF Kids’ Lab

Popular hands-on chemistry program returns to Liberty Science Center

JERSEY CITY, N.J., and FLORHAM PARK, N.J., March 4, 2015 -- BASF Corporation and Liberty Science Center (LSC) are partnering once again to present Kids’ Lab, a series of hands-on chemistry workshops for children ages 6 to 12 at LSC on select Saturdays and Sundays now through July 19. In addition, Kids’ Lab programs will be available on exclusive Member Nights and during LSC’s 12 Days of Science celebration in December, 2015.

“BASF is pleased to partner with Liberty Science Center to offer our award-winning Kids’ Lab program once again,” said Robin Rotenberg, Vice President Corporate Communications for BASF. “By engaging children in science early on and linking their experience to Science, Technology Engineering & Math (STEM) concepts, we hope to develop the innovators and technical visionaries who will shape our future.”

"Kids' Lab offers great, hands-on programs that encourage families to explore and experiment together," said Paul Hoffman, President and CEO of Liberty Science Center. "Now in its sixth year, this partnership between LSC and BASF has helped more than 5,300 children discover the exciting world of chemistry."

Each lively and interactive 45-minute lab session focuses on a different chemistry concept. This year, new labs We Dig Soil and Candy Loves Chemistry have been added to complement existing favorites. Each lab experience supports standards-based chemistry curriculum and caters to multiple learning styles. The flexible method of delivery encourages focused discussions on technical and scientific careers in chemistry, and science in general.

Participants in Kids’ Lab receive a lab apron, a certificate of participation and a pouch filled with other takeaway items. Appearing on these materials is the Kids’ Lab mascot, morpH™, a cartoon-like element that can “morph” into any of the basic forms of matter—a solid, liquid or gas.

Kids’ Lab is offered free with paid LSC admission or membership. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling 201.253.1310 or visiting LSC’s box office. To learn more and to check the schedule, please visit www.lsc.org/basf-kids-lab.

Developed by BASF to help children explore and understand the important role chemistry plays in their everyday lives, Kids’ Lab was established at BASF’s global headquarters in Germany in 1997. The program is currently available in 16 countries worldwide. Since 2010, more than 50,000 students have participated in Kids' Lab programs throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.

BASF supports several programs in North America that foster science literacy in students from grades one through 12. These programs encourage students to enjoy and pursue their interest in science and explore career possibilities in STEM related fields. The programs have received numerous awards for excellence in science education, most recently, in 2014, from the New Jersey Section of the American Chemical Society.

About Liberty Science Center

Liberty Science Center (LSC.org) is a 300,000-square-foot learning center located in Liberty State Park on the Jersey City bank of the Hudson near the Statue of Liberty. Dedicated to bringing the excitement of science to people of all ages, Liberty Science Center houses 12 museum exhibition halls, a live animal collection with 110 species, giant aquariums, a 3D theater, the nation’s largest IMAX Dome Theater, live simulcast surgeries, tornado and hurricane-force wind simulators, K-12 classrooms and labs, and teacher-development programs. More than half a million students, teachers, and parents visit the Science Center each year, and tens of thousands more participate in the Center’s offsite and online programs. LSC is the most visited museum in New Jersey and the largest interactive science center in the NYC-NJ metropolitan area.

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.

Liberty Science Center ▪ 222 Jersey City Boulevard, Jersey City, NJ ▪ www.lsc.org

BASF Corporation ▪ 100 Park Avenue ▪ Florham Park, NJ ▪ www.basf.com

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