BASF Supports Science Education With $25,000 in Grants to Five Morris County Schools
Students in kindergarten through high school will get to explore the dynamic world of science through hands-on learning
FLORHAM PARK, N.J., Dec. 7, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- BASF Corporation today announced it provided $25,000 in grants to five schools in Morris County, New Jersey. The BASF Science Education Grants, each totaling $5,000, will help the schools develop science education programs to help students gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the role that science plays in their every day lives and encourage them to view science as a long-term field of study and possible career path.
"One of BASF's main goals within the community is to foster science literacy," said Robin Rotenberg, Vice President and Chief Communications Officer at BASF Corporation. "With these grants, we are thrilled to give students the opportunity to experience science in fun, new ways and hopefully inspire a new generation of scientists, biologists, chemists, engineers and mathematicians."
The science education grants are awarded each year to public schools in Morris County that submit proposals summarizing specific science education needs and how a BASF grant would help the schools meet those needs. The proposals are reviewed by an internal award review committee comprised of BASF scientists and business leaders. The programs selected this year cover all student age groups from kindergarten through high school.
The grants were provided to the following schools during a reception at BASF's North American headquarters in Florham Park:
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The grant will fund an after-school program engaging kindergarten children in hands-on experiments of life and physical sciences. The program will culminate with a science fair allowing the "Kinder-Scientists" to showcase and execute a set of science experiments in front of an audience of friends and family. |
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Through the "Bucket Buddies" project, students will take a trip to the Passaic River and collect a water sample to investigate how pond and river life is similar and different from other cities, states and countries. By using laptops and SMART Boards, students will have direct communication with other participating classes across the country to present their findings. |
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Lego Mindstorms kits will be used in physical science areas to solidify the understanding of simple machines, in earth science areas to recreate the Mars Rover, in life science areas to study energy transfer, and in all science areas to collect data with Vernier probes. |
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The grant will fund a large saltwater tank system that will house a permanent collection of a wide variety of marine reef organisms. Students will be able to study, manipulate, observe and experiment with a wide variety of marine species. Through this, the students will gain first hand experience with the nitrogen, carbon and oxygen cycles while they monitor and adjust a variety of water quality parameters. |
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The goal of HiGenome Project 2010 is to have students discover a novel protein and have it published at the National Center for Biotechnology Institute. An electrophoresis imager is needed to take pictures of students' Polymerase Chain Reaction and Restriction Digest Gels. The images will be sent to Waksman Institute at Rutgers University to determine if the clone should be sent out for sequencing, a step needed prior to the bioinformatics analysis. |
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In addition to these grants, BASF supports several other programs that encourage students to enjoy and pursue their interest in science, such as the company's Kids Lab(TM) program, a series of hands-on chemistry experiments for children ages 6–11, which is currently taking place at Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Throughout 2011, BASF will continue to sponsor science education programs that will focus on and support the global goals of the International Year of Chemistry. The U.N. General Assembly designated 2011 as the "International Year of Chemistry" to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Madame Curie's Nobel Prize and the founding of the International Association of Chemical Societies; to increase public appreciation of chemistry in meeting world needs; to generate enthusiasm for the creative future of chemistry and to increase the interest of young people in chemistry.
Following are links to press photos of each grant presentation: |
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Representatives from Academy Street Elementary School received their BASF science education grant during a reception at the company's Florham Park headquarters. Pictured from left to right are Kurt Bock, Chairman and CEO of BASF Corporation; Dorothy O'Malley, Kindergarten teacher; Ashley Orcutt, Kindergarten teacher; and Robin Rotenberg, Vice President of Corporate Communications, BASF Corporation. |
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Representatives from Frank J. Smith Elementary School received their BASF science education grant during a reception at the company's Florham Park headquarters. Pictured from left to right are Kurt Bock, Chairman and CEO of BASF Corporation; Kerry Quinn, Principal, Frank J. Smith Elementary School; Marie Bender, 2nd Grade Teacher, Frank J. Smith Elementary School; and Robin Rotenberg, Vice President of Corporate Communications, BASF Corporation. |
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Representatives from Randolph High School received their BASF science education grant during a reception at the company's Florham Park headquarters. Pictured from left to right are Kurt Bock, Chairman and CEO of BASF Corporation; Jennifer Cusmano-King, Supervisor, Science, Technology and Engineering, Randolph School District; Debbie Iosso, Principal, Randolph High School; Aaron Baker, Biology Teacher, Randolph High School; and Robin Rotenberg, Vice President of Corporate Communications, BASF Corporation. |
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Representatives from Randolph Middle School received their BASF science education grant during a reception at the company's Florham Park headquarters. Pictured from left to right are Kurt Bock, Chairman and CEO of BASF Corporation; Jennifer Cusmano-King, Supervisor, Science, Technology and Engineering, Randolph School District; Kelley Boehmer, Science Teacher, Randolph Middle School; Carol Stowbridge, Principal, Randolph Middle School; and Robin Rotenberg, Vice President of Corporate Communications, BASF Corporation. |
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Representatives from West Morris Central High School received their BASF science education grant during a reception at the company's Florham Park headquarters. Pictured from left to right are Kurt Bock, Chairman and CEO of BASF Corporation; Gil Moscatello, Principal, West Morris Central High School; Margaret Sheldon, Lead Teacher of the Science Department, West Morris Central High School; and Robin Rotenberg, Vice President of Corporate Communications, BASF Corporation. |
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BASF - The Chemical Company.
BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has approximately 16,000 employees in North America, and had sales of $13 billion in 2009. For more information about BASF's North American operations, or to sign up to receive news releases by e-mail, visit www.basf.us.
BASF is the world's leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics and performance products to agricultural products, fine chemicals and oil and gas. As a reliable partner, BASF creates chemistry to help its customers in virtually all industries to be more successful. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges, such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility. BASF posted sales of more than euro 50 billion in 2009 and had approximately 105,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.
SOURCE BASF Corporation
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