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| Jeon Sung-hyun, right, a manager at the corporate affairs team of BASF Korea, helps children conduct a safe experiment during the company's Kids' Lab program held at the Dooseo Elementary School in Ulsan, Nov.29, while Park Young-ok, left, vice-principal of the school, and Yoo Sung-jung, BASF Ulsan site manager, look on. / Courtesy of BASF Korea |
By Jun Ji-hye
BASF, a Germany-based global chemical company, has been offering an interactive science education program for over 20 years to children worldwide in order to promote the importance of chemistry in everyday life.
Researchers of BASF Korea have also been running the program, dubbed "Kids' Lab," since 2003, and over 5,000 children here have participated so far, according to Jeon Sung-hyun, a manager at the corporate affairs team of BASF Korea, who is in charge of running the program here.
"Through the Kids' Lab program, we provide a wide range of special activities for children, including six creative science experiments and science magic show," she said in an interview with The Korea Times. "These include an ice cream-making experiment using dry ice and natural toothpaste-making experiment."
She noted that about 300 students attended the Kids' Lab program last year ― in Suwon on Sept. 12, in Yeosu on Nov. 23 and in Ulsan on Nov. 29 where BASF's major research and production sites are located.
"We also launched a Korean language version of virtual Kids' Lab last year, so children can enjoy fun science experiments online at any time," she said.
Stressing that BASF has been at the forefront of promoting the importance of science education to children all over the world, she said, "As a member of BASF, I am proud of participating in the BASF group's official program and fostering a love of science among young children, especially the ones who are underprivileged."
She cited letters that children who joined the program have left for her, such as "From now on, my dream is to be a scientist," "Chemistry is so fun," "I hope to work at BASF someday."
"I was moved that we created such big positive impacts on the children. Whenever I saw those memos, I forgot the hardship of preparing this program," she said.
She said she is hoping the firm's online and offline Kids' Lab programs will help to inspire children to become future researchers and scientists by enabling them to experience the joys of science, especially chemistry.
"And I hope, eventually, those future scientists would contribute to make a sustainable future with many innovations just like BASF has been doing for more than 150 years so far," she said.
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