STEM School Chattanooga student only Tennessee student accepted into BASF Summer Science Academy
Angelica Ramirez, a rising senior at STEM School Chattanooga, has earned a spot in the BASF Summer Science Academy program. Ramirez was the only student from Tennessee accepted into the BASF program. The BASF Academy includes only 20 high school students from the United States, Canada, and Mexico in this summer’s program.
Farleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey, is the location of the two-week advanced learning experience that will begin on July 13, 2019. Ramirez will have the opportunity to visit BASF research labs and gain hands-on experience in a university chemistry lab setting learning from Farleigh Dickinson University professors. Participants learn advanced level chemistry and related sciences from the professors and interaction with BASF scientists and business leaders. The BASF program is unique in that it blends science with marketing, as students also create marketing strategies to sell products they create during the program to the consumer. In addition to learning about advanced chemistry, the students also get to interact with similar-minded teens from different parts of the country.
Working in teams, the students use advanced chemistry to create a personal care product – hair gel, shampoo or lotion – and develop a marketing plan. The teams present their products and marketing plan to BASF business leaders. The summer program helps students develop an understanding of how science relates to business. To become eligible for the program, Ramirez had to take at least one year of high school science and plan to study science in college. The program is only open to rising seniors.
“Angelica is a dedicated, passionate, innovative, independent young woman,” said Shannon Seigle, science instructor at STEM School Chattanooga. “She is a leader for change both within our school and in relation to the movement of women in STEM fields.”
Ramirez is the second student from Tennessee and the second from STEM School Chattanooga to get the opportunity to attend the BASF program. Haley Rigsby, a 2019 graduate, attended the program last summer.
In addition to working with a team in the lab, Ramirez will have the opportunity to attend lectures and go on day trips to learn more about chemistry and business. Beyond being a part of this real-world experience, Ramirez will also graduate the program with three transferable college science credits, the equivalent of one elective course at most colleges and universities.
Photo: Angelica Ramirez