Students from Washington and Clarke County high schools traded their regular classrooms for a college chemistry lab this week, taking part in the BASF teen lab program at the University of South Alabama in Mobile.
Twenty-nine students from seven local high schools — all with an interest in science — spent the day running experiments in the chemistry lab and touring campus, getting a firsthand look at where a STEM career could take them.
First Time in a Real Lab
For many of the rural students, the experience was a first on more than one front.
“The high schools that these students are in may not have laboratories, so for some of them it may be the first time they’ve been in a chemistry laboratory,” said Dr. Christy West, an associate professor at the University of South Alabama. “It’s probably the first time they’ve been on a college campus, so they get to come and see what they could do in two years as chemistry students.”
Five Years of Hands-On Science
The program, now in its fifth year, is taught by BASF associates working alongside university professors, pairing industry mentors with academic faculty.
Aja Barnes, a junior at McIntosh High School, said the day gave her a clearer picture of her own path: “I love science. I’m learning firsthand some of the stuff that I would get to do if I actually go into this field.”
BASF operates a large chemical manufacturing presence along the Alabama coast, and programs like the teen lab are aimed at building a pipeline of future chemists and engineers from nearby rural counties.