IN a bid to promote science education in the country and also as part of its corporate-citizenship program, BASF Philippines said it will conduct programs designed to give young students a more thorough understanding of science.
Ronald Mercado, managing director of BASF Philippines, said the campaign was also to celebrate the company’s 55th anniversary in the Philippines.
“To celebrate 55 years of growth together with the Philippines, we will continue to strengthen our commitment to science education and sustainability in the country,” he said in a press statement.
Mercado added this is the company’s share in helping Filipino children handle technologies, especially in the coming Fourth Industrial Revolution. “At BASF, we believe science is the tool that would aid them in solving these challenges.”
BASF Philippine recently partnered with The Mind Museum in launching its Virtual Reactions Interactive Touch Table at the Atom Gallery. Claimed by the company as the only one of its kind in the country, the BASF table uses digital simulations, audio and colorful animations to help children explore the world of science so they can observe the chemical reactions between various chemical substances in a completely safe and interactive environment. A virtual tutor will also guide children to understand the element’s features and explain the chemistry theory behind it.
“The Mind Museum and BASF will work closely to create new opportunities for the public, especially young people, to nurture their natural curiosity and ignite an interest in science from,” said Maribel Garcia, curator of The Mind Museum.
BASF will hold its Kids’ Lab at the science museum in October. Participants will get a chance to play with and learn about chemistry through the interactive touch table. Every year, the Mind Museum hosts educational field trips for an average of 250,000 school children in the Philippines.
BASF employees donated bottle bricks that will be exchanged for science books about water conservation. The books will be donated to local public schools and nongovernment organizations, and bottle bricks will be used as alternative fillers in building walls and benches.
A bottle brick, also known as an ecobrick, is a reusable building block created by packing clean and dry used plastic into a plastic bottle to a set density. Bottle bricks can be used to build furniture, garden and other structures.
“Bottle bricking has been gaining attention locally and across the globe, as it presents a practical solution to how people minimize their contribution to plastic pollution, particularly as it tends to end up in the ocean. Through our corporate citizenship activities, we aim to create sustainable impact on our society,” Mercado said.
BASF’s nonprofit activities in Philippines are dedicated to supporting the United Nations Strategic Development Goal No. 4, “Quality Education.”