Bayer goes to school: Baykomm - Bayer Kommunikationszentrum

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Bayer goes to school

Usually it is men who present women with roses. Yet today, at least at Aliquippa Middle School in Aliquippa in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, it’s the other way round: girls aged 10 to 14 take a rose and prepare a very special presentation to boys in their age group.

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Following instructions, they dip the flowers into a mysterious container filled with a very cold liquid. It is liquid nitrogen, the instructors explain. The girls then remove the roses from the liquid very carefully and gently, and are amazed to find that the flowers are now much paler. Without further ado, the girls take out the roses and strike them against the heads of their male classmates standing around. The rose petals shatter like glass and the children laugh with delight.

A total of 350 students have attended the “science market” at the school in Aliquippa on this day in May. The children have a lot of fun experiencing science up close and conducting experiments with their own hands. Numerous instructors are on hand at all times to direct the schoolchildren and explain to them what’s going on. Some of these instructors are employees from Bayer in nearby Pittsburgh – employees such as Larry Smedley and Steve Longo, who moderate an interactive science show. “It’s a fantastic program,” says principal Pete Carbone, observing the cheerful young researchers. “I can’t think of a better way to inspire the children’s inner scientist.”

The Bayer employees in Aliquippa are among the now more than 1,000 volunteers involved in the company’s “Making Science Make Sense” program. At the Pittsburgh site alone, more than 200 Bayer employees take part in the program during their free time. They prepare curricula for guest appearances in school classes or organize special initiatives – such as an information day on the theme of termites or a science booth at Pittsburgh airport.

Making Science Make Sense was established in 1995. The goal was to make science easier for schoolchildren to understand. More than one million children have been surprised with a wide range of experiments and findings. The activities are practice-oriented, fascinating and easy to understand. As a result, the children experience first-hand how exciting science can be.

In 2006 Bayer became the first company headquartered outside the United States and the first chemical company to receive the illustrious Ron Brown Award for Corporate Leadership, which is presented by the U.S. President to companies displaying particular social commitment.

Bayer sites in France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy and Japan have since introduced similar education initiatives. In Germany, too, the company supports youngsters with an interest in science. Here Bayer for many years has sponsored a national research competition for schoolchildren and also offers school classes an opportunity to supplement their science curricula through work in its “BayLabs” – special laboratories set up for activities with schoolchildren. In addition, the Bayer Science and Education Foundation provides a total of EUR 500,000 in funding each year to various school projects in the communities where the company’s sites are located.

Anyone wishing to get an impression of how exciting science teaching can be have numerous opportunities to do so at BayKomm.