SUFFOLK, VA, August 18, 2014 - Returning college students will have an extra edge at school this fall and boost their careers based on what they learned at BASF's Suffolk site this summer. Four students participated in the fourth annual internship program at the site. The two-month initiative provides students with hands-on work experience that expands their knowledge and contributes to the site's productivity and performance.

Suffolk native and Lakeland High School graduate Matthew Bradshaw served as an intern this summer two years after being selected for BASF's annual Science Academy in New Jersey. A chemical engineering major, Bradshaw is entering his sophomore year at the University of Virginia. He is the first Science Academy graduate to intern at the Suffolk site.

Bradshaw worked in the production development laboratory at the site, testing ingredients for water filtration polymers

"I gained a better understanding of the importance of teamwork by interacting with other colleagues on a lab project," Bradshaw said. He expects to put that skill to direct use during this school year.

Edward Nguyen's biggest summer project was a pressurized seal survey of pumps where he saw how proper maintenance could save tens of thousands of dollars. Nguyen, who is majoring in mechanical engineering, will be a senior at the University of Virginia this fall. "It was eye-opening to see how different the industrial experience is from academia," he said. "I learned the value of communications skills and how to manage assets and resources, which will be very helpful for projects this year and for my career."

For Kaylie Naghshpour, the internship gave a more complete understanding of the chemical concept of viscosity, which will be useful in her sophomore year as a chemical engineering major at the Georgia Institute of Technology. "The chemist I worked with was amazing and showed me how many things viscosity affects," she said.

BASF derives as much benefit from the internship program as the students do, according to Site Director Patrick Hochstrasser.

"The interns work on real projects that contribute to our company," Hochstrasser said. "The program also helps position us for the future because it builds a pipeline of talented students who understand BASF and may be interested in joining our company after completing their education."

University of Virginia chemical engineering major Cody Anderson, who will be a senior this fall, also took part in the internship program. Three of the four interns came to the site through its partnership with the Virginia Commonwealth STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Industry Internship Program (CSIIP).

For a press photo, please click on the following link:

http://www.basf.us/pressphotos/08-8-14_BASFSuffolkInterns.jpg

Suggested caption: BASF Suffolk site interns received congratulations for their participation this summer from Scott Bellows, Ph.D., coordinator for the Virginia Commonwealth STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Industry Internship Program (CSIIP)

From left: Kaylie Naghshpour (Georgia Institute of Technology), Mathew Bradshaw (University of Virginia), Scott Belllows, Ph.D., (CSIIP), Edward Nguyen, (University of Virginia.)

BASF - The Chemical Company

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has nearly 17,000 employees in North America, and had sales of $19.3 billion in 2013. For more information about BASF's North American operations, visitwww.basf.us .

BASF is the world's leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science and innovation, we enable our customers in nearly every industry to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition and improving quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF had sales of about €74 billion in 2013 and over 112,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet atwww.basf.com .

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