Tennessee Tech Students Gain Real-World Experience at BASF

Five college students spent the summer gaining real-world experience, networking with peers and expanding their skill sets during their paid internships at BASF’s site in Sparta, Tennessee. Interns Abby Mink, Destin Blackwell, Grant Bone, Jacob Queen and Mason Heathcott worked alongside BASF professionals to enhance their capabilities and gain hands-on knowledge working in the field.

Through BASF’s internship program, the Sparta site provides meaningful projects and positions for chemistry, engineering, and computer science students.

“These students will be creating the chemistry of our future,” said Andy Schmitt, Site Director for BASF in Sparta. “From the moment they walk onsite until the end of their internship, we guide them by providing real-world experience and industry knowledge. The detailed feedback these students receive during their internship gives them the tools needed to move forward on their path to becoming successful, industry professionals and members of our future workforce.”

The interns were selected from Tennessee Technological University, where students from a broad range of academic disciplines are prepared to enter a technologically driven world.

The students were able to connect what they have learned in the classroom with real workforce applications and experiences. Their duties included increasing and optimizing rates for production, exploring methods of improvement for quality testing, creating applications to help employees and supervisors comply with fatigue management guidelines, and digitalizing commonly used forms for easier access and data recording.

“I enjoyed all aspects of this internship. I felt supported throughout the entire summer and my role in quality assurance gave me a unique perspective into the production process,” said Queen. “Most people don’t consider the steps required to ensure a product is within specifications, but this role allowed me to get into the details of the process. The tasks I was involved with were engaging and open-ended, which allowed for a lot of thinking and independent testing.”

In addition to the internship, Queen also earned $1,000 from BASF’s endowed scholarship for students pursuing a degree in engineering or chemistry at Tennessee Technological University with a minimum grade point average of 2.5. Students must also have interned at BASF’s Sparta site to be considered for the scholarship.

For more information about careers and internship opportunities at BASF, visit www.basf.us/tn.