“We [scientists] don’t use the periodic table every day. Seriously, I think people would be amazed at the level of teamwork required in chemistry. People tend to think that scientists are eccentric loners locked in a lab somewhere. But there is a lot of collaboration within a lab and between labs.”
Stephanie Carouthers brings STEM education to students in Charlotte, North Carolina because she knows “science is the perfect vehicle to broaden a kid’s horizons.” Carouthers is a member of BASF’s analytical services group in the organization’s Dispersions and Resins Division, and brings her science knowledge to her community through the Chemical Educational Foundation’s You Be The Chemist Program.
For the past eight years, Carouthers has been an integral part of Charlotte’s You Be The Chemist Program, earning her recognition as a You Be The Chemist Community Champion. Carouthers has acted as a National Challenge judge, a Challenge organizer, and a mentor. While You Be The Chemist is her chief volunteering activity, Carouthers knows the value of balance—she also builds up her community by registering people to vote and promoting literacy.
Volunteering with You Be The Chemist gives Carouthers the opportunity to see the fruits of her mentorship as her former students achieve their goals in STEM. Carouthers got to see her North Carolina You Be The Chemist Challenge champion go on to be class valedictorian and subsequently enroll in NC State’s engineering program. On another occasion, Carouthers ran into the parent of a You Be The Chemist Challenge participant while at lunch, and learned how interested that student had become in chemistry. A quick application submission, and that student is now a part of BASF’s Science Academy for the summer.
Carouthers got hooked on chemistry in the 11th grade, when a summer program offered by a local college showed her that the field was a “smorgasbord of knowledge and chemistry was the foundation of it all.” She gets to apply her love of chemistry at BASF, making sure that consumer products have enough antimicrobial protection—because no one wants to buy a can of paint full of bacteria! Carouthers has loved the teamwork aspect of science and wants people to know that not all scientists are “eccentric loners locked in a lab somewhere!”
Carouthers brings her passion for chemistry to the next generation through STEM education programs. New minds in the industry will continue to use chemistry to solve real-world problems. She wants others to know that “we are only limited by what we can imagine is possible and with chemistry the possibilities are limitless.”
