Approximately 500 Matagorda County students experienced a day of hands-on science experiments during the 3rd Annual Super Science Alliance on October 24, 2024.
“The Matagorda County Super Science Alliance is a fantastic opportunity for industry to inspire students to pursue studies and careers in STEM related fields,” Matagorda Health and Safety Lead Joseph Zurovec said. “Today was about demonstrating how science can be fun and a way to share local career opportunities that LyondellBasell has to offer.”
The LyondellBasell Matagorda Complex sponsored the event with a $5,000 grant. Employees participated in the October event designed to inspire 6th grade students to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) careers. The LYB team showed how science experiments can be demonstrated with everyday items. They taught students physics with an egg drop, chemistry phase changes with dry ice and chemical reactions while making a lava lamp.
“This event shows the power of education and industry,” Wharton County Junior College Foundation Director Jonathan Jeter said. “It exposes students to the variety of careers in the STEM field and all the opportunities available within our local community.”
This year’s event, hosted by the Wharton County Junior College Foundation, was themed “Community Teamwork.” Other local presenters included STP Nuclear Operating Company, Tenaris (Bay City), Underground Services Markham, Highly Innovative Fuels (HIF) and Wharton County Junior College. Community leaders, including Bay City Mayor Robert Nelson, Palacios Mayor Rick Cink, Matagorda County Judge Bobby Seiferman and County Commissioner Bubba Cook, showed their support by encouraging students to pursue careers that could someday benefit their hometowns.
The future workforce is a key focus area of the LYB global corporate citizenship program which includes a commitment to educating, training, and preparing our future leaders.
"We can influence young leaders in our community with events like the Super Science Alliance and show them the importance of STEM education," Matagorda Site Manager Tim Carnell said. "LYB has a lot of various careers to offer, and we would love to see some of these students take interest and join our team one day."