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Grades 9-10：Dow Chemical Company Visit

November 17, 2017

Grades 9-10：Dow Chemical Company Visit

On November 14th, after the midterms, a handful of ninth & tenth graders were able to take a break and visit a company which they were interested in. For this Job Shadow Day, they visited the Dow Chemical Company, which specializes in the production and invention of new materials reaching all the way down to the nano level. In the short span of an afternoon, the students learned a basic history and background of the world’s largest chemistry-related company, and had an amazing tour through the complex of the building.

The visit began with a few videos and a short Powerpoint presentation to give us a brief overview of the entire company. It is indeed amazing to see how chemistry encompasses all aspects of our lives, and how the products of the Dow Chemical Company exist in items from iPhones to food packaging. The company’s main goal is to increase the sustainability of human life, and create more eco-friendly yet efficient products to improve the quality of our lives.

Then began the tour through the complex. The students viewed some of the products of the company, and visited its Eco-house. This house is a living space completely driven by eco-friendly technologies that are the products of Dow. There are also two main kinds of laboratories we visited, one which is the synthetic, another is the analytical. In the synthetic lab, there are many pieces of equipment, and types of chemicals, and the safety regulations are extremely strict. New things are created here, including products never seen before. By experimenting with chemical substances, these scientists are innovating new technology every day. After synthesis, the substances had to be tested and analyzed in the analytical laboratory.

The analytical laboratory in the Dow Company is the only one in China with such advanced technology. Almost everything in here is done by programmed robots, which can repeat the same actions hundreds of times. The substance is tested here for different qualities and characteristics. The high-tech equipment and the wide array of chemicals are surely an eye-opening sight.

Other than these main components, there is also a sports center within the very same building as these labs, and even an indoor basketball court. The company truly values its employees’ well-being, and it is convenient to have a sports center in the same building where one works.

This trip to Dow Company was truly informative, and it gave the students a broad idea of what life in this field might be like. The products allowed us to know how closely our lives are tied with chemistry and other sciences, even if it may not seem so on the surface.

(Written by 9(1) Emily Jiang Picture by staff from Dow chemical)