25 June 2009

LaSalle/Peru, IL – Inspiring young students to explore science and engineering careers is a goal of Carus Corporation’s extensive educational outreach. For the ninth consecutive summer, Carus Corporation has sponsored Summer Science Camp for students entering the 6th grade in the fall. James Hardie is in their second year of sponsorship. Also assisting with this year’s camp were Cosgrove Distributors, providing daily snacks for the campers, and McDonalds of Peru, providing drinks all week. The day camp was held June 15-19 in the Science laboratory at Peru Catholic School. With this year’s graduates, approximately 280 students have participated in the science camp since its inception.

The Summer Science Camp is free to area students, and this year campers came from LaSalle, Peru, Utica, Ottawa, Triumph, Mendota, Oglesby, Dalzell and Spring Valley. Every day of the camp, the students are introduced to principles of different areas of science such as geology, biology, physics, chemistry and astronomy. In addition to learning basic concepts, as part of the daily hands-on experiments, the students learn about laboratory safety, keeping a lab notebook, and using the scientific method.

Don Loebach, junior high science teacher at Peru Catholic School, has been the director of the camp since it began. He has a loyal group of Science Camp graduates called “Loebach’s Lab Rats” who receive special training in all the experiments and assist with the camp. Many of the “Lab Rats” have been helping camp since they were in Junior High School and come back each year because they enjoy it so much. The newest “Lab Rats” start their training in February so they are fully trained in June. They come early and stay late to set up, assist the teachers, and clean up after each day’s experiments as well as work the week before and the week after camp. Peru Catholic teachers Mary Beth Boehm, Jill Kamphaus, Liz Quesse, Melinda Reed, Jane Weberski, and Kathy Wujek also work with Loebach. Carus Corporation hires the teachers as part of its “Scientific Work Experience Program for Teachers” (SWEPT) initiative. SWEPT is a program to help teachers become more effective and better able to explain to their students how the study of science and mathematics relates to the “real world” of work. In addition to the Science Camp teachers, Carus also has 7 additional SWEPT teachers working on various projects in the company.

Carus Corporation, founded in LaSalle, IL, in 1915, is a world leader in permanganates, phosphates, and base metal catalysts, all of which Carus manufactures primarily for environmental applications. Carus Corporation is a member of the American Chemistry Council and an active participant in the industry’s award-winning Responsible Care® initiative, working to make life better, healthier, and safer through chemistry.

James Hardie Building Products, Inc., an international building products company, is a leading manufacturer of building products based on fiber cement technology.

Picture Caption: Students listen as Lori Setchell of Carus Corporation describes the effects of liquid nitrogen on balloons.