On February 28, 2022, seven teams of four bright, young scientists from Hardin and Meade Countys took to the stage at Stuart Pepper Middle School for the You Be The Chemist regional competition. In hopes of winning the title and securing a spot in Nationals down in Houston Texas, each team faced four rounds of ten challenging questions across a variety of scientific topics.

“It’s always so impressive to see what these kids are learning and able to attain at such a young age,” Allie Greenwood, Process Safety Engineer at Monument who leads the program for our Kentucky site, explained. “These are 6th, 7th, and 8th graders covering high school and college level material.” 

Prior to the competition, the students were provided a variety of materials and resources from CEF (Chemical Education Foundation) to prepare, which were either part of extracurricular activities or paired directly into their everyday class curriculum, depending on the school. Then, they take a test to see if they qualify to compete at regionals. This year, first place went to Bluegrass Middle School, while two teams from Stuart Pepper Middle School took second and third. The top three teams earned medals, and all competitors received a certificate.

For more than a decade, Monument has supported the You Be The Chemist program’s efforts of inspiring the next generation of scientists, engineers, and industry leaders. Over the years, this included providing science experiments to the schools and monetary donations to further the program’s initiatives and events. This year, Monument not only sponsored the regional competition, contributing t-shirts, swag bag items, and a pizza lunch for the students, but also had employees step up in key roles.

Monument’s Abdul Titilope, Production Engineer, moderated the competition and Tyler Allgood, Production Engineer, was one of three judges, while Quality Engineer, Lauren Hamilton, was the floor facilitator.

“It's important for us to be involved in the outreach opportunities, especially with the schools, Lauren explained. “That also includes the Junior Achievement program, which gives us the opportunity to interact with more 6-8th graders in regard to choosing their career path and why Monument could be a good fit for them. The ability to be present and show these kids there are opportunities for STEM careers and women in STEM is highly important to us. Ultimately, these activities and connections allow us to be part of long-term positive change in our communities.”