Committed to the Community

FMC employees give back amid pandemic

BY PATTI ADCOCK AND LARS WEBORG

THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC has brought extraordinary change around the world. However, companies such as FMC Corporation, a global agricultural sciences company, have continued to operate uninterrupted in support of growers around the world.

FMC’s global R&D headquarters, based at the 515-acre Stine Research Center campus in Newark, Delaware made some operating adjustments, including transitioning to remote work for many employees, to allow for COVID19 safety measures. However, FMC Stine employees were able to host 28 events centered on STEM, environmental impacts, agricultural science, food and farming as well as well as health and safety, and logged nearly 300 volunteer hours in 2020.

“FMC’s focus on community engagement continued unabated through the uncertainty and restrictions in place brought by COVID19,” said Karen Totland, vice president and chief sustainability officer at FMC. “Our employees at Stine Research Center, and around the world, are passionate about sharing resources, knowledge, and skills with our local communities.”

FMC Stine employees supported local STEM initiatives including the development of an environmental toxicology course at Delaware State University—the first time it has been available at the school in ten years. Additionally, several virtual seminars were organized with local universities and schools to share information on topics including chemistry, engineering, and application technologies.

Additionally, FMC Stine donated to the Delaware State University Emergency COVID Relief Fund, the Food Bank of Delaware, and is a committed sponsor of Healthy Food for Healthy Kids, a Delaware-based nonprofit that provides hands-on gardening activities through lessons that support Delaware State learnings standards.

Scientists based at the Stine Research Center also volunteered many hours to help maintain and cultivate school gardens at Christiana High School in Newark and Marbrook Elementary School in Wilmington while students attended school online through the shutdown. These service hours also included educational seminars and the Read Across America Day event at the University of Delaware Early Learning Center.

Supporting STEM talent development in Delaware is an ongoing focus for FMC scientists. FMC sponsored career fairs as well as the Catalyzing Change STEM Conference, the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League Day of Service, and the Delaware Tech New Castle County Science Fair.

FMC is also committed to operational transparency and hosts bi-annual Community Advisory Panel meetings to discuss ongoing investments in the FMC Stine location, community engagement activities and progress on the company’s sustainability goals. n

Patti Adcock is the facilities director at FMC Corporation’s Stine Research Center. Lars Weborg is senior manager of Corporate Communications at FMC Corporation.