News about Plastics & Polymer

Years of musical education – and the obvious hard work that accompanies that level of commitment – resulted in a student’s selection as Pennsylvania College of Technology’s representative at the 74th annual Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Band Festival, organized by the Pennsylvania Collegiate Bandmasters Association and held Feb. 25-27 at Shippensburg University.

Zachary J. Geffre, a Loyalsock Township High School graduate pursuing a bachelor’s degree in plastics and polymer engineering technology, has been part of the Penn College Pep Band since his first semester in 2019. He also takes music classes at Lycoming College, where he is a member of the orchestra, concert band and jazz band.

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Jacob W. Fry, who earned a bachelor’s degree in plastics and polymer engineering technology from Penn College in 2016, has been profiled as a “Rising Star” in Plastics News. The industry publication this week posted a Q&A with Fry, who is employed as a business development manager with Currier Plastics Inc. in Auburn, New York. “At Hughesville High School, I was given the opportunity to take an elective course in plastics that would later give me college credits,” he said. “The course had many experiments, demos and labs. I loved the class, and that is the reason why I am in the industry today.”

As an archer, James R. Fanelli aimed straight. As an aspiring plastics professional, he zigzagged between continents. The Pennsylvania College of Technology alumnus hit “bull’s-eye” with both approaches.

One led to a championship, the other to a rewarding career.

The 2010 graduate is a senior tooling plastics engineer for Medtronic, a leading global health care technology company. Fanelli supports the development and production of components and devices utilized during open, laparoscopic and robotic-assisted surgical procedures, from access and instrumentation tools to internal tissue and skin stapling technology.

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Novatec Inc., the largest U.S.-based manufacturer of resin drying and conveying equipment for the plastics industry, has renewed its entrustment agreement with Pennsylvania College of Technology for equipment used in plastics and polymer-related instruction at the college.

The two-year renewal of an agreement originating in 2010 includes equipment such as a desiccant-free dryer, a micro blender, vacuum loaders, a feeder, a venturi loader for a blender and a NovaWheel dry/convey unit. The total value of the entrusted equipment is nearly $50,000.

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Numerous plastics professionals scattered across the globe share a bond beyond their career choice – a degree from Pennsylvania College of Technology. Three of those graduates are reminded daily of that connection. They are enjoying thriving careers at the same multibillion-dollar corporation.

Bryan T. Robinson, of Gilbertsville; Hannah G. Maize, of Riverside; and Alexa M. Korinchak, of Hellertown, are engineers at the North American headquarters for Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials in Reading.

A leading manufacturer of high-performance thermoplastic materials, Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials is a subsidiary of the Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. The 195,000-square-foot Reading plant produces stock shapes in the form of rods, plates and tubes that are machined into parts by end users representing multiple industries, from aerospace and defense to food and beverage.

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CMT Materials has provided $5,000 in support of upgrades to a roll-fed thermoformer used for instructional purposes at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

The company, based in Attleboro, Massachusetts, with additional sites in the Netherlands and Southeast Asia, is a Corporate Tomorrow Maker partner with Penn College. CMT Materials has worked with the college’s Plastics Innovation & Resource Center for a number of years on workshops, student projects, training and testing.

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B. Braun Medical has awarded $5,000 in grant support to Pennsylvania College of Technology for an update to a roll-fed thermoformer used for instructional purposes in plastics education and workforce training.

The company, a Corporate Tomorrow Maker partner of Penn College, has been working with College Relations and other departments to support a variety of programs and students. B. Braun Medical and Corporate Relations are developing a work plan to engage the college in a variety of ways including: the Admissions Office co-messaging to high schools, Career Services recruiting and assisting with students’ career readiness, and faculty assisting with class presentations and developing student capstone projects.

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An engineering manager at TE Connectivity facilitated the donation of electronic components to a number of instructional areas at Pennsylvania College of Technology, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in plastics and polymer engineering technology in May 2004.

William J. “Will” Moyer II, based at the company’s Middletown location, worked with Elizabeth A. Biddle, the college’s director of corporate relations, to put a variety of products into the hands of tomorrow’s industry professionals. Campus beneficiaries include students in electronics, mechatronics, electrical, aviation, automotive, diesel, manufacturing/machining, and at the Dr. Welch Workshop: a Makerspace at Penn College.

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Eleven registrants from seven companies in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Illinois attended a three-day Plastics Materials, Processing and Testing workshop offered through Pennsylvania College of Technology’s internationally known Plastics Innovation & Resource Center.

The summer workshop, one of several that annually draw industry professionals to the college’s main campus, allowed participants to explore the world of polymer science by learning about the five major industrial processes used in plastics manufacturing – extrusion, injection molding, thermoforming, blow molding and rotational molding – as well as the science behind polymers.

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The Society of Plastics Engineers Foundation has honored three Pennsylvania College of Technology students and one recent graduate with scholarships.

Morgan T. Bartholomew, of Etters, and Andrew B. Folk, of Bernville, each received $1,500 general scholarships, and Trent D. Longenberger, of Bloomsburg, was awarded the $3,000 Blow Molding Carrie Fox Solin Scholarship. The three students are seeking bachelor’s degrees in plastics and polymer engineering technology.

Olivia C. Ferki, of Richboro, earned that degree in May and is pursuing a master’s in plastics engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She received $3,000 in scholarships for her graduate studies.

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The state House Majority Policy Committee visited Penn College’s main campus on Tuesday, taking a tour before holding a hearing on “Growing Pennsylvania’s Economy.” Twelve members of the committee, chaired by Rep. Martin Causer, of McKean County – joined remotely by others – heard testimony during the two-hour session in the Thompson Professional Development Center. Among those sharing their expertise were Shannon M. Munro, the college’s vice president for workforce development, characterized by co-host Rep. Jeff Wheeland as “the go-to person” in her field. “Because employers grow the economy, we must respond to their needs,” Munro said. “Penn College does this in two distinct ways: We provide a pipeline of graduates in degrees that align with what employers are looking for, and we also offer lifelong training opportunities for their incumbent workers.”

For two years, Lauryn A. Stauffer has seen only male faces in her electronics classes at Pennsylvania College of Technology. This fall, she’ll at least see multiple women leaders within the School of Engineering Technologies.

The school devoted to careers rooted in science, technology, engineering and math boasts three female assistant deans.

Kathleen D. Chesmel and Ellyn A. Lester were hired in late spring to head the Materials Science and Engineering Technologies Division and the Construction and Architectural Technologies Division, respectively. They join longtime college employee Stacey C. Hampton, who is assistant dean of industrial and computer technologies.

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Penn College’s “My Tomorrow” program (June 21-24 and June 28-July 1) opened middle-schoolers’ minds to a variety of vocational possibilities through hands-on activities and faculty-led sessions. The initiative, sponsored by the Soars Family, exposed students to a number of prospective careers – such as engineering, business and hospitality, the arts, and health sciences – as well as giving them a jump on charting their paths to success and satisfaction.

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A partnership with ABB, a leading global technology company, is bringing an industrial robot and software licenses to Pennsylvania College of Technology for instructional use in manufacturing engineering programs.

ABB, based in Zurich, Switzerland, with U.S. operations headquartered in Cary, North Carolina, is providing $150,000 worth of software licenses for offline programming of its YuMi robot, which the college has purchased. This eliminates the need for programming at the robot itself using the teach pendant. The software can communicate with all ABB robots to download and upload files. Software benefits include freeing the robot for production or maintenance and allowing multiple programmers simultaneously to create and edit programs.  In manufacturing, today, most robot programs are created offline and “touched up” at production lines.

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Plastics professionals from throughout the country sharpened their skills and enhanced their knowledge at a recent workshop hosted by Pennsylvania College of Technology and its acclaimed Plastics Innovation & Resource Center.

The Rotational Molding & Advanced Materials Workshop offered a mix of lecture and hands-on instruction for 30 individuals representing 11 states and numerous companies. Seventeen attended the two-day course in person, and 13 participated remotely.

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