News about Plastics & Polymer

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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From the Spring 2021 Penn College Magazine: Extraordinary curiosity led Fletcher Ewing, ’98, from childhood Soap Box Derbies to an innovation-filled career. His latest role is senior mechanical engineer for X, developing robots with the humanlike capacity to learn. Read “Revolutionizing Robotics.”

Interested in the production of such items as water bottles and eyeglass lenses, but intimidated by the somewhat cryptic vocabulary of the industry? Instructor Joshua J. Rice, a Spring 2013 graduate of Penn College and co-department head for plastics and polymer technology, demystifies the field with a plain-spoken virtual tour of the college’s industry-cherished labs. Join him for a four-minute glimpse at the five processes taught in the School of Engineering Technologies – blow molding, extrusion, injection molding, rotational molding and thermoforming – and the everyday products that result.

Four virtual workshops in April, continuing Penn College’s series of free community presentations, will provide expert advice on topics as richly varied as the institution’s curriculum portfolio.

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Nearly two dozen students from Pennsylvania College of Technology jump-started their careers by securing a key industry certification related to computer-aided design.

The 22 students – representing six majors from the School of Engineering Technologies – passed the SolidWorks Certified Associate exam and obtained SolidWorks CSWA Certification. SolidWorks is a prominent solid modeling computer-aided design and engineering program used in manufacturing industries worldwide.

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The Society of Plastics Engineers Foundation has honored a Pennsylvania College of Technology student with a scholarship.

Sidney C. Trunzo, of Williamsport, majoring in plastics and polymer engineering technology, earned a $1,500 Thermoforming Division Scholarship from the society dedicated to advancing the plastics profession worldwide.

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The Pennsylvania College of Technology Board of Directors on Thursday authorized emeritus status for three retired faculty members.

Approved for faculty emeritus designation are Richard J. Calvert Jr., assistant professor and co-department head, electronics; Jeffrey B. Weaver, associate professor, electronics; and Timothy Weston, associate professor, plastics technology.

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Curiosity drives Fletcher Ewing.

As a kid, it drove him to build and race Soap Box Derby cars. As a college student, it led him to study plastics. As a professional, it inspires him to “shoot for the moon.”

The 1998 Pennsylvania College of Technology graduate and Selinsgrove native is a senior mechanical engineer in Silicon Valley for X, The Moonshot Factory. Formerly known as Google X, the company consists of inventors, engineers and entrepreneurs whose expectations defy gravity. Their objective is to build and launch “technologies that aim to improve the lives of millions, even billions of people.”

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Between classes, a Pennsylvania College of Technology student modified a computer numerical control router that he typically uses for woodworking projects to help manufacture more than 300 face shields for distribution to hospitals in his area.

Matthew A. Semmel, of Palmerton, is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in engineering design technology and an associate degree in plastics and polymer technology. Due to the pandemic, he – like all other Penn College students – has been taking classes remotely since mid-March to comply with the state’s stay-at-home order and social distancing guidance.

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SEKISUI SPI, a Bloomsburg-based thermoplastics company, sponsored three days of opportunity for young learners to experiment with polymers via a visit from the Society of Plastics Engineers’ PlastiVan. PlastiVan educator Elizabeth Egan talked with Penn College NOW students from seven high schools who visited over two days. Penn College NOW is the college’s nationally accredited dual-enrollment program, which provides Penn College classes to high school students in their schools, where they receive both high school and college credit for the courses. While on campus, Egan taught the high school students about the history, chemistry and uses of plastic through fun experiments. The students also toured the college’s plastics education facilities, where they interacted with faculty and students, and the campus. The PlastiVan also spent a day at the annual Science Festival on campus Wednesday.