News about PIRC

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.”

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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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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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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The Shell Polymers Rotational Molding Center of Excellence was unveiled Sept. 24, and Shell was honored for its generous support for facilities that aid in the instruction of aspiring plastics professionals at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

In a dedication ceremony attended by representatives of the college and Shell and a host of industry partners and stakeholders, participants celebrated the enhanced and upgraded academic and research lab, located in the Advanced Technology & Health Sciences Center at Penn College.

The Shell Polymers Rotational Molding Center of Excellence will boost the college’s efforts to produce highly skilled graduates for the plastics industry while helping to ease the skills gap in plastics manufacturing. It also enables the college – which operates the Plastics Innovation & Resource Center – to assist plastics companies with research and development and the training of incumbent workers.

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Two weeks of the Injection Molding Processing Workshop offered by Pennsylvania College of Technology and its acclaimed Plastics Innovation & Resource Center attracted a variety of industry professionals to campus.

Twenty-eight individuals representing seven states and Puerto Rico attended the workshops that were delivered in separate five-day sessions. The sessions consisted of two sections: Decoupled Molding Setup and Operation and the Science of Injection Molding With Troubleshooting.

Timothy E. Weston, associate professor of plastics and polymer technology, taught the sessions with assistance from Spencer L. Cotner, of Muncy, a plastics and polymer engineering technology major and a PIRC research assistant.

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The expertise offered by Pennsylvania College of Technology and its acclaimed Plastics Innovation & Resource Center attracted an array of plastics professionals to campus for the recent Extrusion Seminar and Hands-On Workshop.

Individuals representing 22 companies from 10 states, Canada and Italy attended the 21st annual event that featured extrusion experts Chris Rauwendaal, president of Rauwendaal Extrusion Engineering Inc., and Kirk M. Cantor, professor of plastics and polymer technology.

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Nearly two dozen registrants from eight companies in Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania attended the recent Plastics Materials, Processing and Testing workshop hosted by Pennsylvania College of Technology’s world-renowned Plastics Innovation & Resource Center.

The May 20-22 workshop, one of many that attract industry professionals to campus each summer, provided participants with a fundamental knowledge of polymers and how they are processed, tested and characterized.

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Plastics professionals representing 17 companies, 12 states and Canada gave rave reviews for the recent Rotational Molding & Advanced Materials Workshop hosted by Pennsylvania College of Technology and its acclaimed Plastics Innovation & Resource Center.

“I feel like I am at Disneyland. I loved it that much,” said David Sharp of Acrylon Plastics in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

“A great course. The presenters took complex subject matter and broke it down to an elementary level that was practical and easy to understand,” said Mark Eberhardt of The Metal Ware Corp. in Two Rivers, Wisconsin.

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A $9,500 sustaining grant from PPL Foundation will allow Pennsylvania College of Technology to purchase instructional equipment for a Penn College Plastics Mobile Lab, a resource for educating groups about career opportunities and the ongoing demand for qualified workers in the plastics industry.

The PPL grant will fund the college’s purchase of tabletop rotational molder and thermoforming units for the mobile lab. The lab will offer a hands-on experience in various plastics operations for the participants, who will include students and educators attending events at area schools.

The Penn College Plastics Mobile Lab may also work in conjunction with SPE’s PlastiVan program, which travels to schools and companies throughout North America, educating people of all ages about plastics chemistry, history, processing, manufacturing, sustainability and applications.

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A worldwide leader in thermoplastics has strengthened its bond with Pennsylvania College of Technology by committing additional funding for a scholarship benefiting students seeking a degree in plastics.

SEKISUI SPI recently contributed $14,000 to its namesake Student Workforce Development Scholarship at the college. Two first-year students enrolled in the plastics and polymer engineering technology baccalaureate major, who ranked in the top third of their high school graduating class and reside in Pennsylvania or Michigan, will each receive $7,000 scholarships.

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State Sen. Patrick M. Browne, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, visited Pennsylvania College of Technology on Thursday.

Browne, who represents the 16th District – which includes Allentown and other municipalities within Lehigh County – came to campus after presenting an election and legislative update at a breakfast sponsored by the Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce.

He was invited by fellow Appropriations Committee member Sen. Gene Yaw, who also serves as chairman of the Penn College Board of Directors. Yaw also hosted the Chamber legislative update event, held at the Genetti Hotel in Williamsport.

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