- Plastics
Teachers' Resources
- See complete schedule
Web Resources
- Plastics & Polymer Technology at Penn College
- American Chemistry Council
- IDES-The Plastics Web®
- Modern Plastics Worldwide
- NPE 2009
- O*NET OnLine
- Plastics.com
- Plastics Makes it Possible
- Plastics News
- Society of Plastics Engineers
- The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc.
Broadcast Schedule
- See complete schedule
Commentssee comments
Watch the full episode [27:48] Watch the highlights [5:18] Download this episode [504MB]
Plastics touch every aspect of life. Without plastics, much of what we depend on daily at work and home would disappear. Despite its prevalence, the moldable material doesn’t enjoy top-of-the-mind awareness, especially among the current generation of students. This episode of degrees that work. attempts to change that. The expertise of national experts is combined with the work of high school students engaged in a plastics project to illuminate the exciting nature and possibilities of the field. Visits to NPE 2009 in Chicago, the largest gathering of plastics professionals in the world, and to K’NEX Brands, one of the largest injection molders in the country, provide additional insight into a sector that offers ample, rewarding career opportunities for today’s students.
Featured Interviews
- Michael Araten
President & CEO
K’NEX Brands - Dr. Kirk Cantor
Professor, Plastics & Polymer Technology
Pennsylvania College of Technology - Bill Carteaux
President & CEO
The Society of Plastics Industry, Inc. - Dana Gier
R&D Director Plastics Technical Service & Development
The Dow Chemical Company - Robert Grace
Editor/Associate Publisher/Conference Director
Plastics News - Dennis Gros
President
Gros Executive Recruiters - Greg Koski
Principal
Plastics.com - Todd Lorson
Technical Education Teacher
Loyalsock Township Senior High School - Julie McKenna
Senior Development Specialist Plastics Technical Service & Development
The Dow Chemical Company - Erica Ocampo
Development Specialist, Latin America Plastics Technical Service & Development
The Dow Chemical Company - Gerardo Peña
Plastics & Polymer Engineering Technology Student
Pennsylvania College of Technology - Craig Rockoff
Student
Loyalsock Township Senior High School - Nick Schmitt
Plastics & Polymer Technology Student
Pennsylvania College of Technology - Tim Weston
Associate Professor & Department Head, Plastics & Polymer Technology
Pennsylvania College of Technology - Tim Womer
Chief Technical Officer
Xaloy Inc.
Supplemental Videos
Women of Dow
Julie McKenna Women of Dow
Erica Ocampo Women of Dow
Dana Gier NPE 2009
Bill Carteaux Plastics Going Green
KNEX Brands
Michael Araten
Credits
- Producer/ Director/ Editor/ Camera
- Chris Leigh
- Producer/ Writer/ Editor/ Camera/ Narration
- Tom Speicher
- Graphics
- Kevin Jones
- Music
- FirstCom Music
- Production Support
- Timothy Cotter
- Leah Mather
- Animation
- Christopher Legarski
- Executive Producers
- Elaine Lambert
- Tom Currá
Images/video courtesy
- BASF Corp
- David Shankbone
- Demag Plastics Group
- Hexion Specialty Chemicals GmbH
- K’NEX Brands
- Kuka Robotics Corp.
- Martino Communications
- Metabolix Inc.
- NASA/courtesy of nasaimages.org
- NatureWorks LLC
- Pennsylvania College of Technology
- Penn State Erie, The Behrend College
- Pittsburg State University
- Plastics News photo by Bill Bregar
- Teknor Apex Company
- The NewsMarket
- The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc.
- University of Massachusetts Lowell
- Western Washington University
Special Thanks- John Bartolomucci
- Elizabeth Biddle
- Ing. Piergiorgio Biscuola
- Julie Clees
- Matt Corson
- Marcel Dartée
- Linda Fischer
- Joe Geffre
- Stacey Hampton
- Larry Kauffman
- Hollee Keller
- Michelle Kirchman
- Robert Malloy
- Kevin McGrath
- Gary McQuay
- Cindy Meixel
- Donald Praster
- Todd Riley
- Susan Stopper
- K’NEX Brands
- Loyalsock Township Senior High School
- Martino Communications
- Plastics News
- SPI
- The Rodon Group
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