What's Happening Around SPE
ANTEC® 2024, taking place March 4-7, 2024 in St. Louis, MO, is focused on plastics
innovation with a treasure trove of cutting-edge sessions featuring speakers addressing topics such as Recycling
and AI in Polymer Processing to Injection Molding, Circular Economy, Sustainable Transportation, and
much more. Plenary
speakers will explore machine learning, innovative polymer design, and sustainable growth,
offering a glimpse into the future of plastics. Don't wait - ANTEC® is right around the corner! Register Today!
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Thank You SPE Chapter Students @ANTEC® Sponsors!
We would like to thank the following chapters and divisions for sponsoring student activities at
ANTEC® 2024: Applied Rheology, Automotive, Bioplastics and Renewable Technologies, Blow Molding, Color and
Appearance, Connecticut, Decorating and Coatings, Engineering Properties and Structures, Extrusion, Flexible
Packaging, Golden Gate, India, Injection Molding, Lower Rio Grande (in honor of Oscar Garcia), Mold
Technologies, Palisades - MidAtlantic, Polymer Analysis, Rotational Molding, Thermoplastic Elastomers,
Thermoset, and Western Michigan. Chapter support helps students attend and participate in ANTEC®, providing
excellent opportunities to expand knowledge and network with their peers and mentors in the plastics
industry!
SPE recently announced the 2024 recipients of its Fellow of Society Award. 2024 Fellow awardees
are Dr. Peter Frenkel, Vice President-Technology, Galata Chemicals; Dr. Wenyi Huang, Principal Research
Scientist, DuPont; Dr. Harry Mavridis, Director of Product Development & Circular Design Americas,
LyondellBasell; Dr. Jeff Munro, Senior Research Scientist, Dow Chemical Company, Dr. Srikanth Pilla,
Professor and Director, Center for Composite Materials, University of Delaware; and Dr. Li-Ying Tammy Yang,
Research Fellow, GAF. Fellow recipients will be recognized at SPE’s Honors and Awards Lunch during ANTEC® on
Wednesday, March 6.
In January, SPE named the 2024 recipients for its prestigious Honored Service Members (HSM)
Award. 2024 HSM Award recipients are Jeffrey S. Drusda, Technical Service Principal Scientist, The Chemours
Company; Pierre R. Moulinie, Global Technical Marketing Head, Healthcare for Engineering Plastics, Covestro
AG; David A. Okonski, Engineering Manager, IACMI-The Composites Institute. HSM recipients will be recognized
at SPE’s Honors and Awards Lunch during ANTEC® on Wednesday, March 6.
SPE’s Plastics Engineering (PE) ‘special digests’ aim to deliver valuable and tailored
content that speaks directly to the unique interests and needs of an exclusive audience. With a monthly
release, readers can expect to receive content that resonates with them and complements in more detail our
weekly PE Digest. You won't receive a digest each month automatically. Instead, you will receive our Special
PE Digest only when we have curated content that aligns perfectly with your interests. Keep an eye out!
Established in 1972, the Plastics Hall of Fame has grown to 236 members representing ten
countries, including five Nobel Prize winners in chemistry. Induction into the Plastics Hall of Fame is
based strictly on accomplishment. It is within reach of those dedicated to advancing this global industry.
The Plastics Hall of Fame recognizes the outstanding achievements of such individuals and inspires those
entering the industry around the world. SPE is proud that the following members were inducted into this very
prestigious class: J. Michael Cude, Arthur Haag, Wolfgang Meyer, Dr. Nick Schott, and Kurt Swogger.
If you're aspiring to move into a leadership position, whether it involves managing teams or
projects, SPE's Essentials of Management & Leadership in Plastics is ideal for you to refine your leadership
skills. The fourth cohort of this online program starts in April 2024 and runs through September 2024, and
is expertly guided by Dr. Sarah Skidmore, a seasoned leadership specialist and experienced strategic
consultant.
PlastChicks Lynzie Nebel and Mercedes Landazuri host Alethea Schaeffer, VP of Sales &
Engineering, USHECO. They discuss her journey in the plastics industry, thermoforming processes, the
company's entrepreneurial approach to manufacturing, designing for manufacturing, approaches to
problem-solving in engineering, pivoting to support pandemic supply needs and how the company stays
innovative. You can listen to the PlastChicks®
podcast at 4spe.org/podcasts or on YouTube!
SPE Foundation
Are you or do you know a student pursuing a degree beneficial to the plastics industry? The SPE
Foundation Scholarship application is open! Apply any time before April 1 to be considered for our generous
scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $10,000. Last year, 98 scholarships were awarded to 64 students totaling
$234,225 in funds.
On April 6th, the SPE Foundation is bringing its SPE Color Your World with Polymer Science Patch
Program to the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana for an all-day event in Lemont, IL. More than 150 Girl Scouts will
experience fun activities as they discover the amazing science behind plastics and polymers. Thanks
to our donors who make this work possible! Be a part of it at give.4spe.org.
SPE News Story Ideas?
Know a member who is doing outstanding things in plastics or in SPE? Have you heard about or are
part of a chapter that is making an impact or a difference in the industry? Let us know if you have any
story ideas for SPE News! Feel free to contact Chris Barry at cbarry@4spe.org.
Upcoming Events
International Polyolefins Conference
Feb 18 - 21 | Galveston, TX
Register
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ANTEC® 2024
March 4-7 | St. Louis, MO
Register
SPE Webinar: Using Rheological Techniques to
Fingerprint Polymer Architecture
March 12 | Online
Register
SPE Webinar: Introduction to Process and Thermal
Stabilization in Polyolefins and Engineering Polymers
March 28 | Online
Register
View full events calendar
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