What's Happening Around SPE
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SPE's Failure in Plastics
Workshop Starts Next Week
Do you depend on critical plastic components, and their failures disrupt your operations? Have
you invested time and money in resolving plastic component issues, only to encounter repeated setbacks? If
you're running into these issues (or others), then SPE's 4-part workshop, Failure in Plastics,
presented by Jeffrey A. Jansen, Engineering Manager and Partner, The Madison Group, is made for you. Find
out how conducting a failure investigation now will help eliminate failures in the future. This 4-part
workshop takes place online starting NEXT WEEK on April 22, April 24, April 29, and May 2 from 11:00 AM -
1:00 PM Eastern Time each day. Secure your spot now - seats limited to 25!
ANTEC® 2024 Rocked It Out!
ANTEC® 2024, SPE's Annual Technical Conference, focused on the latest advances in industrial,
laboratory, academic, and international work focused on plastics. Just shy of 500 registered attendees made
their way to St. Louis to learn about the latest developments in plastics and polymer science. Networking
was strong, with a First-Timer Reception that kicked off the event, a rocking get together at the St. Louis
National Blues Museum, and a reception that honored plastics industry legend, Glenn Beall. Don't forget to
save the dates for ANTEC® 2025, taking place March 3-6, 2025, in Philadelphia, PA!
Visit us at booth W15 at NPE, taking place May 6-10 at the Orange County Convention
Center in Orlando, FL. Pick up your SPE member pin and win valuable prizes, including SPE logo wear,
membership, and more! One lucky person will win a registration to ANTEC® 2025! Still need to
register for NPE? Registration is on us! Visit https://2024.npe.org/3388 to claim your free admission!
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 on June 3, and runs through December 1, 2024, and is
expertly guided by Dr. Sarah Skidmore, a seasoned leadership specialist and experienced strategic
consultant. Enroll today.
The PlastChicks® host Dr. Ellen Lee, Technical Leader of Additive Manufacturing Research
at Ford Motor Company, live from ANTEC® 2024. They discuss her journey in additive manufacturing,
challenges in using additive manufacturing in the automotive sector, developing technical roadmaps,
collaboration with the value chain, advice for people interested in additive manufacturing careers,
and additive manufacturing design, optimization, and printing processes. You can listen to the
PlastChicks® podcast at 4spe.org/podcasts
or on YouTube!
SPE Foundation
We’re celebrating a new record! More than 135 students have submitted an application to be
considered for the 2024-2025 SPE Foundation Scholarships – a 30% increase from last year! Our future
plastics leaders are eager for support and opportunities as higher education costs rise. Want to make a real
difference? Consider sponsoring a scholarship through your SPE Chapter or personally. Reach out to us at foundation@4spe.org to learn more about how you can empower the
next generation of innovators!
An informal consortium of PET producers, converters, and recyclers has invited the PlastiVan® to present to
a select group of policy makers in Ottawa the day before the Fourth Session to develop an international
legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. Eve Vitale, SPE Foundation Executive, will give the
presentation focusing on the versatility of polymeric materials, especially PET, the most recycled plastic
in the world. The PlastiVan® incorporates the recycling of PET in presentations to tens of thousands of
people in the U.S. and Canada each year, helping students and teachers understand how easy recycling
beverage bottles can be and why it’s important. Next Monday’s demonstration will focus on the benefits of
the PET circular economy.
Eve Vitale, SPE Foundation Executive, was recently asked to contribute to an internal Braskem
podcast on the power of volunteerism. She and Erica Finney, research chemist at the Innovation and
Technology Center in Pittsburgh, were asked to share their experiences both as a recipient of volunteerism
and as a volunteer. Vitale also talked about the transformational 8-year partnership with Braskem America. “Braskem has a commitment to the communities in which they operate,
encouraging employee participation in social initiatives. PlastiVan® is just one
avenue for the company to meet its ESG goals. We’re so grateful for their loyalty,” said Vitale. To support
the PlastiVan® by volunteering or sponsoring a visit contact us at foundation@4spe.org.
On Saturday, April 6, PlastiVan® educators from Illinois, Michigan, and South Carolina,
delivered the SPE Foundation's Color Your World with Polymer Science patch program to 160 Girl Scouts in
Lemont, Illinois. Mercedes Landazuri gave an engaging keynote address about her projects in color involving
NASA, toilet seats, and coffee creamer, giving girls a way to envision their own STEM-career paths. A big
thank you to our volunteers from the SPE Chicago Section and our hosts, Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and
Northwest Indiana.
SPE Chapter News
SPE’s Mold Technologies Division
will be announcing the recipients of four international awards at NPE on May 8 at 12:00 PM in the MoldMaking Technology magazine
(Gardner Publications) booth (#S30135) in the South Hall of the Orange County Convention Center in
Orlando, FL.
Student candidates interested in applying for the TPO Automotive Scholarship should fill out an
application form and submit a one-page description of the proposed work, expected results, and candidate’s
credentials. All applicants must be in good standing with their colleges or universities at the time they
apply for the scholarship. Submission information here.
Andrew N. Hrymak, Co-Director of the Fraunhofer Innovation Platform for Composites Research at
Western University, and Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, will present “High Performance
Composites: Trends and Impact on Automotive Lightweighting,” at ACCE 2024 (Sept. 4-6 in Novi, MI). The
presentation will highlight some of the significant automotive high performance composite developments of
the last decade as well as emerging composite technologies that will have a major impact in future vehicle
architectures.
Industry News
The Department of Plastics Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell)
is an internationally recognized leader in plastics engineering education and research. The Department
offers a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Plastics Engineering for students with a range of engineering and science
degrees. These curricula provide a full study of plastics materials, properties, design, and manufacturing
as well as sufficient flexibility for further specialization in areas of individual interest.
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
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SPE Workshop: Failure in Plastics
Begins April 22 | Online
Register
SPE Webinar: Introduction to Process and Thermal
Stabilization in Polyolefins and Engineering Polymers
May 1 | Online
Register
SPE ONLINE COURSE: Introduction to Technical
Entrepreneurship: Essential Tools for NPE and Other Industry Events
May 3 | Online
Register
SPE Webinar: The Coming PFAS Litigation Risk for
Product Manufacturers
May 10 | Online
Register
SPE Workshop: Flexible Packaging Fundamentals: Design
for Sustainability
Begins May 13 | Online
Register
Essentials of Management & Leadership in Plastics
Begins June 3 | Online
Register
View full events calendar
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