The Department of Chemical Engineering at West Virginia University will host its second Plastics Day on Tuesday, Sept. 23, on its Evansdale Campus. The event is an opportunity for future chemical engineers to explore the countless facets of plastics and their implementation.
“The plastics industry is likely to see direct benefits from shale gas development and exploitation, much of which is going on in West Virginia,” said Cerasela Dinu, assistant professor of chemical engineering and co-chair of the event. “Plastics Day is an opportunity for us to share these increased benefits and opportunities with students and expand their breadth of knowledge about the plastics industry.”
The day will begin at 9:15 a.m., with a technical program delivered by Donald V. Rosato, chief executive officer of PlasticSource, Inc. Rosato’s talk, “The 21st Century Plastics Age: Emerging Plastics Technologies to Watch,” will be presented at the Museum Education Center.
At 11 a.m., PlastiVan, a hands-on science and technology program, will educate attendees about plastic’s chemistry, history, processing, manufacturing, sustainability and application. The program is designed to spark scientific curiosity while increasing participant’s knowledge of the contribution plastics make to modern life.
Beginning at 2 p.m., undergraduate and graduate students will participate in presentations centered on the topic of “Paper vs. Plastic” and the environmental concerns associated with distribution and implementation of each one. Prizes will be awarded by a jury committee that will evaluate the originality, content and mode of delivery of the presentations.
A 3D printing demonstration will conclude Plastics Day at 4 p.m. Kostas Sierros, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at WVU, will provide the demonstration of the capabilities of user-controlled design and manufacturing of 3D architectures to stimulate creative thinking in attendees.
Plastics Day is co-sponsored by the WVU Department of Chemical Engineering, Pickering Associates, the Dow Chemical Company, West Virginia NASA Space Grant Consortium, the Polymers Alliance Zone and the Society of Plastics Engineers.
-WVU-
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CONTACT: Mary C. Dillon, Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
304.293.4086, Mary.Dillon@mail.wvu.edu
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