Engineering News - 2021

Engineering NEWS 2021

P E N N S TAT E B E H R E N D S C H O O L O F E N G I N E E R I N G

6 CAPSTONE CAN-DO

CARDBOARD TUBES INSPIRE CREATIVE SENIOR PROJECT 4 Grants boost education, research 8 Behrend poised to tackle plastics problem 10 Women in engineering majors offer advice 12 Polymer Engineering and Science major added

DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE Well, that was tough … really tough.

But we made it. Professors taught. Students learned.

Research continued.

Our seniors DR. TIM KURZWEG graduated (in-person!) and got jobs.

Yep, we made it. Wait, I take that back.

All things considered, we crushed it.

As we closed out the toughest academic year in recent history, we remained focused on the positives. Our faculty proved again and again their concern, compassion, and creativity, while maintaining the rigor of their courses.

Our students kept their commitment to learn, through both in-person and remote instruction. Our staff supported our students and faculty to make this as productive a year as possible.

And we have maintained, albeit in a different way, our traditions. Check out our online Fasenmyer Senior Showcase (sites.psu.edu/behrendseniordesign/).

You’ll see that we found a new, exciting way to share our students’ hard work and successes!

As we focus on the positive, we nevertheless acknowledge the strain that this year put on all of our students, faculty, and staff. Every one of us likely experienced stress, disorientation, and fatigue as we worked to balance work/school life and home life. Many of our students were challenged by the situation—we know that—and we admire their perseverance. We came together as a community and supported one another. It is that spirit that makes me so proud.

We look forward to Fall 2021, when signs point to our being back in person. From what I’ve seen this past year, we will be prepared for it—no matter what we may face. I’m confident that, once again, we will crush it.

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In Brief BEHREND ENGINEERING PROGRAMS AMONG NATION’S BEST New rankings by U.S. News & World Report place the engineering programs at Penn State Behrend among the top 50 undergraduate engineering programs in the nation. Behrend is at No. 46 on the list, which was released in the fall of 2020.

“This ranking demonstrates the continued commitment of our faculty and staff to prepare our students to be leaders in engineering,” said Dr. Tim Kurzweg, director of the School of Engineering. “Our unique programs blend traditional academics with research and outreach opportunities that give our students the tools to succeed.”

U.S. News has published annual “Best Colleges” rankings since 1983.

Schools are evaluated on sixteen measures of academic quality, including graduation rates, class size, financial aid availability, and alumni giving.

The engineering program rankings also use data from peer assessment surveys, which this year were sent to 220 ABET-accredited institutions, including Penn State Behrend.

KUDOS TO THESE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING ALUMNI Kevin Josue, a 2018 Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology (ECET) graduate, was featured in Control Engineering magazine as one of their 2020 Engineering Leaders Under 40. Josue, 25, is a field services engineer for Control Station, Inc. in Manchester, Connecticut.

Originally an Electrical Engineering major, Josue made a switch to ECET, which he said was the perfect move for him.

“I can comfortably say now that the ECET program has taught me all the practical skills I needed to succeed, and it gave me the purpose in life I was looking for,” Josue wrote KEVIN JOSUE in an email to one of his favorite professors, David Loker, associate professor of engineering.

Josue is still a Penn State student. He’s enrolled in the Master of Engineering Management program online through World Campus.

Derek Krzysiak Breski, a 2014 Electrical Engineering graduate, is a systems engineer with the Planetary Landers team at Astrobotic, a Pittsburgh-based space robotics company that “seeks to make space accessible to the world.” The company develops advanced navigation, operation, and computing systems for spacecraft, and their fleet of lunar landers and rovers deliver payloads to the Moon for companies, governments, universities, non-profits, and individuals.

Breski is working on the company’s first lunar mission, Peregrine Mission 1. Astrobotic also is developing advanced PEREGRINE MISSION 1 space robotics capabilities such as terrain-relative navigation, mobile robotics for lunar surface operations, and reliable computing systems for mission-critical applications.

FACULTY & STAFF NEWS The school welcomed three new faculty members— Dr. Hussein Abdeltawab, assistant professor of engineering in electrical and computer engineering technology; Dr. Fethi Belkhouche, associate professor and chair of electrical and computer engineering; Dr. Gamini Mendis, assistant professor of engineering in plastics engineering technology—and a new staff member, Chris Bartlett, lab technician.

Shannon Sweeney, associate professor of engineering in mechanical engineering technology, recently celebrated twentyfive years with Penn State.

Joe and Isabel Prischak, center, surrounded by several recipients of the scholarships they have endowed at Penn State Behrend.

JOE PRISCHAK NAMED TO PLASTICS HALL OF FAME Erie businessman Joe Prischak, a longtime friend of Penn State Behrend and a community leader who was instrumental in founding the college’s Plastics Engineering Technology program, was recently named to the Plastics Hall of Fame.

Membership in the Hall of Fame is the highest honor the Plastics Industry Association bestows upon an individual.

“Joe Prischak is a pioneer and a visionary who understood from the start how plastics would revolutionize the design and packaging of products we use every day,” said Chancellor Ralph Ford. “His legacy in the plastics industry, in the Erie community, and at Behrend will endure for generations.”

That legacy includes the Plastics Engineering Technology (PLET) program at Behrend, which has produced more than 1,000 graduates since Prischak and Paul “Hoop” Roche, the president of what was then Erie Plastics, approached the college, hoping to expand the pipeline of plastics professionals.

Prischak began his career with Erie Resistor, which owned the second injectionmolding machine in the United States, and then Penn Erie Tool Shop before launching his own business, the Triangle Tool Company, in 1956.

His next company, Plastek, adapted the mold-making process to the emerging field of plastics, producing components for IBM computers and the Schick safety razor. Today, the Plastek Group manufactures packaging for the personal-care, food and beverage, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries. The company, which is still based in Erie, has more than 2,500 employees at manufacturing sites in the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Brazil.

As Plastek grew, Prischak needed more professionally educated engineers. In 1984, he and Roche led a $6 million fundraising campaign, which benefited the PLET program— one of only four such accredited degrees in the United States— and supported facilities expansion at Behrend. The college’s Prischak Building is named in his honor.

“Joe Prischak had the vision and insight to position his company at the leading edge of plastics manufacturing,” said Dr. Tim Kurzweg, director of the School of Engineering. “He also knew that to remain there, he would need well-educated, forward-thinking employees. His support of Penn State Behrend has transformed not only the college, but also the manufacturing community in Erie.”

With his wife, Isabel, he has continued to support Behrend’s students, endowing the Joseph and Isabel Prischak Trustee Scholarship and the Prischak Family Trustee Scholarship.

Dr. Charlotte deVries, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, was named one of Erie’s 40 under 40 by the Erie Reader.

Dr. Faisal Aqlan, associate professor of industrial engineering, received the 2020 Manufacturing Division’s Young Author Award from ASEE. Dr. Alicyn Rhoades,associate professor of engineering in plastics engineering technology, was awarded a Manufacturing and Sterilization for COVID-19 (MASC@ PSU) recognition “for sharing her plastics engineering expertise and her industry connections and network.” Rhoades was quick to thank the PLET team and industry partners for their contributions.

Dr. Paul Lynch, assistant professor of industrial engineering, was recently chosen as one of Behrend’s Best for living the civility values of the college.

FACULTY AWARDS FOR THE 2020-21 ACADEMIC YEAR Five faculty members were recognized with School of Engineering awards: Dr. Ihab Ragai, associate professor of engineering in mechanical engineering technology, Excellence in Research; Dr. Faisal Aqlan, associate professor of industrial engineering, Excellence in Outreach; Jill Johnson, lecturer in mechanical engineering, Excellence in Service; Fred Nitterright, assistant teaching professor of engineering in mechanical engineering technology, Excellence in Advising; Dr. Myung Cho, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, Excellence in Teaching.

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In Brief (cont.)

NSF GRANTS BOOST EDUCATION AND RESEARCH The National Science Foundation recently awarded $1.3 million to support enhanced education and advanced research in the School of Engineering.

More than twenty faculty members will use the funding to advance their research.

A three-year, $300,000 grant will help develop a “system view” of manufacturing—an integrated, interdisciplinary approach that incorporates every stage of a product cycle, from design to construction to enterprise resource planning.

“This approach will enable students to better understand product manufacturing as an interdependent system,” wrote the research team, which is being led by Dr. Faisal Aqlan, associate professor of industrial engineering.

Other members of the team are Dr. Qi Dunsworth, director of teaching initiatives in the college’s Center for Teaching and eLearning Initiatives; Dr. Chetan Nikhare, associate professor of mechanical engineering; Dr. Mohammad Rasouli, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering; and Dr. Matthew Swinarski, associate professor of management information systems.

The team will design a set of cohesive learning modules that explore key stages of the manufacturing process.

Students will use simulation and modeling software to develop a new product —a bicycle—and select the materials and processes to build it. The teaching modules will be integrated into a new, interdisciplinary curriculum that teaches project life-cycle management.

A second NSF grant, for $588,000, will expand a tutoring method that was developed to help students write better technical reports.

The WATTS method, which stands for “Writing Assignment Tutor Training in STEM,” was developed at Behrend

by Ruth Pflueger, director of the Learning Resource Center, and Dr. Robert Weissbach, a former associate professor of engineering at the college. The approach is being tested now at three other universities.

WATTS tutors use course-specific glossaries and guidance from faculty members to become more comfortable with basic engineering concepts. As they learn the material and the format of technical reports, the tutors begin to offer more—and more detailed—feedback, Pflueger said.

Students in the Plastics Engineering Technology program are required to meet with a WATTS tutor before they submit the report for their capstone project. After that meeting, most sign up for additional sessions, said Jonathan Meckley, associate professor of engineering and chair of the PLET program.

He joined the WATTS study in 2016.

“The goal is for our students to become better writers,” Meckley said.

“The ability to write well is essential for an engineer, or for anyone else who works in STEM. Any time you are a candidate for a position, a promotion, or a customer account, your ability to communicate well is going to be what sets you apart from the competition.”

A third NSF grant, for $412,000, funded the purchase of an atomic force microscope, which is available to all faculty members in the School of Engineering and the School of Science.

Sixteen Behrend researchers plan to use

the instrument, which was purchased through the NSF’s Major Research Instrumentation program.

An atomic force microscope can measure fractions of a nanometer, which is one-billionth of a meter. At Behrend, the instrument initially will be used to study fiber composites, polymer crystal formation, and solar-cell efficiencies.

“This state-of-the-art equipment can determine both mechanical properties and chemical identification measurements at nano and sub-nano scales in both hard and soft materials,” said Dr. Seyed Hamid Reza Sanei, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and the principal investigator for the project.

“It will open the door to new collaborations and research endeavors while providing powerful insight into material systems that already are being studied at Behrend, including polymers, metals, and composites.”

MMG CLUB MEMBERS SURPASS $250,000 IN SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS From their involvement in the Materials and Manufacturing Group, Behrend students who belong to the club, get two of the most valuable things they can acquire outside of a college classroom— professional contacts and opportunities for hands-on experience.

Even better, many of them are rewarded financially for being club members: Every meeting starts with a rundown of job,

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internship, and scholarship opportunities by the club’s advisers, Dr. Paul Lynch, assistant professor of industrial engineering, and Shannon Sweeney, associate professor of engineering.

Since the MMG club’s inception five years ago, members have received more than a quarter of a million dollars in scholarships!

“We recently surpassed $250,000 in scholarship funds with 140 awards being

awarded to our MMG members,” Lynch said. “Most of these awards have been to Industrial, Mechanical, and Mechanical Engineering Technology majors, but the club is open to students in any discipline.”

With the benefits of membership that the MMG offers students, it’s little wonder the club has grown into one of the largest on campus with nearly 100 members from engineering, business, and science programs.

GRANT FUNDS ‘SMART MANUFACTURING’ PARTNERSHIP WITH PLASTEK

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research team in the School of Engineering is using “smart manufacturing” technology, including machine sensors, to reduce waste and increase product quality at Erie-based Plastek Group, which manufactures packaging for the personal care, food and beverage, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries.

The yearlong project is being funded by a $44,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s Manufacturing PA initiative, with additional support from Plastek.

Companies that implement smart manufacturing technology—sensors, cloud data storage, robotics, and machine learning—often increase productivity by as much as 12 percent, according to studies. Adding that technology can be a challenge, however, particularly at companies, such as plastics manufacturers, that operate at low profit margins.

“Plastek already has some infrastructure in place for smart manufacturing,” said Dr. Gamini Mendis, assistant professor of engineering. “What they don’t have is the bandwidth to fully understand all of the data their machines produce. There’s no framework for how to use that information.”

Mendis and three students will equip an injection molding machine at Plastek with DR. GAMINI MENDIS additional sensors, which will measure temperature, pressure, and part quality, among other parameters. Jason Williams, assistant teaching professor of engineering, will help evaluate the data generated by those measurements and investigate new types of sensors.

The team will develop software that stores the data in the cloud and alerts the machine’s operator when a component needs attention. The

“THE COLLEGE’S OPEN LAB STRATEGY HAS KEPT ERIE AT THE LEADING EDGE OF MANUFACTURING AND MATERIALS SCIENCE.” DR. TIM KURZWEG, DIRECTOR OF THE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

system will be tested and refined on a second machine in the Plastics Processing Lab at Behrend—an Industry 4.0 demonstration space that will support other companies in Pennsylvania’s $25.6 billion plastics industry.

“The college’s Open Lab strategy, which positions students and faculty members to engage with external partners, has kept Erie at the leading edge of manufacturing and materials science,” said Dr. Tim Kurzweg, director of the School of Engineering. “Smart manufacturing is the next step for many of these companies. It limits waste, reduces the cost of sourcing and supply networks, and increases efficiencies in the workforce.”

Plastics manufacturers have an advantage, Mendis said: They produce at a high volume—often more than 10,000 parts per hour—using equipment that already is connected to sensors.

“You have to have a lot of that data

just to run the machine,” he said.

The challenge, then, is to use machine learning to filter the data and predict when the process will fail. In some injection-molding processes, Mendis said, as much as 10 percent of the material is wasted.

The Behrend team will use sensors and advanced algorithms to identify problems within the molding machine.

They will build their system on a statistical process called Kernel Principal Component Analysis, or KPCA, which weights certain variables—the temperature in a molding machine’s barrel, for instance—and signals to the operator when something is wrong.

“We’re trying to give Plastek more tools to understand the data they have,” Mendis said. “If we are even marginally successful, we can save the company tens of thousands of dollars every year in machine time. I think we’re going to do much better than that.”

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TRUCKLOAD OF TUBES INSPIRES ACOUSTICS PROJECT Senior engineering students turn cardboard tubes into musical instrument In Behrend’s Youth Education Outreach (YEO) K-12 programs, one person’s trash—paper towel tubes, unused yarn, plastic spoons—is another student’s hands-on engineering project.

Participants in YEO programs are often given a bag of random items and challenged to turn them into a vehicle or whirligig or other device.

So, when Onex, an Erie manufacturing company, offered Melanie Ford, director of the college’s YEO programs, a truckload (literally) of sturdy cardboard tubes, she immediately thought about turning them into some sort of musical instrument or sound installation.

THONG-A-WHAT? Ford reached out to Dr. Joel Hunt, associate teaching professor of music and digital media, arts, and technology, who knew just what to do.

“When I saw the tubes, I was immediately reminded of the Blue Man Group’s performances with a xylophone-like instrument made from PVC pipe,” Hunt said. “The instrument, which is known throughout Australia and Papua New Guinea as a thongophone, consists of a series of tubes of varying lengths, similar to that of a pneumatic pipe organ or pan flute.”

The thongophone player strikes the end of the tube with a rubber clapper to initiate vibrations, which cause the tube to resonate at a frequency that is determined by its given length and diameter.

Hunt and Ford wanted to expand on that idea to make it an interactive installation that employs mechanical beaters and computer-controlled installation.

With the “what and why” of the project determined, they just needed to figure out “who and how.” That was the easy part as every student in the School of Engineering must complete a year-long senior capstone project to graduate.

Hunt and Ford turned the idea into a project for students “to design and build a towering music installation that consists of a mechanical player thongophone that can play music from a MIDI file like a modern digital player piano and a smaller manual thongophone that can be played by anyone passing by.”

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CHALLENGE ACCEPTED Team “Phonies”— an interdisciplinary group of Computer Engineering (CE) seniors Alex Croll and Deaja Vital and Electrical Engineering (EE) seniors Jake Lehotsky and Mackenzie Sloan— have not only the engineering knowledge to tackle the project, but the musical background as well; three of the four are musicians.

Croll has been playing percussion since he was in the sixth grade; Sloan plays the piano, flute, and ukulele; and Lehotsky plays the guitar and harmonica and has designed electronic instruments before.

“Being musicians gives us knowledge of what good sound should be and has helped immensely with some aspects of the project, like picking the right material for the pipe drumheads,” Croll said. “Having had experience making music, we know what things to be picky about and what things won’t have much impact on the thongophone’s final sound.”

DIVERSE STRENGTHS Most senior capstone teams consist of students in the same major, but Team Phonies say having two CE and two EE majors on the project has been beneficial.

“Our majors are different, but closely related,” Vital said.

“Computer engineering is a branch of electrical engineering mixed with some computer science.”

“IT’S PURE ENGINEERING. THIS IS WHAT WE LIVE FOR.” JAKE LEHOTSKY, ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING SENIOR

“I was happy to have Mackenzie and Jake on our team as I knew this project would take quite a bit of wiring and analog circuitry, which I’m certain they are better at than me,” Croll said. “And, it’s allowed Deaja and me to focus on the computer aspects of the project rather than having to juggle both the programming and making sure none of the circuits set the thongophone on fire.”

APPLIED ENGINEERING Lesson No. 1 in their effort to hand-build a product from scratch was finding a starting point, Croll said.

“From our first meeting in October, the enormity of this project has been clear,” he said. “Our project was fresh with no previous information or schedules to work from. You might think having lots of leeway is good, but it was nerve-wracking.

That said, we didn’t waste any time getting started because we knew we wouldn’t have any time to waste, no corners to cut, and there was no backing down.”

An unexpected team strength has been Lehotsky’s extensive background in woodworking and access to tools and a workspace at his home in Erie for the team to meet and build the instrument. YEO is already developing hands-on activities utilizing it.

For Lehotsky, the project brought to light the joy (and sometimes frustration) of engineering.

Team “Phonies” working on their thongophone. From left, Mackenzie Sloan, Alex Croll, Jake Lehotsky, and Deaja Vital.

“Every time we brainstormed one engineering problem, another would arise,” he said. “How do you support forty-eight six-inch diameter cardboard tubes ranging from ten inches to ten feet? Build four separate chassis. How do you communicate notes between chassis? Run a USB cable. How do you parse a serial transmission from a USB cable? Place a separate computer in each chassis. And so on and so on. It’s pure engineering. This is what we live for.”

THONGOPHONE TIMES TWO A second team—Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology seniors Arielle Alfonso, Darren Brigham, and Ryan Seltzer—are also building a thongophone. Each team approached the project in their own way. Brigham reports: “Our team used thirtysix tubes cut to various lengths that correspond to specific notes. Solenoids are electromagnetic devices that will shoot out a small metal plunger when given voltage. These solenoids will be connected to a programmable microcontroller, which we will upload various songs to, and have mounted above the tubes. Thus, it will be a self-playing thongophone!”

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PROBLEMS = OPPORTUNITY Engineers are accustomed to overcoming obstacles to improve whatever process or product they are working on. In engineering disciplines, challenge equals opportunity.

The United States has a tremendous problem with the recycling of plastics, and Penn State Behrend sees an opportunity.

“When China began rejecting recycling material from the United States two years ago, it made the country acutely aware that recycling was not working,” said Dr. Alicyn Rhoades, associate professor of engineering in Plastics Engineering Technology. “We, at Behrend, have the reputation, resources, and expertise that few others have to reach both the academic world and the plastics industry to elicit change.”

WHERE TO START? PROBABLY NOT WHERE YOU THINK. “Currently, the perception and blame for the plastics pollution/ waste problem in the country is hitting hard against companies that make consumer or single-use plastics, such as plastic forks or food containers,” Rhoades said. “It’s this narrative that pushes policy and it’s why you’re seeing things like plastic bag bans in some countries.”

While the motivation behind such bans may appear to induce the desired effect, they may be off the mark.

“Tires are actually one of the largest sources of microplastics in the environment,” Rhoades said, “tires and also fabric that contains polymer fibers, like much spandex athletic wear, that has plastic fibers woven into it.”

“The fact is that 91 percent of plastic in the United States is not recycled,” said Dr. Sherri “Sam” Mason, Penn State Behrend’s sustainability coordinator. “There is plastic in all five of the Great Lakes, including Lake Superior, which is at the top of the lake chain, which means it’s not flowing in from the other lakes.”

But, of course, the plastics problem is complicated. Banning tires or taking compression gear off the shelves isn’t a practical solution.

“There’s no easy way to replace such a malleable and flexible material as plastic,” said Behrend’s Chancellor Dr. Ralph Ford in a recent webinar about plastics recycling. “We need to come up with novel solutions.”

DR. ALICYN RHOADES, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF ENGINEERING

“WE HAVE THE REPUTATION, RESOURCES, AND EXPERTISE THAT FEW OTHERS HAVE TO REACH BOTH THE ACADEMIC WORLD AND THE PLASTICS INDUSTRY TO ELICIT CHANGE.” — DR. ALICYN RHOADES 8

POLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE The School of Engineering’s newest program, the bachelor’s degree in Polymer Engineering and Science (PES) will give students an understanding of the structure, properties, and processing of polymers, which are among the most versatile materials in use today.

Graduates of the program will have the knowledge and skills to design polymer systems meeting unique applications in a wide range of industries.

The PES major complements Behrend’s popular Plastics Engineering Technology (PLET) program, one of only four accredited plastics engineering technology programs in the United States. The B.S. in PLET offers graduates robust employment opportunities in nearly any industry sector that interests them.

SOLUTIONS CENTRAL Enter Penn State Behrend faculty members highly experienced in plastics working with students and community partners to study the issue from start to finish. Behrend is in an excellent position to help inform future plastics development and policies. The college’s Open Lab strategy, which positions students and faculty members to engage with external partners, will create opportunities through: work with industry partners such as Plastek, Shell, SKF, and Berry Plastics, which provide insight into timelines, limitations, and drivers for commercial adoption of new technologies; an interdisciplinary effort known as the RESOLVE Lake Erie Plastics Pollution Coalition, involving research by Environmental Science and Polymer Engineering and Science faculty members and students; foundational curriculum in the Polymer Engineering and Science degree that focuses on science for the circular economy, including up-and-coming recycling labs and research, waste-to-energy collaborations, and compostable materials development; and a Penn State research and development center, led by Rhoades, known as the Advanced Resource Efficiency Center (AREC-USA), focused on technology development optimized for specific supply chain situations.

NATIONAL NOTICE “The college’s initiatives and partnerships in this arena are attracting world-wide attention to Penn State Behrend,” Ford said.

He is among a group of Erie leaders who advocate bringing a $100 million, 200,000-square foot plastics recycling facility to the area, and he serves as a member of International Recycling Group (IRG) Erie’s board of directors with no

financial interest. IRG has purchased twenty-five acres of land along Erie’s lakeshore to build what company officials say will be the most technologically advanced plastics sorting facility in the world, paving the way for efficient recycling efforts.

“One of the complications in recycling plastics is that there are thousands of types of plastic,” Rhoades said. “Developing a better, more efficient way to sort it is key to fixing the breakdown in the recycling loop. IRG is using some innovative techniques and we’ve been able to help them consider aspects of that separation science.”

NEXT STEPS Looking ahead, Rhoades has three immediate goals for the college’s plastics initiatives: to launch a Sustainable Plastics Center of Excellence; to develop a Circular Economy of Plastics Advisory Board of representatives from across the supply chain and disciplines; and to support regional business development, including technology advancement and supply chain optimization, through AREC-USA. “We want to take a more holistic approach and consider the entire life of the item or product we are developing,” Rhoades said. “Should we switch to bio-based plastics products? Maybe. But the supply chain is not in place for that yet.

That’s something to work on. When it comes to recycling, what are the bottlenecks? Where are the opportunities for efficiency gains and what is actually recoverable? There are a lot of ways we can make improvements, but we need to do our homework (research) first.”

“IN THE MIDDLE OF EVERY DIFFICULTY, LIES OPPORTUNITY.” —ALBERT EINSTEIN

WANT TO LEARN MORE? CHECK OUT THE ONE-HOUR WEBINAR: “PLASTICS—RESEARCH TO RECYCLING” IN THE COLLEGE’S RISE & SHINE SERIES AT BEHREND.PSU.EDU/RISEANDSHINE. 9

FEMALE STUDENTS SHARE WHAT IT’S LIKE TO MAJOR IN ENGINEERING

Hannah Duncan

Alexis Rimpa

MIGHTY MINORITY A

common thread among Penn State Behrend’s female engineering students: Being in the minority isn’t intimidating; it’s motivating.

“The first time I had a laboratory class, I was the only woman in the class and I didn’t like it,” said Hannah Duncan, a junior majoring in Plastics Engineering Technology, “I didn’t even know how to work a wrench. But having a class with all guys motivated me to work double time. It pushed me to learn to do things on my own. It was a great feeling to know that I could do what they did and keep up with them and earn the same grades.”

Duncan said that it’s rare that she’s the only female student in her class, but that she doesn’t necessarily pay attention anymore. “I can hold my own, no matter who is in the class,” she said.

This is the kind of confidence you’ll find in abundance when you talk to a group of upper-level female engineering majors who have found their stride as engineers in training. We interviewed a few of them to find out why they chose their major, what it has been like to be a female engineering student at Behrend, and what advice they have for other would-be female engineering students.

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Hannah Duncan, junior Plastics Engineering Technology (PLET) major On choosing her major: Plastics are never going to go away and, so, the field has a great job outlook. Also, there’s always something new happening in plastics and there are a lot of areas within the discipline to go into.

Career goals: I love talking to people, so I’m thinking that doing sales for the plastics industry would be right up my alley.

Most challenging aspect of her major: The classes are very hard.

Plastics is a different world, so it takes a lot of time to get a good grip on it. It is a lot of work, but I know it will pay off.

Advice for women considering an engineering major: Do not worry about possibly being the only woman in a particular class. It makes you work harder and it pays off.

On hands-on learning: One of the best parts about Behrend is the research opportunities for undergraduate students. I have learned so much more than I thought I would from doing research. It makes you think and apply the concepts you’re learning in class, which helps you understand the how and why.

Alexis Rimpa, senior Industrial Engineering (IE) major On choosing her major: I always enjoyed math and science, and I knew I wanted to work in an applicationbased field more than a theory-based one. I originally planned to transfer to University Park for Civil Engineering, but after spending time at Behrend, I didn’t want to leave. After talking to several faculty members and reviewing the recommended action plans for some of the engineering majors at Behrend, I landed on IE. I love statistics and optimizing processes, so IE was the perfect place for me.

Career goals: I am staying open to possibilities, but I’m going to be starting my career in the rail and transit manufacturing industries.

On being a female engineering student: I’ve never been the only woman in my classes, but was definitely in the minority in the first couple of years. It never bothered me, though.

I was always up for the challenge of proving myself.

Advice for future female engineering students: Don’t let “No” deter you. Go after the things that spark your passion.

Cheyanne Merritt and her pup, Kimber.

Marti Mandella

Ashley Seamon

Cheyanne Merritt, senior Mechanical Engineering (ME) major

Marti Mandella, junior PLET major

Ashley Seamon, junior IE major

On choosing her major: I chose ME because it’s the broadest form of engineering and it offers an almost endless opportunity of areas to go into.

On changing her mind: I didn’t always want to be an engineer. When I applied to colleges, I wanted to go into psychology. Then I decided that I wanted to be a mathematics major before changing my mind again and landing on engineering. I figured it was a practical decision based on my strengths.

Challenge accepted: The biggest challenge in the beginning was teaching myself how to study. To be honest, I’d never had to study before! Time management was a huge challenge, too.

Join in: I joined the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) club in my first year. Later, I joined Phi Sigma Rho, an engineering sorority, and that helped me meet more women in engineering majors. Finally, I joined the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), which helped me branch out and make a lot of connections.

Advice for future female engineering majors: Don’t be discouraged if you have to take a class more than once. It’s common and some people just need a little more time to learn than others do. Also, never be afraid to ask for help from your professors. They care about your success as much as you do, and they will do anything in their power to help you.

On choosing her major: At a high school career fair, I met with PLET graduates from Philips Respironics. They walked through the process of design, prototyping, and testing to make a real, functional product, and I fell in love. No other school compared to Behrend’s program and the faculty have made it worthwhile.

Career goals: My big picture goal is to make things for people that make life easier, something tangible that helps humans or the world around us. Specifically, I want to work in design and human factors. I love modeling, prototyping, and seeing an idea come to life.

What you’d be surprised to know about the PLET major: When people think of plastics engineering, they think of bottles; I did too, at first, but now I love explaining the depth and reach of what we do.

What’s wrong with being confident: I’m never afraid to be outnumbered.

I am confident with my tools and machines, and I’m not afraid to show it, which makes all the difference. Confidence is key. You’re capable of anything if you work for it and trust yourself.

On diversification: I’d urge students to step outside engineering and get involved in other clubs, too. I have participated in Behrend theatre and served as stage manager for all of the productions since my first year. It’s a great way to meet people from different places and share a common interest.

On choosing her major: I’ve always had an aptitude for math and science, but I associated engineering with hands-on manufacturing. On a visit to Behrend, I learned that IE was a field centered around efficiency and conceptual problem solving, and I knew that was for me.

Career goals: I am interested in operations research. Long-term, I see myself working as an operations manager, but short term, I plan to intern while attending graduate school.

Born to be organized: The time management aspect of college was easy for me. I was very involved with activities in high school, so time management is second nature. It helps that being an IE major means learning to optimize resources, such as time, so I organize every day to make the most of it.

What you’d be surprised to know about engineering: Many people think that because engineering is a difficult major, it requires your full attention. But, that’s not always the case! I’ve been part of many clubs and activities, including Behrend’s women’s basketball team.

On proving herself: My classes are 25 percent women, but I’ve never been discouraged by being in the minority. It motivates me to prove myself.

Advice for female engineering students: Don’t be afraid to fail. Try things before being discouraged by someone’s opinion. It’s better to try and fail than regret that you didn’t even try.

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CLARIENCE TECHNOLOGIES CREATES EARLY CAREER PROFESSORSHIP Clarience Technologies has established an Early Career Professorship at Behrend, where a faculty member will guide four senior design projects in the field of data analytics. The projects will support Clarience’s Road Ready telematics division, which uses wireless sensors to track the location, status, and condition of fleet vehicles and cargo.

The Early Career Professorship expands the company’s relationship with the School of Engineering, which has contributed research and assisted with product development for Clarience’s flagship brand, Truck-Lite, since 2006.

The support and involvement of partner companies such as Clarience Technologies give our students the opportunity to apply what they have learned in the classroom, and to see firsthand the improvements that result from innovation.

Penn State Erie, The Behrend College School of Engineering 242 Burke Center 5101 Jordan Road Erie, PA 16563-1701

Non-Profit Org. U.S. POSTAGE PAID State College, PA Permit No. 1

BEHREND LAUNCHES NEW MAJOR IN POLYMER ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE Polymers are among the most important materials that make up our world—from everyday items like clothing and electronics to life-saving medical devices.

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tudents in Behrend’s new Polymer Engineering and Science program will learn to analyze these diverse materials and evaluate their applications in a variety of industries, including health care, aerospace, and automotive manufacturing. Through the new degree offering, they will understand why polymers behave the way they do, and then use that knowledge to design new, specialized, and more environmentally sustainable materials.

“Because of their deep understanding of the relationships between structure, processing, and properties, polymer scientists and engineers are in demand in every industry that uses polymers—and that’s almost every imaginable industry,” said Dr. Greg Dillon, professor of polymer engineering and science and chair of the program.

Students pursuing the polymer engineering and science degree will gain skills in a variety of settings, includ-

ing the college’s plastics processing lab and other facilities, while also studying physics, chemistry, and math.

Students will come to understand the make-up, characteristics, and performance of polymers and apply that knowledge in new and exciting ways, such as by exploring sustainability and the circular economy—that is, using innovative polymers to reduce fossil fuel consumption and recycle waste into new materials or energy.

Engineering News is published annually and provided free to alumni and friends of the Penn State Behrend School of Engineering by the Office of Strategic Communications, William V. Gonda, wvg2@psu.edu, senior director. Publications Manager: Heather Cass, hjc13@psu.edu. Designer: Martha Ansley Campbell, mac30@psu.edu. This publication is available in alternative media on request. Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. U.Ed. EBO 21-205.

All the photos in this publication were taken prior to January 2020, were self-submitted, and/or were taken with high social distancing measures in place.

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