Tappi Student Summit

 

Thirty-five students from the Department of Paper and Bioprocess Engineering went to the Tappi Student Summit over Martin Luther King weekend.  The Summit, held this year in Jacksonville, FL, brings together students from all over the country (and this year, from all over the world) to learn about the paper and bioprocess industries, tour local facilities, network with their peers and employers, and learn about the necessary skills to become a successful engineer.  The three-days of events also included an engineering competition, mock interviews, and an employer trade fair.

During the Summit, students had the opportunity to visit three different industrial sites.  On the paper side, RockTenn, a producer of linerboard and corrugating medium, and Rayonier, a producer of dissolving pulp, opened their doors to the students.  More on the bioprocessing side of thing, students had the opportunity to visit Anheuser-Busch (SUNY-ESF students shown above in the courtyard of the brewery).  All three tours were very informative and students had the chance to not only learn about the industrial processes involved, they also learned about the role that engineers play in the companies.  One day’s tour included a stop for a couple of hours on a beach.

Students also had the opportunity to interview for summer and permanent jobs at the Summit.  A number of different companies held interviews including:

• BASF, The Chemical Company
• Boise Paper
Corn Products
• Domtar
• First Quality Enterprises, Inc
• International Paper
• MeadWestVaco
• Nalco Chemical Company
• Orchids Paper Company
• Rayonier
• RockTenn
• SAPPI Fine Paper
• Weyerhaeuser

Several students received offers before the Summit was over and secured their summer internships for June.  The contacts made by the students will help them in the future. 

Jobs That Pay

In a recent edition of Rick Reagan’s “Money in Your Pocket” segment on News Channel 9 morning news show, Rick Reagan talks about career fields that are in demand (http://www.9wsyr.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoId=3010140&navCatId=20739).  In this segment he compares the number of students getting degrees in Computer Science, Chemical Engineering, and Math and Science with those in Visual and Performing Arts, Psychology, and Communication & Journalism.  From the 1984-1985 time frame to the 2008-2009 time frame, the number of graduates in the first group has remained steady or declined, while the second group has more than doubled.  This has led to a significant increase in demand for graduates with these degrees, especially in chemical engineering.  Graduates in the second group (the right-hand three bars in the graph) are having significantly more trouble getting jobs after graduation in addition to experiencing lower starting salaries.

The programs at SUNY-ESF in the Paper and Bioprocess Engineering Department provide chemical-engineering based programs in Paper Engineering and Bioprocess Engineering.  Graduates from these programs are in high demand with starting salaries averaging $65,000 to $70,000.  Our students are being placed in positions all over the United States.

Please see our website at www.esf.edu/pbe for more information about out programs and feel free to contact us for more information.

1st Annual 3K Paper Run

Saturday morning, 16 October, was the running of the 1st Annual 3K Paper Run sponsored by the Papyrus Club of SUNY-ESF.  The event was held in conjunction with the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Syracuse Pulp and Paper Foundation (SPPF), which has provided over $3.6 million dollars in scholarships since 196j0 to students studying in the Department of Paper and Bioprocess Engineering (PBE). 

The course begin by the famous Robin Hood Oak between Walters and Bray Hall before proceeding into Oakwood Cemetary behind the campus.  After looping through the cemetery, the race finished behind Walters Hall.  Seventeen people braved the cold, windy weather to complete the course.  The participants included 9 PBE students, 4 PBE faculty members, 1 director of SPPF, and several relatives of students and faculty.

The winner of the race was Pavlev Bujanovic, the son of Dr. Biljana Bujanovic, a professor in the PBE Department.  Tom Forte, and Steven Tyrell, students in the PBE Department, finished 2nd and 3rd.  The top faculty finisher was Dr. Gary Scott, the chair of the department and Steve Lachasz was the top finisher among the SPPF Directors.  The complete results are given below. 

Team Zipprich before the race.

The blazing start.

Some Finishers.

 2010 3k Paper Run
16 October 2010

Bib Number	Time	Name
208	0:11:30	Bujanovic, Pavlev
209	0:11:34	Forte, Tom (PBE student)
203	0:11:43	Tyrell, Steven (PBE student)
202	0:12:28	Zipprich, Derek (PBE student)
213	0:12:39	Rimmer, Tom (PBE student)
204	0:12:55	Zipprich, Caryle
214	0:13:03	Streczywilk, Chris (PBE student)
201	0:13:27	Scott, Gary (PBE Faculty)
212	0:14:06	Whitman, Dennis (PBE student)
205	0:14:50	Lachasz, Steve (SPPF Director)
211	0:15:01	Dimarco, Dan (PBE student)
215	0:15:33	Murphy, Andrew (PBE student)
210	0:17:27	Doelle, Klaus (PBE Faculty)
216	0:20:51	Planter, Corey (PBE student)
206	0:21:08	Bujanovic, Tomislav
217	0:21:21	Lai, Yuan-Zong (PBE Faculty)
207	0:22:32	Bujanovic, Biljana (PBE Faculty)

Career Paths for Paper and Bioprocess Engineering Graduates

On Wednesday, 13 October 2010, Mr Lester Lee spoke to the students about career paths after receiving your degree from SUNY-ESF.  In his talk, he used his career with Honeywell as an example.  Mr Lee was a 1963 graduate of the Paper Science program and after initially working for Hammermill Paper in Erie, PA, he joined a control system supplier that eventually became part of Honeywell.  After 41 years with this company, he recently retired and is currently consulting within the paper industry.

His message to the students included advice on how to create your own opportunities within the industry, with the first step being getting your degree.  With the degree, the students will have the technical requirements to succeed in the industry, but it is up to the student to continue learning and developing new skills, especially the personal and leadership skills.  Mr Lee pointed out that there are a large number of paths to develop these skills and to continue learning throughout a career including advanced degrees, short courses, seminars, and self-development tapes, CDs, and DVDs.  His two favorite self-learning courses are by Brain Tracy (www.briantracy.com):  "The Psychology of Achievement" and "The Psychology of Sales." 

In closing, Mr Lee gave the following advice:

• With your degree, you have a significant number of career opportunities open to you.
• Figure out which situation would make you happy, and go after it with enthusiasm.
• Continue your education, through DVD’s or tapes that allow you to learn from the best.
• Apply the positive thinking principles, to achieve great results in your career and in your life.

A New Academic Year in Paper and Bioprocess Engineering

A new academic year has started at SUNY-ESF and with the new year comes a new group of students starting in our Paper Engineering and Bioprocess Engineering programs as well as a new look for the space between Walters and Bray Halls. 

Due to the beginning of the construction of the new Gateway Building on the parking lot behind Moon Library, the area between Walters and Bray Halls and around the Robin Hood Oak has been reconfigured to provide the parking that will be lost.  This has required the relocation of the Lincoln statue that has sat in front of Walters Hall since the early 1970s.  With much fanfare, Lincoln was moved to his new location at the north end of Bray Hall where he now welcomes students entering the Quad from between Bray and Illick Halls.

We also welcomed 28 new students to our programs in PBE.  This year, the class was almost evenly split between Paper Engineering (13 students) and Bioprocess Engineering (15 students).  In addition, we welcomed 3 exchange students from Sichuan University in Chengdu, China and a dual degree student from the Beijing University of Chemical Technology from Beijing, China.

Please return to the blog as I will be posting information about the events of the semester.

Monday in Beijing (The Last Day)

Monday, our last full day in Beijing, has been designated the shopping day  for the students.  Those that want to go shopping will be able to finish purchasing the souvenirs.  The students are heading back down to Dashilan and Qingmen for shopping, which is south of Tiananmen Square.  The subway from the hotel (which is a two minute walk from the hotel) goes to Qingmen with only one train change needed.  The students had a successful shopping trip, returning with gifts for various people back home.

Entrance to Dashilan.

Sunday shoppers on Dashilan

Sanitation equipment on Dashilan.

Street food vendor.

Father and daughter on Qingmen St.

Some of the students have also been joining me for tai chi in the morning.   I also to took the opportunity to call upon my tai chi teacher’s teacher in Beijing, Liu laoshi.  I had to opportunity to meet with him twice during my stay in Beijing for afternoon tai chi lessons.  At his apartment in northwest Beijing, I also met with another student of his, Jeff,  who had just arrived from Seattle where he teaches Chinese at the University of Washington.  It was an honor to have a tai chi lesson from the master in Beijing.  It was  very gracious of Liu laoshi and his wife, Jiang laoshi, to open their home to me.

Beth Arthur and Michael Garver practicing tai chi in the morning.

Push Hands with Liu laoshi at his apartment.

Jeff, Liu laoshi, and myself.

After one last tour in the morning, we leave for the airport and home.

Sunday in Beijing

The students travelled today to visit the Summer Palace, which was built by the Empress Dowager, the only ruling Empress of China.  The Summer Palace includes many buildings, a Buddhist temple, a man-made lake, and a marble boat. 

I visited a park I had not seen before since I had already been to the Summer Palace.  North of the Forbidden City, it was called Ditan Park and contained the Temple of Earth.  While not as developed or popular as the Temple of Heaven, it was a very pleasant park (relatively uncrowded) and contained various signs and displays regarding good health.

Shrine within Ditan Park.

Central platform of the Temple of Earth.

Sign in Ditan Park.

We ate again at our favorite restaurant near the hotel where the students are staying.  The students  are doing well with the food, with two of the students taking a particular liking to dumplings.  While we have been trying different foods at the restaurants, they are developing some favorites that they like to have each time we go to the restaurant.  See below for some of the dishes we order at this dinner.

Students dining at our favorite restaurant in Beijing.

Mushrooms.