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PMMI Foundation awards nearly $100K

The next generation of processing and packaging professionals gets a helping hand from PMMI Foundation.

The PMMI Foundation offers a financial helping hand for students and continuing education.
The PMMI Foundation offers a financial helping hand for students and continuing education.

PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, distributed nearly $100,000 last year through its foundation to advance the education of students with majors involving packaging, package design and package engineering at select colleges and technical schools across North America.

“This is the next generation of the processing and packaging workforce, and it’s important to invest in their future and support their desire to work in this industry,” says Charles D. Yuska, president & CEO, PMMI.

In 2014, PMMI Foundation funds were applied to several initiatives for students, including travel and educational scholarships and contest prizes. PMMI also set aside $40,000 for tuition reimbursement to support continuing education of PMMI member company employees.

Hundreds of Students Flocked to PACK EXPO

PMMI provided $38,000 to help more than 900 students experience PACK EXPO International and Pharma EXPO 2014 last fall. In addition to student travel scholarships, PMMI provided booth space to packaging programs from:

Alexandria Technical & Community College

Rutgers University

California Polytechnic State University

San Jose State University

Clemson University

University of Cincinnati

Dunwoody College

University of Florida

Hennepin Technical College

University of Illinois

Michigan State University

University of Wisconsin — Stout

Purdue University Calumet

Virginia Tech

Reading Area Community College

Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College

Rochester Institute of Technology

 

During the PACK Solutions Challenge, a student contest at PACK EXPO sponsored by B&R Industrial Automation, teams of students were presented with a complex packaging problem and created solutions with the guidance of mentors from PMMI member companies.The winning teams received scholarship money, which they divided among their student members.

First place: Rutgers University ($4,000)
Second place: Clemson University ($2,000)
Third place: University of Wisconsin — Stout ($1,000)

Educational Scholarships

Each year, the PMMI Foundation facilitates the awarding of scholarships to eligible students at colleges and technical schools that partner with PMMI. In 2014 $42,500 was distributed:

Mark Garvey Scholarship

California Polytechnic State University student Patrick Salibi ($2,500)

Claude S. Breeden Scholarship

Funds totaling $34,000 were awarded to students at: Alexandria Technical & Community College, Central Community College-Columbus, Conestoga College-Craig Richardson Institute, Dunwoody College of Technology, Greenville Technical College, Hennepin Technical College, Purdue University Calumet, Reading Area Community College and Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College

C. Glenn Davis Scholarship

Purdue University Calumet student ($1,000)

Art Schaefer Scholarship

Dunwoody College of Technology student ($1,500)

Richard C. Ryan Packaging Education Scholarship

Alexandria Technical & Community College student Riley Samari ($2,000)

Enercon Industries’ Bill Zito Scholarship

University of Wisconsin — Stout student Oliver Ballinger ($1,500)

“Winning this means a lot to me and will help me continue and complete my packaging engineering degree,” Ballinger writes in a thank-you note to Enercon. “I look forward to what future opportunities can bring.”

Mark Plantier, vice president of marketing, Enercon Industries, says, “The Bill Zito Scholarship is one way Enercon gives back to the packaging community, supporting exemplary students preparing for a career in the packaging field.”

Application deadlines for several 2015 scholarships are in the spring. See pmmi.org/scholarships for details.

For more information on PMMI’s scholarships, contact Dawn Smith, education program coordinator, PMMI: [email protected] or 571.612.3200.

 
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