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Clemson award winners announced

Clemson University has announced that Sarah Zemitis is the Packaging World Outstanding Packaging Science Senior for Spring 2016 while Kelsey Byrd has been named the Dr. Robert Testin Outstanding Packaging Science Senior Award winner for Spring 2016.

Sarah Zemitis of Clemson University is Packaging World Outstanding Packaging Science Senior for Spring 2016.
Sarah Zemitis of Clemson University is Packaging World Outstanding Packaging Science Senior for Spring 2016.

Zemitis views packaging as the perfect balance between her interests in both art and science. She interned the past two summers with Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, OH, in research & development. During her time there, she was able to work in upstream packaging and collaborate with their carton supplier through business trips to Montreál. In upstream packaging, she conducted consumer studies in an effort to generate a qualy/quant model for a particular consumer experience. Working directly with the consumer has been the highlight of both summers. Her next steps are to go to graduate school for Materials Science & Engineering, where she intends to study polymeric materials.

At Clemson, Zemitis had the privilege of founding and serving on the executive board of Sigma Alpha Omega sorority. She held leadership positions in student government and Packaging club, and she served as an orientation ambassador. She has a strong passion for fitness and wellness; she currently teaches fitness classes at Fike and as well as teaching the elderly population through Be Well Pendleton!

Senior Packaging Science major Kelsey Byrd plans to graduate in May with an emphasis in Package Design and Graphics. During her time at Clemson, Byrd has maintained active membership in the Calhoun Honors College and will graduate with the distinctions of both General and Departmental Honors. Additionally, she completed a semester-long package design co-op rotation with Package Insight, LLC in Greenville, SC, as well as a summer internship with Spanx’s creative department in Atlanta, GA. Over the past four years, Byrd has participated in a number of nationally recognized design competitions, finishing third in IoPP’s 2015 48-Hour Repack Student Design Challenge. After graduation, Byrd plans to pursue a career in brand management and design.

Dr. Robert Testin was the first department chair for Packaging Science at Clemson University.

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