SPE sees jump in student members

AKRON, OHIO — Russell Broome laid out plans by the Society of Plastics Engineers to attract more young people to plastics during the SPE Akron Section's annual awards night.

“One of my strong areas of focus is re-energizing not only the student demographic but young professionals,” said Broome, who was named SPE's managing director last year.

Broome had a good venue to outline SPE's efforts to gain both younger members, and also involve more original equipment manufacturers in society events. At the banquet, held May 18 at Firestone Country Club, the Akron Section gave out four scholarships to college students, named the high school winners of an essay contest, and honored two industry veterans for longstanding service to SPE.

Broome joined SPE as a student member while in college at North Carolina State University in 1992. He served as SPE president for the 2011-2012 year.

SPE has beefed up its social media presence, through its site The Chain — for polymer chain — on the SPE website. The Chain includes a moderated discussion platform called Tech Talk, a career area matching people with jobs and a chat room called the SPE Cafe.

“We're trying to get the message out the way they are communicating today,” Broome said.

And now, instead of $31 a year, student membership to SPE is free, thanks to a partnership between SPE and the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc. Student membership dues are waived, as SPI and SPE share the membership costs. The offer applies to students who are U.S. citizens with primary residency in the United States.

Broome said that SPE ran a trial free-membership in the fourth quarter of 2014, and SPE's student population more than doubled, from about 1,100 to 2,500. That led SPE to find a way to subsidize student membership fees.

In his Akron talk, Broome also said SPE wants to attract more OEMs to society activities. That can help students make important connections, he said.

“I'm very focused on trying engage our academic demographic with the corporate, industrial side of our industry. You'll see us trying to partner with folks like Apple, Stihl and Tupperware to bring them into our functions, our events, our Topcons,” he said.

SPE also is looking for corporate sponsors to help underwrite events, which can lower the cost to attend. “We can get more attendees at our events, and if we have twice as many attendees at an Antec or a Topcon, that makes it even more attractive to a corporate sponsor,” Broome said.

Before the evening banquet, Broome visited the University of Akron, known for its polymer science and engineering programs. It was part of the 2015 SPE U Tour, sponsored by Autodesk Inc., which makes Moldflow simulation software for plastics.

The SPE Foundation offers scholarships to college students enrolled in plastics programs. Broome said SPE needs to do more for high school students, to promote the industry. SPE is working with universities to offer scholarships to high school seniors.

“Where we're missing the game is getting those kids from high school into a college plastics program,” he said.

Broome said the Plastivan program, which brings a traveling educational exhibit to local schools, is a great way to promote the industry. He encouraged local SPE sections and companies to help raise the $1,500 it costs for one full day of at a school.

The Akron Section of SPE gave out two awards.

Missi Zender-Sakach, a longtime educator, joined the Plastics Hall of Honor. Her portrait will be added to the hall at the University of Akron's polymer building.

Zender-Sakach is an educational consultant at the Sciences and Education Service Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, where she promotes polymers to students in a wide regional area.

“I'm so honored and privileged,” Zender-Sakach said, noting that the local SPE section has supplied a large number of hands-on plastics educational kits over the years.

Akron Section secretary David Schultz introduced her. “Missi's a very energetic person. She's enthusiastic,” he said. Zender-Sakach helps lead the Akron Council of Engineering and Scientific Societies to develop STEM educational programs (science, technology, engineering and math).

The William C. Zekan Memorial Service Award went to Jennifer Digiantonio for her years of service to the Akron Section. She created the section's first emailed newsletter in 2003, improving communication and helping the local group get nine awards from the national SPE.

The e-newsletter saved the Akron Section $20,000 a year, replacing a newsletter that had been printed and sent through the mail, according to Robert Wegelin, who heads the section's scholarship foundation and introduced Digiantonio.

“I'm humble,” she said. “I really enjoy working with this group.”

Digiantonio will retire in a few weeks from her job as quality systems administrator at ExxonMobil Chemical Corp.

The Akron Section also awarded scholarships:

• Daniel Truax, in his second year at Case Western Reserve University, earned the Special Merit Scholarship.

• Joshua Dambik, at the University of Akron, picked up the Goodyear Scholarship.

• The Rubbermaid Scholarship went to Matthew McGarry, who will attend Shawnee State University.

• Jonathan Mileski, who will attend Ohio State University, got the Jim Steiner Memorial Scholarship.

• Connor O'Brien will use the Kenneth L. Sharp Memorial Scholarship for his studies at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Two students at Rocky River High School won the Wonders of Plastics Essay Contest. Hannah Hetman and Mallory Krajcek wrote “Who Dat? Who Dat? P-L-A-S-T-I-C”. Their teacher is Joseph Toner.

Also at the dinner meeting, Vivian Malpass handed the reins of Akron Section president to Keith Pelfrey, principal engineer at Akron-based GOJO Industries Inc. Pelfrey works in skin care science and new technology.

Updated May 22: A previous version of this story misidentified the increase in student participation in SPE.