July 3, 2007

High School Students Participate in Packaging Seminars at CBU

Thirty high schools students from local schools participated in two packaging programs at Christian Brothers University, June 18-29. A field trip to Medtronic Sofamor Danek was included among visits to area industries concerned with packaging engineering; others included Pratt Industries, Schering Plough, and Bryce Corporation. “Introduction to Packaging Engineering” and “Introduction to Corrugated Packaging” demonstrated to the students that packages transported from one place to another have to be able to withstand the rigors associated with not only the U.S. transportations system but those found internationally. The courses were made available through a grant from the International Corrugated Packaging Foundation and the CBU School of Engineering.

John Ackerman (home schooled, 9th grade), Kenosha Davis (Craigmont High School, 12th grade), Albert Le (Central High School, 9th grade), and Kiara Ford (Ridgeway High School, 11th grade) made up the winning team in the Egg Cushion Competition, part of two packaging engineering programs offered by Christian Brothers University to area high school students, June 18-29. The goal of the contest was to design packaging (box and packing) to contain and protect raw chicken eggs from breaking when dropped from a height of 40 feet and more. The courses, “Introduction to Packaging Engineering” and “Introduction to Corrugated Packaging,” were made available through a grant from the International Corrugated Packaging Foundation. The winning students are pictured with Dr. John Ventura, Dr. Siripong Malasri, Dr. Paul Shiue, and Bob Moats of the CBU School of Engineering.

Rodrick Dickerson (Whitehaven High School, 11th grade), Anthony Washington (Middle College High School, 12th grade), LaShundra Hopkins (Craigmont Middle School, 8th grade), Michael Massey (Bishop Byrne High School, 9th grade), and John Archer (St. Joseph Notre Dame High School of Alameda, Calif., 11th grade) made up the winning team in the Balsa Crate Competition, part of two packaging engineering programs offered by Christian Brothers University to area high school students, June 18-29. The goal of the contest was to design and construct a box entirely from quarter-inch balsa wood and Elmer’s white glue that would withstand as much weight and pressure as possible. The team’s winning crate weighed only one tenth of a pound and held up to 449 pounds of pressure. The courses, “Introduction to Packaging Engineering” and “Introduction to Corrugated Packaging,” were made available through a grant from the International Corrugated Packaging Foundation. The winning students are pictured with Dr. John Ventura, Dr. Siripong Malasri, and Bob Moats of the CBU School of Engineering.