Module 2 - Introduction to the School of Packaging

Objectives of this Module

To provide necessary information for students who are considering changing their major to Packaging.

To gain an understanding of the background, size and complexity of the School of Packaging at Michigan State University.

To learn about other packaging programs located in the US and in other countries.

To locate the school of Packaging web page.

Origin      Proposals for development of a packaging education program were put forward by industry as early as 1947, and the School of Packaging was actually started in a very modest manner in 1952. Various other proposals and suggestions, from on-campus and industry, followed. A graduate student in the Forest Products Department, James Goff, was asked to develop the first course. An advertisement for the course was printed in the campus newspaper and in Fall Quarter of 1953, there were 5 students enrolled. In summary, the packaging program began with one part-time graduate assistant instructor and 5 students.

      Over the next few years, enrollment grew. Dr. Goff obtained a faculty position and handled all aspects of the packaging program, including student recruitment, teaching, public relations, curriculum development, placement, and the development of a research program. The program was allocated space in an old log cabin and later in a barracks built during WWII. In 1976, a new building was constructed to house the program. Unlike most university buildings, which were financed by the state, the packaging building was financed by companies in the packaging business. The faculty grew and graduate programs were added. In 1987, a large addition was built onto the building.

      Today, the situation is much different than it was at the beginning. The School of Packaging at Michigan State University is now the leading academic packaging program in the world. There are about 550 undergraduate students and approximately 100 graduate students, including about 20 PhD candidates. MSU produces more than half of all the packaging graduates in the US. Students come from many countries. Currently, there are graduate students from Japan, Korea, Thailand, China, Brazil, Mexico, and other countries. There are also international undergraduate students.

The packaging building has more than 48,000 square feet of offices and laboratories with much of the latest scientific equipment. There is also a

conference center which is used for lifelong education (adult education). The following section shows different views of the building.

Exterior of the School of Packaging building

The Reading Room in the School of Packaging (This is scheduled to be remodeled)

Film blowing in the Plastics Processing Laboratory

CAD/CAM equipment for making samples of boxes and cartons for teaching and research

The Food Packaging Lab has mass Spectrometers, Gas Chromatographs, and even an “Electronic Nose”

In the Medical Packaging Lab, graduate students do research on Child Resistant packaging, Tamper Evident packaging, Package label legibility, and other ergonomic topics

There are a variety of packaging machines in the Machinery Lab

Curriculum      Undergraduate packaging students take a set of packaging and non-packaging courses including Physics, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Business, etc. The core curriculum, courses that each student must complete and pass, includes PKG 101 (this course) and courses on packaging materials, machinery, distribution and protective packaging, packaging computer applications and package design. The complete curriculum, including the business cognate, is discussed on the School of Packaging web page.

Enrolling in Packaging      Each year, a few students come to MSU as freshmen and immediately select packaging as a major. However, the vast majority of packaging students find out about the program after arriving on campus. Many of them take PKG 101 to get additional information about packaging as a field of study. If you are

considering a transfer to Packaging, you should discuss your interest with a faculty member or contact the Packaging academic advisor.

      Eventually, if you do decide to switch to packaging, you will have to work with the advisor, Jane crowner. She can tell you about the entrance requirements, admission to the upper division, dual majors, and similar topics. The School of Packaging employs professional advisors instead of having advising done by the faculty. In this way, students get more timely, consistent, and accurate information. You can find information needed to contact the advisor on the School of Packaging web page.

Other undergraduate programs at the School of Packaging      The school of Packaging operates several other programs for undergraduate students, as described below.

Internships:      An internship gives a student the opportunity to experience the world of professional work. A packaging internship is usually one or two semesters in length. Companies post internship openings on a special web page for review by students. Students prepare and post their resumes and sign up for interviews. The representatives of the companies then select students for each position.

A few students do a second internship. Besides being a valuable educational experience, an internship gives a student a chance to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of employment after graduation by a particular company or in a particular industry. Similarly, the company has a chance to evaluate the student as a potential full-time employee. In addition, and at times most importantly, packaging students generally are well paid for their work while on internships and can receive academic credits toward graduation.

For more information about Internships, contact Mr. Ron Iwaszkiewicz, the Packaging Placement Coordinator.

Study abroad:      The School of Packaging operates four summer study abroad programs. A program in the United Kingdom is held for approximately one month each summer. Programs in Sweden, Japan and Spain operate for approximately two weeks. One to three of these programs are conducted each summer. In the Summer of 2007, there were programs in the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Spain. In 2008, programs will be held in the UK and Japan.

      In addition, there are opportunities for packaging students to gain international experience by spending a semester or more in attendance at a foreign university. In recent years, students have attended universities in Ireland, Germany and Switzerland this way.

Student organizations:      Packaging students can belong to three packaging student organizations. The Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP), the primary student organization, is open to all students. The packaging honorary society, restricted to students with a superior academic record, is Pi Kappa Gamma (PKG). The third society is Women in Packaging. These groups sponsor plant visits and social activities, arrange for industry speakers, and conduct other activities.

Faculty and adjunct faculty      The School of packaging currently has 17 full time faculty and staff members plus several part time individuals, visiting scholars, etc. The faculty of the School of Packaging is listed on the school of Packaging web page. The School was recently informed that several new positions have been approved by the university. These positions will be filled as soon as possible. It is anticipated that the new faculty will strengthen the research program as well as contributing to the teaching and outreach activities of the School.

The newest faculty member is Dr. Maria Rubino. Dr. Rubino received an MS degree from MSU and her PhD from the University of Manitoba. She has developed a new laboratory and is conducting several projects on food packaging. She is cooperating with faculty from several other departments. Before returning to MSU, Dr. Rubino was employed for several years in the packaging program at RIT (Rochester Institute of technology).

Dr. Amar Mohanty another relatively recent hire, was born and educated in India. He was employed for several years in India until he was awarded a prestigious scholarship to support additional research and education in Germany. He came to the Composite Materials Center at MSU and joined the Packaging faculty in 2003. He is an expert in many facets of polymer processing and manufacturing including Nano-technology. It was recently announced that Dr. Mohanty is leaving the School of Packaging and MSU. He will move to the University of Guelph, in Ontario< where he will administer a national research program on bio-based materials.

Required link: Go to the School of Packaging web page at pkg.msu.edu and follow the menus to find information about individual faculty members. This is a good way to get information about a potential faculty advisor for a student who is considering becoming a packaging graduate student. (Note: The School of Packaging web page has recently been revised, so be prepared to explore if it has changed.)

Other packaging education programs     Other undergraduate degree granting packaging programs in the US are

listed below. RIT is the second largest program. Some of the others are quite small.

Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY Clemson University, Clemson, SC University of Wisconsin - Stout, Menominee, WI University of Missouri - Rolla, Rolla, MO Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ Indiana State University, Terra Haute, IN California Polytechnic Institute, San Louis Obispo, CA San Jose State University, San Jose, CA University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

There are also programs in other countries. For example, the programs at Rhiems, France, Brantford, Ontario, Canada, and Lund, Sweden are quite strong. There are groups working to start or strengthen programs in other places, such as the UK, Korea, Mexico, Thailand, and Spain. However, the biggest foreign player is China. Recently, a report was received indicating that there are 49 university based packaging education programs in China and a few, at least, have several hundred students. There is only limited information available about the number of faculty, faculty backgrounds, equipment, and other resources. It is not surprising that China should have an interest in strengthening the available packaging skill and technology as a means to support their manufacturing and export programs.

Jobs and salaries      There are usually numerous jobs available in the packaging industry. Recent graduates with a BS in Packaging from Michigan State University started at an average salary around $45,000 per year per year in 2007. Of course, some graduates get more and some get less. For example, several recent graduates took positions in the corrugated board industry even though other positions were available with higher starting salaries. Some of these individuals wanted to work as designers and some wanted to work for small companies. Typically, graduates who take this type of position expect to achieve rapid promotion and salary increases.

Many packaging graduates are hired before graduation and most have a job within 60 days of graduation.

      Like any other major, the job situation in packaging is better in some years than others. For information about the current job situation, contact Ron Iwaszkiewicz at the School of Packaging. His phone number, e-mail address, etc. are available on the School of Packaging web page.

School of Packaging research program      The school of Packaging has a broad and active research program. Most

of the research is supported by industry contracts, but there is some government funding as well. Two research centers have been organized:

The Center for Food and Pharmaceutical Packaging Research The Consortium for Distribution Packaging.

      In addition, there is an active program of package and pallet testing and other industry involvement. Most of the laboratory work is done by graduate research assistants working under the direction of a faculty member.

     The most active areas of packaging research include: food packaging, medical packaging, distribution and protective packaging, and the effect of packaging on the environment, but research is also being done on packaging machinery, radio frequency identification, packaging line simulation, and other topics.

School of Packaging graduate programs      There are approximately 100 graduate students taking one of four graduate programs at the School of Packaging. Programs include:

MS (Plan A) with research and a thesis. MS (Plan B) with extra course work and a report (no research or thesis). MS (Plan B) done on web based courses. PhD with research and thesis.

      Students come from many countries, including Japan, Thailand, Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Taiwan, China, and others. Admission requirements and other information about the graduate programs can be found on the School of Packaging web page www.pkg.msu.edu.

SummaryThis concludes the presentation about the School of Packaging. For more

information, see the School of Packaging web page or contact the course instructor.

The Shock and Vibration Laboratory is typical of various labs in the School of Packaging