In talking about her need for
the Scholarship, Sheri says, “after this current fall 2022 semester, all of my
scholarships will run out, so I will be funding my final semester without aid.
I'm also paying for my housing, travel, books, and general living expenses that
have become more expensive this past. This scholarship would help me avoid more
debt after graduation and allow me to jumpstart my career in the paper
industry. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to be considered for this
scholarship!”.
When
asked to discuss her interest and participation in the pulp and paper industry
thus far and in the future, Sheri says: “I've spent the past 4
1/2 years interning for paper companies, my total work experience equating to 2
1/2 years aside from this, I participated in events such as tappi
student summit, mentoring events, and volunteered with our paper engineering
recruiter to stay involved in the industry during the school year. After
graduation, I plan to start my career as a process engineer in a paper mill and
to focus on environmental sustainability and safety”
We
are also pleased to award
a
US $300 check (that he can use to purchase the Instrument Engineers
Handbook two-volume bookset, version 5, published
in 2016, at a 50% discount from the publisher) to Marco Ovidio Rodrigues.
He will graduate with a Professional Master's Degree in Control and Automation
Engineering from Centro Universitário de Goiás (UNIGOIAS) in December of 2023
When asked to tell why he is interested in the selected
industry(ies) above, Marco says, “Currently, in
Brazil, there is a great lack of professionals with specialization to work with
control and automation.”
When asked what have you achieved and/or
learned through your studies and activities that makes you stand out?; Marco
says, “I have always been an above average student, I organized the
formation of a student section in Brazil, chaired it for two years, became
coordinator of the student sections and help the Brazilian district to leverage
the student sections we have in the country.”
When asked to describe your future academic or career
goals in instrumentation, systems, and/or automation, Marco goes on to say,
“I will always be open to becoming the best professional in the field of
control and automation with a critical focus on passing on knowledge,
developing new volunteers for ISA and showing how essential it was in my
professional growth, because here I build a professional relationship network
in which provided me with great achievements and recognition.”
When asked how do you think the automation
industry will change in the next 10 years, Marco says, “The connected
industry is a path of no return, it will be in the cloud very soon, virtual
reality, exposed assets, network security and critical infrastructures will be
targets of constant attacks, we need to have a strong policy and teach more
about IEC62443, the industrial world soon it will be connected to 5G,
disruptive technologies will emerge every day, and it is ISA's role to monitor
and lead these events.”
Academic honors, civic honors or awards you have
received:
·
1ST place in the 2022 Science &
Technology Fair
·
Creation of a student section
·
President of the student section
·
Volunteer in the Brazil district and I do
·
Recognized as an exemplary leader in our student
section
·
Board Member - São Paulo Section
·
Board member - District F (Brazil) - onboarding
for new members
When asked why he
needs this scholarship, Marco says, “I applied for a scholarship and I
would really like to be approved for it, my income is very limited and I am
paying for my postgraduate degree, my daughter was born prematurely and spent
many days in the ICU and with that the financial situation got worse, anyway,
today (Ester, my daughter) is doing well and I do what I can to advance in my
studies.”
Marco is the
son of Ozilio, who works as a mason, and Aparecida,
who doesn't work; and has a brother, Marcelo, his doesn't work but
studies Diterito. Marco lives in Goiania, Goiás, with his wife, Cinthia, who doesn't work,
instead takes care of their two children, Benício and Ester. His Father,
Mother, & brother live in Catalão, Goiás, 260 km from Goiania and says he does not see
them very often.
Marco says,
“My name is Marco Ovídio, I graduated from the electrical engineering course at
the university center of Goias, where we had a
professor who was a member of the ISA section São Paulo, he introduced me to
ISA and I started the process of forming the ISA Uni Anhanguera
student section, with 17 students and the professor adivor
we founded our student section with the São Paulo section as the godmother of
our section, today we are 32 members. I chaired this section for 2 years and
accompanied the president of the Brazil district, (Gil Fabio and Miguel Borges)
on his journey in which I soon assumed the position of leader of the student
sections for the São Paulo section, the year after I graduated I assumed the
position of coordinator of the student sections of the Brazil district. I
participated in the DLC in Rio de Janeiro and presented a plan on how to create
and maintain student sections for all sections of our district, we reactivated
the Inatel student section that was being dismissed,
we opened a student section in the Bahia Section and today we are three student
sections active. We created a Mentorship program in the Brazil district in
partnership with members of the professional sections, where each mentor offers
a 6-month mentorship for two students and at the end of the mentorship, mentors
pay half the membership fee for students who are not members of ISA become
student members. Today I am also part of the São Paulo Section Board and I am a volunteer in the events we hold. In
partnership and friendship with (Claudio Makarovisk)
we made a large donation of his private library of books to our student
section. Digital Transformation of the Industry and the Impacts on Engineering,
at the end a mentorship was carried out for some students who came to us. Today
I am a graduate student in energy engineering at the E-class institute, and I
graduate at the end of the year. Although all my training is in energy and
automation, I have a lot of knowledge in telecommunications and I have recently
been appointed to the cybersecurity area, so a new trajectory will begin
because my knowledge in networks and security is basic.”
When asked about
his hobbies Marco says, “I love being with my family because time is very
limited, when I have some time alone I dedicate myself to development projects
in telecommunications, I love electronic circuits, control and automation, I
use all this experience to help students in our student section, promoting mini
courses and onboarding on different topics.”
2022 PUPID SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
The ISA Pulp & Paper
Industry Division is pleased to award the 2022 PUPID Scholarship to Nathan Stephens from Miami University in
Oxford, Ohio and to Sheri E Cuddeback from
Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
As the
winner, Nathan will receive a $700 cash award as well as the two-volume set of
the fifth edition (2016) Instrument Engineers Handbook, autographed by
editor Béla Lipták; and, as the runner-up, Sheri will only receive the bookset.
Describing his school activities and leadership roles, Nathan says: “In my senior year of high school, I was named the saxophone
section leader for marching band, jazz ensemble, and wind ensemble. During that
time, I got to organize the saxophone sections and work with others in out of
class practices. For 3 semesters in college, I was our AIChE Student Chapter’s
Treasurer, in which I closely worked with our presidents and Miami’s student
government body for club funding. I took care of conference registrations along
with hotel accommodations, travel arrangements, and meal budgets.”
Nathan was born and
raised in Fairfield, OH where he went to Fairfield high school & was the
saxophone section leader his senior year in the band program and marching band
at Fairfield.
His dad, Gregory
Stephens, is a Common Pleas Court Judge for Butler County, Ohio. His mom,
Heather Stephens, works for the Titles Office in Hamilton, Ohio. His sister,
Megan Stephens, also goes to Miami University and she is studying History.
For fun I like to jog, play racquetball, play
video games, watch shows with my family.
My dog, Oreo, and I have
fun playing outside together.
In Spring of 2021 I
interned with Packaging Corporation of America at the Mundelein Technical and
Development Facility where he led a project during the last few months of my
internship about the impact of ECT strength by varying sample heights relative
to the TAPPI standard & got to expand his knowledge into packaging testing
and performance according to ISTA standards & learned how to practically
apply data analysis techniques to the pulp and paper industry.
Nathan goes on to say,
“During my time in Chicago, I was involved with Quentin Road Baptist Church
and helped serve food to people in their Addiction Recovery Program. I got to
see new places like Forest Park Beach on Lake Michigan and Six Flags
Amusement Park”.
Describing his other scholarships
include:
Nathan says, “In 2019, I was selected to participate in the
Georgia Pacific Engineering Engagement Program which introduced me to the Paper
Industry.”
Regarding his
extracurricular activities and hobbies, Nathan
says; “In my spare time I like exercising and playing sports. I play pool and
racquetball with my dad and often I like jogging outside when the weather is
warm. I also like playing board games and video games that stimulate my
thinking. At Miami University, I got involved with some clubs such as: AIChE,
TAPPI, and Miami
University Marching Band for 1 year. I have been involved in
some extracurricular clubs at Miami University Student chapter AIChE. Was the
treasurer for 1 ½ years, did some community outreach projects around local
parks, the Student chapter TAPPI. Shown to the left is our class trip for this
year to Circleville, Ohio to visit the Sofidel tissue
mill.
Nathan goes on to describe the
most important thing he has learned from his employment is
People. “During my time at the Clerk of Courts office, the most valuable lesson
I learned was the importance of maintaining an excellent work ethic and making
the most of a workday, which transitioned into my time with PCA. During my
co-op with PCA, the most valuable things I learned was about time management
and efficiency when juggling multiple projects”.
In talking about his Need for the Scholarship, Nathan says,
“Since I am graduating this spring, I would like to remove some of my student
debt using this scholarship. After graduating I am undecided on where to work, but hopefully a
boxplant or paper mill as a process controls
engineer.”
Sheri lists some “Fun facts”
about herself: “I have two pets, a cat named Wanda (Scarlet Witch from Marvel)
and a bearded dragon named Daenerys (Mother of Dragons from Game of Thrones)”
In
addition to my classes at Western, I also enrolled in Kalamazoo Valley
Community College’s Sustainable Brewing Program in 2020 to earn my Brewing
Certificate there. I have been able to finish a 34 credit
program (on top of being full-time at WMU) and I have absolutely loved it. I am
currently working at a new brewery in Kalamazoo, Brewery Outré. I have been
assisting in the brewing of the beer on tap, “Beertending”,
helping with any of the start-up tasks, and I also have developed my own recipe
that we recently brewed on the system (I will have my own recipe on tap for
people to enjoy, YAY). I plan to
continue my homebrewing journey and I hope to meet people who are just as
enthusiastic about the science and drinking of beer,
as me in Iowa.
Describing
her school activities and leadership roles:
For two years I have held positions on Ts’ai Lun (WMU Paper Engineering Registered Student
Organization). This year I am President (2021-2022) and last year I was
Secretary (2020-2021). During my time as Secretary, I was able to coordinate
many fun events such as Freshman Trivia Night, Fall Field Trip with Verso
Corporation, Design-a-Sled Competition, Galentine’s Day (Woman in Paper Event),
and BBQ/Scavenger Hunt at Oshtemo Park. I was an
integral part of ensuring that students were given as many opportunities as
possible to interact with each other at Ts’ai Lun
events, even during a pandemic. Students have been forced into isolation and it
has been extremely difficult to have the social aspects of our lives taken
away; therefore, having socially distanced in-person events have been something
that we can all look forward to.
As President I have been able to grow my
leadership skills through delegation of tasks, running meetings with board
members, establishing effective communication with students in the program,
ensuring that important tasks are completed, creating fun event ideas, and
working to fix any issues that may occur within the organization. During my
Presidency I have connected with industry professionals in different facets of
the pulp and paper industry and invited them to present to students about
opportunities (outside of a mill setting). I have had an alumni
from the program who works at Target for the tissue/paper division, individuals
from Kadant Johnson, a team from Fishersolve
International, and an individual from Capstone Technology present to the
students. Additionally, I have helped plan community involvement events such as, Highway Cleanup & Versiti
Blood Drive.
Additionally, as an upperclassmen,
I have served as a mentor to the incoming freshman that start in our program
and I also work to create an environment within the program that feels safe for
Women in STEM. Being a woman in STEM can be very intimidating at times and to
help create a space for women to talk about those intimidations/struggles I
have collaborated with the Ts’ai Lun board to
coordinate “Women in Paper Engineering” events. During the fall 2020 semester,
I hosted the event at my apartment and the other in February 2021 was a
Galentine’s Day at a local restaurant. Lastly, this year (Feb 2022) I hosted a
Galentine’s Day event at a local candle making shop These events allow for
opportunities to share our industry experiences, establish friendships, and
create a support system with other women in the program! My fears of being in a
male dominated industry dissipate because I know that the future will be full
of intelligent, creative, and strong women.
Describing
her other scholarships, Sheri lists:
•
Ts’ai Lun Paper Engineering
RSO President (2021-2022)
•
Ts’ai Lun Paper Engineering
RSO Secretary (2020-2021)
•
WMU Presidential
Scholars Award
•
WMU Paper Technology
Foundation Scholarship Recipient
•
WMU Gary L. Belleville
Student Employee of the Year Award Nominee
•
TAPPI Coating and
Graphic Arts Robert W. Hagenmeyer Scholarship
•
Couch Pit University:
Sandy Nyman Papermaker’s Spousal Support Scholarship Recipient
•
WMU “STEM Outreach”
Volunteer
•
WMU Paper Engineering
Program Recruiting Volunteer
•
KVCC Brew Club Member
•
Mott Community College
(MCC) Soccer Club creator, Vice President, and Captain
•
MCC Board of Trustees
Student Speaker
•
MCC Honor Society Member
•
MCC Phi Theta Kappa
Inductee
•
MCC National Society of
Leadership and Success Member
When
asked for a favorite memories; Sheri says, “One
of my favorite memories during my time in the Paper Engineering program was my
internship experience in Owensboro, KY. I made four wonderful friends during my
time in Kentucky and we had so much fun together. We
went camping together, had weekly game nights (one in which, we all learned to
play Dungeons & Dragons), we had a “Bob Ross Paint Night”, we went out for
weekly dinners, picked strawberries together & made jam, and went on
several road trips together. It was a great summer and I’ll never forget it!”
Sheri goes on to
describe the most important thing she has learned from her employment, she says “I
believe one of the most important skills to have as an engineer is your
effective communication skills. Being able to work with a wide range of people
and learning how to build trust and a working relationship with them is vital
to having a successful workplace. Throughout my work experiences in the pulp
and paper industry thus far I have worked not only on my technical skills, but
also my soft skills. Learning to effectively prioritize projects, working in
multidisciplinary groups, learning to run an effective meeting, taking
criticism, and growing as an individual, and balancing workloads have been some
of the most important lessons I have learned. Along with all the soft skills, I
have also had the opportunity to learn a lot of technical skills in industry. I
have been able to learn so much during my work experiences, but I will
summarize all my projects/ key learnings into the most important to me. At my
co-op with Verso Corporation, some of my key learnings included learning how to
run industrial trials, learning that operators are your best friend & #1
resource, and finding ways to look for areas of improvement and optimization
within the mill (chemical/raw material optimizations). At my internship with
Kimberly-Clark in Owensboro, KY some of the key learnings I’ve obtained were
learning how tissue is manufactured, utilizing the 4-step problem solving
method to troubleshoot current issues at the mill and create potential
trials/experiments to fix them, learning how to work with vendors on equipment
issues, and using creativity to make a part for the machine (I made a windage
guard for a piece of equipment on the Yankee Dryer). Lastly, at my final
internship with Kimberly-Clark in Maumelle, AR I was able to learn more about
the computer communication and programming side of the industry (more of the
process control side). I was tasked with creating PI Tags that matched with
instrument tags for the new coform machine that
started up the year prior. I also worked on programming the APRISO centerlining system to make sure the most vital information
was being monitored, which meant sifting through hundreds of tags and ensuring
they were properly pulling data. I was able to learn a lot about the PLC, HMI,
PI, and Logix Systems.”.
In
talking about her need for the Scholarship, Sheri says, “During
my time at Western, I had to take out one student loan to pay for school.
Having this scholarship would assist me greatly towards paying that loan off
and take the burden of having looming debt at the beginning of my career, off
my shoulders. This scholarship would be the final assistance that I need to
help finish my higher education.
When
asked to discuss her interest and participation in the pulp and paper industry
thus far and in the future, Sheri says: “When I began my
education in the Paper Engineering program at Western, I was intrigued by the
environmentally friendly potential of the pulp and paper industry and the
ingenuity in paper products that can replace single-use plastics. My career
goals have always revolved around making a difference in the environment in a
positive and more “green” way! As I make my way into the pulp and paper
industry full-time, I still have my goals to work for companies that are
putting sustainability and the environment at the top of their focus. I want my
work to be meaningful and make a change for the betterment of the earth for
future generations, whether that be working in material science/Product
Development roles, Environmental Engineering roles, or working on optimizing
the current processes within the pulp and paper industry to conserve energy,
water, and/or fiber resources. Additionally, during my time at WMU I have been
so lucky to have been mentored and assisted by some wonderful individuals. I
want to grow as an engineer so I can offer the same mentorship to the future
paper engineers. I want to be a mentor that gives them meaningful projects, can
offer advice, and support when needed! I really would like to give back to the
paper engineers at Western!”
Sheri goes on to say, “I am moving to
Cedar Rapids, IA to work as a Process Engineer at International Paper. I am
excited to be starting at IP because they have some fun capital projects coming
up at their mill that I am very ecstatic to be a part of. I am ready to start
my journey as a professional in industry and I look forward to learning new
things, meeting new people, and expanding my knowledge in corrugated
manufacturing.”
2021 PUPID SCHOLARSHIP WINNER
The
ISA Pulp & Paper Industry Division is pleased to award the 2021 $2000 PUPID
Scholarship for the second time to Andrew Jamison McCabe from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. A
member of the University’s Honors Program, Andrew raised his GPA from 3.79 to
3.83 this year. Andrew will graduate this December with a Bachelor of Science
in Paper Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Applied Mathematics.
Describing his school activities and leadership roles: Since last year when I received the 2020 PUPID Scholarship, I
have been fortunate to hold the position of President at the local student
section of TAPPI. Going into this role I expected an entirely different world,
let alone a different mindset, but have been fortunate to work with a
passionate executive board of students that have worked together to put on over
two dozen events this past year. These events range from volunteering to
employer nights and have been a stable way of creating the community we are so
accustomed to here in our ‘paper family’ despite the current global situation.
Andrew’s other scholarships include:
•
Major Elbert A. Welsh Education Award (2020)
•
Armstrong Energy (2020)
•
WMU CHEG Endowed (2020)
•
ISA PUPID Scholarship (2020)
•
Voted ‘Outstanding Student for Community Involvement’
•
Col. Charles E. Bayliss (2019)
•
TAPPI Process Control (2019)
•
Haenicke Institute Scholarship Recipient (2018)
•
Paper Technology Foundation Recipient (2016 – Present)
•
WMU CAES (2016 – 2020)
Regarding his extracurricular
activities and hobbies, Andrew says; “I still care for home repair and
woodworking. This past year has also enabled me to visit my partner out west
where she temporarily worked as a conservationist crew lead at Petrified Forest
National Park. Here I walked the aptly named Devils Playground loop in the
middle of the summer - a 8-mile loop I turned into a 13-mile hike by mistake.
As I graduate at the end of this year, I also hope to be able to take some time
off to hike the 3100-mile Continental Divide Trail from México to Canada. The
freedom this inspires often distracts me here at home and is something I
believe I must do”.
Andrew goes on to describe the
most important things he has learned from his employment is People. “I continue
to become more passionate about teams working well together and wish to see
myself continue to learn more in this field. In my work at Wieland, the general
contractor building the new Graphic Packaging International K2 ‘BRONCO’ Paper
Machine, I have now worked with over a dozen subcontractors and have worked on
the early parts of bid deliberation as well as executing said work in the
field. It is my paper experience that means I have been able to contribute to a
team that has already built several mills in the country.It
is working with these many groups of people, through varied subcontractors,
that I have continued to learn about project management and the effect it plays
on every size project as well as to appreciate a diverse background of people.
Nearly everyone I work with is from Texas, Louisiana, or Arkansas – I have been
fortunate to learn to appreciate their homes as a place of beauty from their
varied stories and photographs.
In talking about his Need for
the Scholarship, Andrew says that specifically, this contribution to my
schooling would pay for some of my summer courses I am taking this year to be
able to graduate by the end of the year. The courses I am taking are Physical
chemistry, discrete mathematics, and organic chemistry 2. This funding would of
course enable me to focus more time on my studies and less time on my work
(until I finish my hike at least!).Interest in GPS, Paper
and Allied Industries. The graphic printing sciences, paper, and affiliated
industries, specifically paper machine runnability and improvement, offer such
an array of technical challenges that I believe I will never be an expert at
any of these subjects. I constantly enjoy personal improvement and learning. It
is these industries that I continue to believe offers the most to learn from of
any industry. With this new construction taking place there is many
opportunities for me to get involved in instrumentation and all aspects of the
controls behind these great machines. I believe going forward that I wish to
work in the maintenance department at a mill at some point and to get a Masters In Electrical Engineering so I can pivot out of
machine runnability and into design. My courses right now include Fourier
transforms and signal processing through an advanced calculus course and I am
thoroughly enjoying these topics.
2020 PUPID SCHOLARSHIP WINNER
The
ISA Pulp & Paper Industry Division is pleased to award the 2020 $2000 PUPID
Scholarship to Andrew Jamison
McCabe from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. As a
member of the University’s Honors Program and with a GPA of 3.79, Andrew is a
junior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Paper Engineering, Chemical
Engineering, and Applied Mathematics.
Andrew says he’s proud to have
learned so much from them and continues to do so. His Father, Mike, works at
CHEP Pallets as team lead for US Customer service division, and Mother, Kathy,
works at Advantage Solutions as team lead to the Consumer Healthcare division.
His brother, Ben, works at Martin Transportation as a trucking dispatcher. Andrew says that he and Ben bond over working
on their cars such as his 1969 short-bed Chevy truck. Andrew is a 2016 graduate
of Hudsonville High School in Hudsonville, Michigan; located just fifty miles
north of Kalamazoo. Andrew says that although he has lived in CA, NJ, OH, MI,
and WI in total; he considers Hudsonville and Kalamazoo his homes anywhere he
goes though.
As a student in the Chemical
and Paper Engineering Department at Western Michigan University he says he has
been fortunate to participate in many extracurricular activities. Within the college of engineering
he has found many unique opportunities through the student organization, the
Sunseeker Solar Car team. On this team,
as a member of the solar sub-team, he has been able to apply for the Student
Sustainability Grant, rebuild the rear array for the 2016 car, successfully
race in the 2019 Formula Sun Grand Prix (while achieving 5th out of over 25
teams), and teach new team members about the ethylene-vinyl acetate process and
the soldering processes necessary to make useful solar panels.
Elsewhere on campus Andrew
participates in many activities, programs, and jobs the Office for
Sustainability hosts. These include
being a 18-19' sustainability fellow in the historic Gibbs House, creating a
Student Sustainability Grant funded woodworking course that has brought in and
taught over 50 students about woodworking as a useful form of sustainability,
as well as helped host many other community events or activities such as fun
nights and potlucks. Additionally, he is
a member of the WMU chapter of Pi Mu Epsilon.
This serves as the math club for campus.
Here he has given a talk on an approximate set of models for predicting
the growth of trees in a forest in several types of situations such as fires or
clear cuts. These models differ in being
based on difference and differential equations, respectively.
Within the Paper Engineering
student organization on campus, Tsai-Lun, he serves as the treasurer and have
successfully aided their group in receiving $5,000+ from funding sources around
campus. In this role he has also been a
speaker and mentor to first-year paper students and has helped lead trips to
Wisconsin and Atlanta for two separate field trips.
Andrew’s other scholarships include:
·
Colonel
Charles E. Bayliss Scholarship (2019 – Present)
·
TAPPI
Process Control Scholarship Recipient (2019)
·
Haenicke Institute Scholarship Recipient (2018)
·
Paper
Technology Foundation Endowed Scholarship Recipient (2016 – Present)
·
WMU
CAES Scholarship (2016 – Present)
Andrew goes on to say that
since his time at OMT-Veyhl he has recognized his
wish to expand his care and intention with coworkers. It is here that he was fortunate to work
closely with large industrial equipment for the first time, solidify his
intrigue in industry, but also to work closely day-to-day with numerous devoted
people. From here he says that he was
fortunate to be able to work closely with several crews while on co-op in
Rhinelander, WI. After this first co-op
there, he was offered and took the opportunity to work as a shift supervisor
for 6 more months before returning to school.
During this time, he discovered some of the most important things about
communication and teamwork that no other experience could afford him. At 3 am and without anyone else around is
when he had some of the best talks and hardest learning curves. It is from here that he learned that he
cherishes time with machine crews and that he wishes to work with them in some
fashion for the extent of my career.
Andrew is interested in being
able to understand the control systems such as those made by MeasureX, Honeywell, Rockwell, Voith, Valmet, and any other
systems in the paper industry. He says
he sees these as gateways to be able to build control systems and likely will
pursue a future degree in electrical engineering so that he may better
understand how to work with the electronic behind the scenes.
Andrew has accepted a co-op
position with Wieland Construction in Kalamazoo, MI and will be helping them
build the new Graphic Packaging International machine. Once this co-op finishes, he hopes to be
hired on fulltime and complete the construction of the machine as well as the
startup.
In his free time, he enjoys
woodworking and home repair. Through
travel to Costa Rica, Guatemala, and numerous contiguous US states he has
discovered many great memories with friends that center around backpacking, camping,
and learning about new cultures. As for physical activity Andrew greatly enjoys
rock climbing, hiking, running and plant identification. He says his favorite vacations stem around
being outdoors and learning how our natural world came to be. While not able to vacation, he says he really
enjoy building, welding, electrical work, and fine woodworking.
2019 PUPID SCHOLARSHIP WINNER
The
ISA Pulp & Paper Industry Division is pleased to award the 2019 $2000 PUPID
Scholarship to Anthony Weise from Miami University in Oxford Ohio. As a member
of the University’s Honors Program and with a GPA of 3.65, Anthony is a junior
pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Paper
Engineering and Process Control.
Anthony currently serves as
Regional Liaison for the Executive Student Committee of the American Institute
of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), owning the task of corresponding with
surrounding university’s Student Chapters of AIChE and promoting their growth and
development. Anthony also is serving as Recruitment Chair for Miami’s own
Student Chapter as well as for Scuba Diving/Snorkel Club of Miami University.
Through his efforts, the Scuba Diving/Snorkel Club of Miami University has
obtained a record high number of members.
Anthony’s Father, Robert
Weise, and Mother, Rita Weise, both work at the JACK Cleveland Casino. Anthony
graduated from Fairview High School in Fairview Park, Ohio; located just west
of Cleveland, Ohio. His younger brother, Brandon Weise, is a Senior at Fairview,
and his youngest brother, Cody Weise, is in Middle School.
In the past, Anthony had
served and worked for several positions including both Coordinator of
Recognition and Treasurer of the Nation Residence Hall Honorary as well as the
President of the Community Leadership Team of Morris Hall. Anthony has worked
at Miami University as a Residential Assistance, supervising
and providing guidance to residents, as well as a Student Researcher, exploring
the capabilities of MOSCED in viability as a program capable of chemical
compound properties prediction based on Abraham parameters.
Providing exceptional work and
willingness to grow Anthony has been interning as a Process Control Engineering
with the Kingsport Mill of Domtar and has been awarded the Domtar Award. Having
been a student member of both the International Society of Automation (ISA)
Pulp and Paper Industry Division (PUPID) and the Technical Association of the
Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) and showing incredible interest in the field
and optimism of growth, he has also been awarded the TAPPI Process Control
Scholarship.
Anthony hopes to continue this
positive momentum this summer, interning again at the Domtar Kingsport Mill,
and strives to achieve a bright career in the process control field in the
industry of pulp and paper.
With
the limited time in between his studies, work, and leadership positions Anthony
enjoys several hobbies. His favorite hobby is rock wall climbing, but it would
be no surprise if you saw him volunteering at AAF Animal Shelter, hiking,
playing board games, or even sky diving. He wishes to SCUBA Dive with his club
as well as host a Dungeons and Dragons campaign with his friends before he
graduates.
2018
PUPID SCHOLARSHIP WINNER
We are pleased to award the 2018 $2000 PUPID Scholarship, to Andrew D. Kathan from Western Michigan
University in Kalamazoo.
Andrew
is the son of Linda Kathan, a Store
Manager at getGo in Carmel, Indiana, and David Kathan, a Senior Managing
Consultant at Sogeti
in Indianapolis, Indiana. Andrew is a student at Western Michigan
University and is a member of the WMU Lee Honors College. He is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Paper
Engineering and minoring in Mathematics with a 3.98 GPA. He will spend this summer in Domtar’s Port
Huron mill (with Garrett Fisher) and
expects to graduate in December 2018.
Andrew
came to WMU in 2014 as a recipient of the Medallion Scholarship which is the
most prestigious merit-based scholarship for incoming undergraduates. He was also recently name
the Presidential Scholar for the WMU Department of Chemical and Paper
Engineering and has received numerous other awards during his college career,
including the 2016 WMU Paper & Chemical Departmental Scholarship, the TAPPI
Process & Production Quality Division Scholarship, the TAPPI Paper &
Board Division Scholarship, and the 2018 Engineer’s Week Dinner Scholarship.
Kathan
is also a member of Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society, as well as WMU’s
chapter of the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry
(TAPPI). Andrew has held a technology
co-op position with International Paper working on process variability
reduction, as well as two internship positions with Neenah Paper and Domtar
respectively working as a process engineer where he was able to run machine
trials, implement new chemical addition systems, and perform studies in the
wastewater treatment plant.
After
graduation, Andrew plans to work as an engineer in a paper mill for several
years and potentially attend graduate school to earn his Master’s in Business
Administration.
In
addition to his studies, Andrew has several hobbies that he is passionate
about. Andrew has performed
improvisational comedy for almost eight years; and is the current captain and
president of Worklight Improv, WMU’s improv comedy
team. This team prides itself on its
long form improv, of which they draw inspiration from theatres such as the iO and Second City.
Andrew hopes to continue his passion for improv and perform
professionally at an improv theatre after he graduates.
2017
PUPID SCHOLARSHIP WINNER
For the third year in a row,
we are pleased to award the 2017 $2000 PUPID Scholarship, to Garrett Fisher, a
senior dual major in Chemical Engineering and Paper Engineering (with a Process
Control option) from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo.
After my admonition a year ago
to “tighten up” when his grades slipped (LOL) all the way down to 3.85, Garrett
told me that he got another 4.0 this spring (2017).
After
having to leave his home state following his freshman year for his first co-op
as a Power Plant Process Control Intern in the RockTenn
mill in West Point, VA, Garrett has been able to stay closer to home for three
successive years. Two summers ago in the packaging division at Perrigo, a store
brand pharmaceutical company, in Allegan, MI – a 2-hour drive to home – and
last summer as a Process Engineering Intern at Domtar in Port Huron, MI; Garret
t decided to return Domtar’s Port Huron mill because “it’s close
to home (Omsted, Michigan)” and he can do a lot of
interesting things in the mill since it’s a relatively small mill and they let
him do mill chemical trials as well as new equipment installs. Garrett also
told me that he is able to work with PI and ParcView
and work with the mill’s control guy from Emerson. Being a very biased Control
Systems Engineer, I told him that we Automation & Controls Engineers
“control the world”; so do as much as you can to let
them be able to program the DCS, PLC, and HMIs in the mill.
Garrett’s
not just a “brain” but has a great sense of humor (and is a bit of a rebel,
too); when I asked him to send me a new picture he sent the picture above and
titled it “professional picture”. Just in case you don’t recognize the
big-headed guy sitting next to Garrett (Garrett’s the guy in the pink shirt);
that’s none other than Brutus Buckeye. Garrett says that although he’s lived in
Michigan all of his life; he’s always been a Buckeye fan (because both parents
are OSU alumnae).
So,
congratulations, Garrett; and keep making sure that I-94 is safe for passage.
2016 ISA PUPID Scholarship
See Garrett A. Fisher again!
For the second year in a
row, we are pleased to award the $2000 the 2016 PUPID Scholarship, to Garrett
Fisher, a senior dual major in Chemical Engineering and Paper Engineering (with
a Process Control option) from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo.
With all of his
activities over last year, Garrett’s grades have dropped all the way from 3.89
to 3.85; you better “tighten up”, Garrett (LOL).
After having to leave his
home state following his freshman year for his first co-op as a Power Plant
Process Control Intern in the RockTenn mill in West Point, VA, Garrett has been
able to stay closer to home for two successive years. Last summer in the
packaging division at Perrigo, a store brand pharmaceutical company, in Allegan, MI – a 2-hour drive to home – and
this summer as a Process Engineering Intern at Domtar in Port Huron, MI (just
across the border from Sarnia, Ontario. (Garrett, enjoy visiting Canada AND for
doing your part to insure that I-94 is safe for travel.)
2015 ISA PUPID Scholarship
Meet
Garrett A. Fisher
The ISA Pulp & Paper Industry Division is pleased to award its
$2000 scholarship to Garrett A.
Fisher, a junior pursuing a dual
major in Chemical Engineering and Paper Engineering (with a Process Control
option) and a member of the Lee Honors College at Western Michigan University
in Kalamazoo, MI. Garrett will graduate in May, 2017 and currently has a GPA of
3.89 out of 4.00 and a member of the Dean’s List for the first three semesters
at WMU.
Garrett graduated
from Onsted (Michigan) Community High School in 2013 as valedictorian of his
class and a four year starter on the varsity bowling
team was the Valedictorian. His parents are Scott and Jennifer Fisher, both
graduates of the Ohio State University with degrees in Physical and
Occupational Therapy. Garrett says “yes, I was the middle child between two sisters so I definitely had an interesting childhood” and he
“was the first of my family to ever go to school for a degree in engineering”.
His older sister, Jackie (22 years old), attended MSU as an undergraduate in
their law program before transferring to Ohio State to complete law school, and
she is currently about to finish up her first year there. His other sister,
Gabby (17 years old), just completed her senior year and will be attending
Siena Heights University as an undergraduate in education.
Garrett goes on to say that “last summer I was employed by RockTenn in West Point, VA as a Power Plant Process
Control Intern as just a freshman in the paper program. While there I learned
so much about industrial processes that go on around us that I was then hired
early my sophomore year (this year) by Perrigo (in Allegan, MI – a 2-hour drive
to home – who can blame him), a store brand pharmaceutical company, to be
a summer intern this summer in their packaging division. While there I hope to
optimize their packaging systems with my specialized interest in the paper
process”.
Garrett was a member of the team that won the Engineering
Competition at the 2014 TAPPI Student Summit held in Syracuse, NY; and is also
an active student member of the WMU T’Sai Lun (Paper Chapter) and AIChE chapter.
Garrett says “my extracurricular activities include, but are
not limited to anything outdoors, especially skiing, which I am glad to say
that there is plenty of in Kalamzoo, MI. I also enjoy
playing basketball and bowling after a long to unwind. Finally, I have a
musical passion for the drums as I enjoy the rhythms of songs”.
2014 ISA PUPID Scholarship
Meet
Jennifer Fink
The ISA Pulp & Paper Industry Division is pleased to award a $2000
scholarship to a college student pursuing a career in pulp & paper. This
year, the winner is another “top-notch” student with an impressive scholastic
record as well as extracurricular activities and having demonstrated a
significant interest in the pulp and paper industry.
The winner is Jennifer Sheri
Fink, a senior majoring in Chemical Engineering with a Paper Science
Concentration at Miami University in Oxford, OH and will graduate in May, 2014
and currently has a GPA of 3.58.
She was the Vice President of Engineers Without Borders, where she
helped begin the Miami University chapter and grow membership up to the 50+
people it is at now. We are currently working on a water purification project
in Chaguarpamba, Ecuador, as well as several local
outreach projects on campus and in the Greater Cincinnati area. As Vice
President, I manage and plan fundraisers and events such as our annual
engineering competition, oversee the secretary and treasurer positions, and
fulfill responsibilities as appointed by the president such as leading
meetings.
Jen was also the Coordinator of Leadership and Service- National
Residence Hall Honorary at Miami University while being on the Dean’s List,
Honors Program (both throughout all four years of college). If that wasn’t
enough, during the school year, she worked approximately 10 hours/week as a
Student Aide at the Miami University Department of Art.
Jennifer was a 2010 graduate of
Hilliard Davidson High School in Hilliard, Ohio where she was the was
the Captain of Swim Team, member of National Honor Society, Student Council,
and Spanish Club and for 4 consecutive summers was a lifeguard with the City of
Hilliard Family Aquatic Center.
She enjoys swimming, reading, and playing guitar.
She was a summer intern with RockTenn in
Fernandina Beach, FL for her last two summers before graduation from Miami
University.
Jennifer is a member of the Miami University student TAPPI (Technical
Association of Pulp and Paper Industry) section.
Jennifer has
accepted a position as a REACH Engineer with International Paper in their mill
in Pensacola, FL and says she is eager to learn as much as I can about the
papermaking process by working with it every day and solving new, challenging
problems. She hopes to advance both my knowledge and my role in the mill to
eventually become a papermill or pulpmill
superintendent- and maybe even mill manager one day.
2013 ISA PUPID Scholarship
Meet Kayla Louise Young
The ISA Pulp & Paper Industry Division is pleased to
award a $2000 scholarship to a college student pursuing a career in pulp &
paper. This year, the winner is another “top-notch” student with an impressive
scholastic record as well as extracurricular activities and having demonstrated
a significant interest in the pulp and paper industry. The winner is Kayla L. Young. Kayla sent in her completed application form
from the PUPID website, an official transcript from her university, three
letters of recommendation from persons familiar with her character,
and answered three questions describing his interest in the pulp and
paper industry, her educational accomplishments, her school activities and her
leadership roles. You can read a little bit about her in the rest of this
article.
Kayla L.
Young, a 21-year old
junior majoring in Chemical Engineering with a concentration in Paper Science
at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio,
hails from Maineville, Ohio, where she graduated from Kings
High School, in nearby Kings Island, where she was a cheerleader for 12
years and a dancer for 7 years and competeted in
bowling for 5 years and was able to attend the Pepsi Youth Bowling
Championships.
Kayla is the
daughter of Mike, who works for Mane
Inc. and Tina, who works for Macy’s Credit and Customer Service Inc. and
has two younger brothers, Eric, 17,and Jason,15.
Kayla will graduate in May 2014 and currently has a GPA of 2.34.
Kayla is still searching for a summer internship this summer (she was offered a
non-paying internship), so maybe some of you readers can help her. Kayla
says long term she would like to work for Procter and Gamble in Research and
Development or to work for Georgia Pacific as a Process Engineer or in Research
and Development.
While studying at Miami of Ohio,
she has been a member of Miami Student TAPPI and plans to tryout
for the Miami Shakerettes for the upcoming year.
For fun, Kayla enjoys hanging out my friends and family,
shopping, bowling, dancing, and playing video games.
(The picture was taken at the 2013 Miami University PSE
Foundation Banquet where Pat Dixon, ISA Pulp & Paper Industry Division
Education Chair, awarded Kayla the 2013 scholarship.)
2012 ISA PUPID Scholarship
Meet Danielle C. Valdivia
The ISA Pulp & Paper Industry Division is pleased to
award a $2000 scholarship to a college student pursuing a career in pulp &
paper. This year, the winner is another “top-notch” student with an impressive
scholastic record as well as extracurricular activities and having demonstrated
a significant interest in the pulp and paper industry. The winner is Danielle C. Valdivia. Danielle sent in her completed application
form from the PUPID website, an official transcript from her university, three
letters of recommendation from persons familiar with her character,
and answered three questions describing his interest in the pulp and
paper industry, her educational accomplishments, her school activities and her
leadership roles. You can read a little bit about her in the rest of this
article.
Danielle C.
Valdivia, a junior with a dual degree in
Chemical Engineering and Paper Engineering at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan, hails from Forest Hill, Maryland. Danielle
is the daughter of Richard M. Valdivia
and Dawn M. Valdivia, who both work for the federal government as
Environmental Specialists.
Danielle will graduate in May 2013 and currently has a GPA of 2.78
while working for the Chemical and Paper Engineering coating pilot plant. This
summer Danielle has an internship with a coating company in their research and
development branch. Danielle says that Coatings have always been my favorite
part of the paper industry and it is where she hopes to work after finishes her
Masters
Degree.
While studying at Western, she has become a member of Ts'ai Lun, the organization of Paper Engineers, and a
member of SWE, the Society of Women Engineers.
For fun (when the weather decides to stop snowing), Danielle
enjoys playing beach volleyball or Frisbee with her friends. She is an avid
lover of badminton and racket ball and has recently found a liking for tennis.
2011 ISA PUPID Scholarship
Meet Ryan W. Schuerger
The ISA Pulp & Paper Industry Division is pleased to
award a $2000 scholarship to a college student pursuing a career in pulp &
paper. This year, the winner is another “top-notch” student with an impressive
scholastic record as well as extracurricular activities and having demonstrated
a significant interest in the instrumentation/process control component of the
pulp and paper industry. The winner is Ryan
W. Schuerger. Ryan sent in his
completed application form from the PUPID website, an official transcript from
his university, three letters of recommendation from persons familiar with his character, and answered three questions describing his
interest in the pulp and paper industry, his educational accomplishments, his
school activities and his leadership roles. You can read a little bit about him
in the rest of this article.
Ryan W.
Schuerger, a junior majoring in Chemical
Engineer with a Paper Science focus at Miami
University of Ohio in Oxford, Ohio, hails from North Royalton, Ohio where he attended North Royalton High School. Ryan
is the son of Ron, who works for Busch
Funeral Homes as the Plant Operations Supervisor and Cindy Schuerger,
who works for American Greetings Card Company as a Marketing Analyst,
and his sister Nicole is a freshman at Bowling Green State
University. Ryan will graduate in May 2012 and currently has a GPA of 2.73
while working for the Chemical and Paper Engineering office as a student
assistant. For fun, Ryan participates in intramural football, baseball, broomball and hockey at Miami; and he enjoys watching
movies, relaxing with friends, pick-up football and basketball games, and
staying active as much as possible. Ryan says he would like to take the time to
thank his family for always being there for him, and for being his inspiration
throughout his academic career and everything he does. He also thanks all of
those individuals that support him; he wouldn’t be where he is without them all
all.
2010 ISA PUPID Scholarship
Meet
Thomas Turner Forte
The International Society of Automation (ISA) Pulp &
Paper Industry Division (PUPID) is pleased and proud to award its 2010
Scholarship to Thomas Turner Forte,
who has just completed his Junior year in Paper Science & Engineering at
the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Environmental Science and
Forestry (ESF) in Syracuse with a GPA of 3.44 and ranks second in his class of
eight students. Tom is scheduled to graduate in May of 2011.
Tom has certainly been busy, in 2009, he was a summer coop
student Process Engineer Intern for Kimberly-Clark in Beech Island, SC and this
past year he worked as a Technical Service Engineer for Nalco Chemical at the
Rock-Tenn mill in Solvay, NY.
When he’s not working or studying, you can see Tom bicycling
the roads of New York; he is a member of the Spokepost/Syracuse
Bicycle Cycling Team and President of the Syracuse University Cycling Club.
Tom also enjoys hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, and soccer.
Tom is the Vice President of the SUNY ESF Forestry Club and
Co-Treasurer of the SUNY ESF Papyrus Club.
Tom is the son of Frank and Kathy Forte of Marietta, NY. He
has a younger sister, Lindsey.
Tom
says that the most important thing he has learned from his summer employment in
the pulp & paper industry is how to interact with people. When asked what
he likes best about the pulp & paper industry, Tom says that he especially
likes the fact that pulp & paper relies on a renewable resource as its raw
materials. He hopes to be able to provide process improvement and to be part of
new paper grades that meet the future and changing demands of the industry. Tom
says that the scholarship will help him to provide for his own education
further lessening his parents burden as he pays for his own education.
2007 ISA PUPID Scholarship
Meet
Kyle D Hutcheson
After two years without a single applicant, the ISA
Pulp & Paper Industry Division is pleased to award a $1000 scholarship to a
college student pursuing a career in the pulp & paper industry. This year,
the winner is another “top-notch” student with an impressive scholastic record
as well as extracurricular activities and a demonstrated interest in the
instrumentation/process control component of the pulp and paper industry. The
winner is Kyle D Hutcheson. Kyle sent in his completed application form
from the PUPID website, an official transcript from his university, three
letters of recommendation from persons familiar with his character,
and answered three questions describing his interest in the pulp and
paper industry, his educational accomplishments, his school activities and his
leadership roles. You can read a little bit about him in the rest of this
article.
Kyle D. Hutcheson
is an junior at Miami University studying Chemical
Engineering with a focus in Pulp& Paper and a GPA is currently 2.92. He is currently serving as President of the
local AIChE chapter at Miami University and an active member of TAPPI. He has worked for Ohio Paperboard, a
subsidiary of The Newark Group, for a summer and is planning on working for
Hercules Incorporated. Kyle is expected
to graduate from Miami in the fall of 2008 and plans to enter the Pulp and
Paper Industry.
Kyle
is from Westerville, Ohio and the youngest son of Bryan and Sandy Hutcheson
with a brother, Dave, and sister, Julie. He enjoys working out, playing guitar,
and competing in sports, such as, Football, Ultimate Frisbee, Golf, and
Basketball. He says he also enjoys spending time with his family, friends, and
doing volunteer work. In fact, he has traveled to Mexico twice to help paint
buildings for an orphanage and build houses for the local community.
Now
that PUPID has gotten back to giving away the college scholarships, hopefully
the word will spread and the coming years will bring
many more applicants. Start spreading the word for the 2007 PUPID Scholarship!
2004 ISA PUPID Scholarship
Meet
Michael Alan Graff
For
the third consecutive year, and the second year for the newly established ISA
Pulp & Paper Industry Division Scholarship Endowment, the ISA Pulp &
Paper Industry Division is pleased to award a $1000 scholarship to a college
student pursuing a career in pulp & paper. This year, the winner is another
“top-notch” student with an impressive scholastic record as well as
extracurricular activities and having demonstrated a significant interest in
the instrumentation/process control component of the pulp and paper industry.
The winner is Michael Alan Graff,
also last year's recipient. Michael sent
in his completed application form from the PUPID website, an official
transcript from his university, three letters of recommendation from persons
familiar with his character, and answered three
questions describing his interest in the pulp and paper industry, his
educational accomplishments, his school activities and his leadership roles.
You can read a little bit about him in the rest of this article.
Michael Alan
Graff, a junior majoring in Paper Science
and Engineering at State University of
New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, New
York, hails from Baldwinsville, New York
and is the son of ISA Niagara
Frontier section member Darlene and
Alan Graff, a Sales Engineer with R.L.
Stone. Michael will graduate in May 2005 and currently has a GPA of 3.226.
Michael has received many awards including the Syracuse Pulp & Paper Foundation (Merit) Scholarship, the John P. Clark Memorial Scholarship, the
United Van Lines Employee Scholarship,
and is on the SUNY President’s Honors List. He enjoys hockey, boating, and
snow- and water-skiing.
When asked about his activities of the past year and
particularly about his work last summer (his first insternsip),
Michael says "As far as my Kodak experience went, it was an internship for
the summer. I was on one of the four crews, and my job title was assistant winderman. It was interesting because the whole experience
familiarized me with the real-life setting of a paper mill and certain
operations which go on in a paper mill. I was also involved in some mill tests
to see how easily the paper machine could be converted to produce ink-jet paper
instead of photography paper. It was an EXCELLENT experience to introduce me to
the field and the amount of money I made in one summer made my friends
extremely jealous."
When asked why he needs this scholarship; he says “college
costs continue to go up while the economy stays sluggish; both my parents have
been affected by the economy in the form of wage freezes, mandatory furloughs,
and decreased or eliminated bonuses. Combining these with my brother entering
college next year and my need of transportation for an internship or co-op,
this money is needed”.
In describing the most important things he has learned from
his employment: he says, “the most important thing I have learned is the value
in a strong work ethic. Because of my strong work ethic, my employers like me,
depend on me, and appreciate my contributions to their company. They welcome me
back and support me in return for what I have done for them”.
When asked to elaborate on his interest and participation in
the pulp and paper industry thus far and in the future: he says, “I decided on
an engineering degree because of my abilities in math and sciences and because
I knew there was going to be a need for engineers in the future. ESF impressed
me with its pilot-sized paper mill and engineering lab and the hands-on
experience I was going to get while in college. I tend to analyze and critique
things so I would think I would like the control side of the pulp & paper
industry. I hope to get exposure to that as I concentrate more on the PSE
courses I take and as I get exposure to companies and jobs in my internships or
co-op positions. I am taking Introduction to Papermaking, Pulp & Paper lab
skills, and Principles of Mass & Energy Balance this semester. I have
visited International Paper’s Ticonderoga mill, the Irving Tissue mill, Finch
Pruyn’s harvesting operations, and Solvay Paperboard so far. I have interviewed
for some internships with P.H. Glatfelter Company, Eastman Kodak, Mead
Westvaco, and Hercules for the summer of 2003.”
Now that PUPID has gotten back to giving away the college
scholarships, hopefully the word will spread and the
coming years will bring many more applicants. Start spreading the word for the
2004 PUPID Scholarship!
2003 ISA PUPID
Scholarship
Meet
Michael Alan Graff
For the second consecutive year, and the first year for the
newly established ISA Pulp & Paper Industry Division Scholarship Endowment,
the ISA Pulp & Paper Industry Division is pleased to award a $1000
scholarship to a college student pursuing a career in pulp & paper. For
this year, the winner is another “top-notch” student with an impressive
scholastic record as well as extracurricular activities and having demonstrated
a significant interest in the instrumentation/process control component of the
pulp and paper industry. The winner is Michael
Alan Graff. Michael sent in his
completed application form from the PUPID website, an official transcript from
his university, three letters of recommendation from persons familiar with his character, and answered three questions describing his
interest in the pulp and paper industry, his educational accomplishments, his
school activities and his leadership roles. You can read a little bit about him
in the rest of this article.
Michael Alan
Graff, a sophomore majoring in Paper
Science and Engineering at State
University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in
Syracuse, New York, hails from Baldwinsville,
New York and is the son of ISA Niagara
Frontier section member Darlene and
Alan Graff, a Sales Engineer with R.L.
Stone. Michael will graduate in May 2005 and currently has a GPA of 3.226.
Michael has received many awards including the Syracuse Pulp & Paper Foundation (Merit) Scholarship, the John P. Clark Memorial Scholarship, the
United Van Lines Employee Scholarship,
and is on the SUNY President’s Honors List. He enjoys hockey, boating, and
snow- and water-skiing.
When asked why he needs this scholarship; he says “college
costs continue to go up while the economy stays sluggish; both my parents have
been affected by the economy in the form of wage freezes, mandatory furloughs,
and decreased or eliminated bonuses. Combining these with my brother entering
college next year and my need of transportation for an internship or co-op,
this money is needed”.
In describing the most important things he has learned from
his employment: he says, “the most important thing I have learned is the value
in a strong work ethic. Because of my strong work ethic, my employers like me,
depend on me, and appreciate my contributions to their company. They welcome me
back and support me in return for what I have done for them”.
When asked to elaborate on his interest and participation in
the pulp and paper industry thus far and in the future: he says, “I decided on
an engineering degree because of my abilities in math and sciences and because
I knew there was going to be a need for engineers in the future. ESF impressed
me with its pilot-sized paper mill and engineering lab and the hands-on
experience I was going to get while in college. I tend to analyze and critique
things so I would think I would like the control side of the pulp & paper
industry. I hope to get exposure to that as I concentrate more on the PSE
courses I take and as I get exposure to companies and jobs in my internships or
co-op positions. I am taking Introduction to Papermaking, Pulp & Paper lab
skills, and Principles of Mass & Energy Balance this semester. I have
visited International Paper’s Ticonderoga mill, the Irving Tissue mill, Finch
Pruyn’s harvesting operations, and Solvay Paperboard so far. I have interviewed
for some internships with P.H. Glatfelter Company, Eastman Kodak, Mead
Westvaco, and Hercules for the summer of 2003.”
Now that PUPID has gotten back to giving away the college
scholarships, hopefully the word will spread and the
coming years will bring many more applicants. Start spreading the word for the
2004 PUPID Scholarship!
2002 ISA PUPID Scholarship
Meet
James A Stockard & Mark L. Lambert
ISA Pulp & Paper Industry Division is back to its “old
ways” of awarding $1000 scholarships to college students pursuing a career in
pulp & paper. For this year, the winners are “top-notch” students and have
impressive scholastic records as well as extracurricular activities. Both have demonstrated a significant interest
in the instrumentation/process control component of the pulp and paper industry, and have meaningful work experience in the
industry. The winners are James A
Stockard and Mark L. Lambert. Both
winners sent in their completed application form from the PUPID website, an
official transcript from the applicant's university, three letters of
recommendation from persons familiar with the applicant’s character,
and answered three questions describing their interest in the pulp and
paper industry, their educational accomplishments, their school activities and
their leadership roles. You can read a little bit about them in the rest of
this article.
James A
Stockard, a junior majoring in Paper Science
and Engineering with a minor in Computer Information Systems at Miami University in Oxford, OH, hails
from Louisville, KY. He will graduate in May 2003 with a GPA of
3.19. Jay is the President and founding member of Tau Beta Pi, the university
engineering honor society; on the Miami University Paper Science and
Engineering Student Advisory Council, an active member of Student ISA and
TAPPI. He has received many awards including the Stanley and Ruth Trosset Award, Honeywell-Measurex Sponsored Foundation
Scholarship Miami University Pulp and Paper Foundation Upperclassman
Scholarship, Miami University Pulp and Paper Foundation Scholarship (awarded
for past 4 years), and the A. R. McMicken Memorial Scholarship (Miami University)
Colonel Scholarship (Centre College). He enjoys photography, reading, biking,
hiking, horse riding, rock climbing, swing dance/ballroom dance, and puzzles.
When asked why he needs this scholarship; he says “To put it
simply, tuition at Miami is not cheap. Over the past few years, tuition has
steadily risen. However, it has been more of a burden on me due to Miami's
tuition rate for out of state students. Out of state students are often
penalized more whenever there is a tuition increase. Just recently, Miami
decided to raise tuition by 11.9% while in state students have a 9.9% increase.
Currently, my tuition is 2.15 times higher than in state, not including housing.
The ever-growing tuition coupled with a necessity to remain an extra semester
due to course conflictions has led me in search of funding. I need to locate
sources of revenue in order to be able to attend my graduating semester.
In describing the most important things he has learned from
his employment: he says, “We live in interesting times would be the major thing
that I have learned on the job. In most of my work thus far, the day-to-day
operations of any situation for an engineer involves change. From my co-op
experience, I was often presented with projects that would require me to call
upon a variety of knowledge. More often than not, I would be spending time in
books trying to understand what it was that I was being asked to do. My
experience on my co-op ranged from Deink Processes, to
Environmental issues, Quality issues, Paper Machine Processes, or even computer
related issues. Coupled with this aspect is the rapid pace at which these
duties needed to be performed or arose. I often had to reprioritize things in
order to meet deadlines and attend to the more serious situations immediately.
Another important thing I have learned is the importance of honesty and
integrity on the job place. I saw many people put to the test when it came to
fulfilling their obligations or even simply being honest with others about
current situations at the mill. I have carried this experience with me as
something that I shall never forget. I try to live by it daily in hopes of
being an honorable man. A final thing that I have taken away from my job
experiences is that it is ok not to understand everything. As I said earlier, I
often needed to spend time reading books in order to understand the stuff going
on around me. I would ask questions in hopes of learning things as well as
carefully watching others performing even the simplest of tasks in order to
understand what it was that, I am
doing.
When asked to elaborate on his interest and participation in
the pulp and paper industry thus far and in the future: he says, “My interest
in the industry has been increasing since being accepted into the program. I
enjoy engineering and working with the machines. However, I am coming to
understand that it is not merely engineering questions and system analysis that
I am going to be doing. I am also going to be watchful of the industry as a
whole. This realization has hit home over the past few years as I have been
watching the job market, and the graduating seniors struggling to attain jobs.
I believe in order for me to effectively participate in the future with the
growing educational demands, I need to achieve graduate degrees in a paper
related field. My current participation within the industry besides
work-related endeavors or Student TAPPI functions include attending many of the
student conferences and local TAPPI meetings either volunteering or interacting
with the industry representatives. I am planning on attending this year's Paper
Maker's conference in Atlanta. I also try to facilitate knowledge about the
program by working with high school and elementary students showing them some
of the fun aspects of papermaking. I have been fortunate enough for this summer
to be accepted into the Institute of
Paper Science and Technology's intern program. This experience will likely
help me in attending this school after graduation. My assigned research project
deals with fiber physics of various types of pulps currently not used within
the United States but in foreign industry. The results of this research will be
published within a book used in industry. If l am able to get into IPST's graduate program, I plan on
working with fiber physics or perhaps with the mechanical aspect of designing
equipment.
Mark L.
Lambert, a junior majoring in Chemical
Engineering Computer Process Control at the University of Alberta, from Fort
Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada, who
will graduate in June, 2003 with a GPA of 7.9 / 9.0 (3.51 / 4.0). Mark is a
founding member and served as President, Vice-President and Treasurer of the
Computer Process Control Student Technical Group; a member of the University of
Alberta's Engineering Students Society; is a Student Member of the Association
of Professional Engineers, Geologist and Geophysicists of Alberta (APPEGA), is
a Scouts Canada Beaver Leader for children ages 5- 7, and
is a Golden Key National Honors Society Member. Mark has received other awards
including the Rutherford and Engineering Entrance Scholarships in 1998, the
Celanese Canada Undergraduate Scholarship (1998 - Present), and in 2001
received the ISA Educational Foundation Scholarship. His poem;
“Helen”, was published in Voices in the Wind in 1998. He also enjoys
reading, painting, attending opera and theatre, mountain biking, sailing,
skiing (downhill and cross country), hockey, darts, horse
back riding and rugby. Mark has worked for Celanese Canada Inc. and had co-ops with both Weyerhaeuser Canada, and Weldwood of Canada
Hinton Division.
When asked why he needs this scholarship; he says “In the
last year, through both my academic studies and work experiences, I have been
able to determine the areas of specialty I will explore in my future career.
While I enjoy doing control audits and other loop health activities, my area of
focus has shifted towards advanced control methods. My work experience in the
pulp and paper industry has exposed me to some of these techniques. The pulp
and paper industry has processes with large amounts of dead time (such as lime
recovery in a kiln), which lend themselves well to advanced control techniques,
such as model based control or Smith Predictors. It is difficult to learn about
these subjects in an undergraduate setting, and thus either graduate studies, or
field experience must be undertaken to really understand these applications.
The award of a PUPID scholarship would give me the option to pursue a graduate
degree or help me finish my undergraduate studies debt free.”
In describing the most important things he has learned from
his employment: he says, “The most important thing I have learned from my
employment in industry is that often, the solutions to the problems one faces
are not always simple. There may not be a single piece of software that will
solve your communications problem, or a single control scheme that will
stabilize your process and sometimes there is no one right answer. Such
problems can be very frustrating, and require one 'to
think outside the box'. I have learned to use the resources at hand to solve
the problem and if those are not sufficient to try and find the answer through
contacts I have made in school or at work. Sometimes, one cannot find a correct
answer, yet the problem has to be resolved, so assumptions are made and checked
later. This can lead to set backs in projects that
have to be dealt with, either by making another assumption and repeating the
process again, or re-examining the problem all together. This entire method of
problem solving is almost always subject to deadlines, and
has to be done in a proficient and effective manner. Through my limited
experience in industry I have started to learn how to
deal with such problems, as one does not often experience these in school, and
so far I have been successful.”
When asked to elaborate on his interest and participation in
the pulp and paper industry thus far and in the future: he says, “I have had
one, four-month cooperative education (coop) term in the pulp and paper industry, and am currently completing another four-month
term. During my first coop term with Weyerhaeuser, in Grande Prairie, I helped
mainly in the area of loop health and reliability, using commercial, and in
house, software packages to perform loop audits, diagnose outages and propose
possible solutions. I also helped to trouble shoot problems in various areas of
the mill, maintain area assessments, and tune control loops. During ISA 2001 in
Houston, Texas, I had the honor of presenting a paper for Dr. Leoncio
Estevez-Reyes entitled Triangulation
Solves the Process Control Performance Puzzle; which was based on his work with
Weyerhaeuser. I am currently working
for Weldwood of Canada Hinton Division, in their DCS
group. My main effort involves helping them select automation software and
hardware, trouble shooting communication problems
between various pieces of equipment, including: field
devices, multiplexers, PC's, and their DCS. I focus mainly on loop performance
software, analyzers, and smart positioners (software and hardware). During
these six months in industry, I have learned a great deal about controls, and
different control strategies. It is my hope that in the future I can work in
the pulp and paper industry, specializing in advanced control strategies: in
particular fuzzy logic based control for lime kilns,
and other control methods for pulp machines and digesters.”
Now that PUPID has gotten back to giving away the college
scholarships, hopefully the word will spread and the
coming years will bring many more applicants. Start spreading the word for the
2003 PUPID Scholarship!
Sheri L Wood from
Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI. Sheri also made the Fall 2021
Semester Dean’s List with a GPA of 3.70 & an overall GPA of 3.66. Sheri
will graduate at the end of April with a Bachelor of Science in Paper
Engineering. Sheri tells us; “After graduation, I will be joining the
team at JRS in Schoolcraft, MI as a Project Engineer.