Plastic is one of the world’s most widely used materials for packaging, products, and more. Jose has long been drawn to the awe-inspiring role of this game-changing material. After 12+ years of engineering experience in the field, he’s stoked to share his passion with the next generation of industry leaders.
I'm a New York City native who moved to Erie in the early 80s when the plastics program at Penn State Behrend was ramping up. It was touted as a cutting-edge program. When I completed my Army service, I enrolled and graduated from that program.
The same thing that attracts kids to it today – the desire to know how the material that makes up so much of what we touch and see every day works. I wanted to learn how it goes from a pile of pellets into a finished object.
When I was in school, I would occasionally envision myself in the role of the teachers I had placed on a pedestal. My favorite aspect of my previous roles was when I was either translating the requirements of polymeric parts and assemblies into a language that non-plastics professionals could understand or teaching them directly how to make sense of plastic parts and materials. Those experiences gave me the hunger to work in an educational setting. When the opportunity presented itself, I seized it.
I can extend my arm at almost any point of any day and touch something made from a polymeric material. I explain that being able to make that object or that material is a skillset that isn't going away and will be in greater demand over time.
The breadth of topics and processes covered makes our program unique. The plastics field is massive and diverse. Giving students a taste of everything – from the synthesis and formulation of a material all the way to the production and evaluation of polymeric parts – provides multiple entry points for them to enter the plastics industry.
"What I enjoy most about teaching plastics at Penn College is interacting with students and seeing the "aha" moment when an abstract concept coalesces in their mind."
Jose and his colleagues work tirelessly to stay on the cutting-edge of industry demands, ensuring students hone skills that employers value. The plastics and polymers department's hard work earned them the President’s Award for Outstanding Assessment.
Dive into extensive hands-on training with industrial-scale processing equipment in one of our two ABET-accredited plastics programs.
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