The International Corrugated Packaging Foundation (ICPF) held a dedication ceremony at Millersville on April 9 for a Gerber Innovations DT9066 sample maker/plotter table. ICPF’s donation and installation is part of their nationwide initiative to grow corrugated packaging curricula and expand the number of skilled graduates entering the corrugated industry.

ICPF provided the plotter table through an $80,000 matching fund grant that also enabled the acquisition of wide format equipment used to print and laminate graphics onto package prototypes. The plotter table is used to cut out package structures that students design. A spinoff of the ICPF grant, Esko Artworks also donated 25 seats of ArtiosCAD software valued at approximately $422,000.

_{^{(L to R) EskoArtworks Sr. Account Manager Allan Hanlon, Gerber Innovations President Steven Gore, MU Provost Vilas Prabhu, Professor Mark Snyder, ICPF President Richard Flaherty and Marauder Graphics Club President Stefanie Kulczyckyjj cut the ribbon and dedicated the new equipment.}}

Dr. Mark Snyder is developing Millersville’s corrugated curriculum in industry and technology. “As a professor, I felt as though I was in a ‘Catch 22’ situation until recently. In order to establish an appropriate packaging curriculum, we needed equipment. Yet it’s hard to request equipment if you don’t have the curriculum. The ICPF donation provided the incentive to get the entire process started."

The Department of Industry & Technology will offer the course "Packaging and Specialty Printing" for the first time in the Spring semester 2010.

Industrial internship combines the student's academic, technical and management preparation with actual on-the-job experiences in industrial enterprises. Industrial internships have a significant management component in that students are required to engage in management-related activities such as planning, organizing, directing, and controlling at the workplace. The student, the employer, and the Department of Industry and Technology faculty work cooperatively to assure the internship experience achieves the best possible learning value.

For more information, please see the internship FAQ page. Any questions should be addressed to
Dr. John Wright, Industrial Technology Program Coordinator.

 The Foundation of the Flexographic Technical Association (FFTA) recently approved a grant to assist Millersville University’s industry and technology department. The matching funds grant was for $178,000 with 28% coming from the University, 22% from the FFTA and 50% raised from industry sponsors. The money was used to purchase a Mark Andy printing/converting system to launch a hands-on flexographic printing and packaging curriculum.

“Flexography is a method of printing most commonly used in the creation of packaging solutions,” explained Dr. Mark Snyder, industry and technology. “ ‘Flexo’ has an advantage over other printing methods in that it can use a wider range of inks and is good at printing on a variety of different materials.

Typical products printed using flexography include corrugated boxes, flexible packaging, retail bags, shopping sacks, flexible plastics, self-adhesive labels and wallpaper. A number of newspapers now also favor flexo printing methods.”

The graphic communication program in industry and technology at Millersville includes students from across Pennsylvania and nearby states. “This new equipment will give the students a broader perspective of the printing industry – hands-on techniques and an understanding of a completely different process,” says Snyder. “There are a lot of opportunities in printing and packaging for young people from this region.”

In order to be eligible for this grant, schools must have an existing printing program and a desire to expand their curriculum to include flexography. The main industry champion for Millersville University was the Northeast Label Manufacturers Association (NELMA) who made a $10,000 donation. Snyder reported on the installation of the new press and the development of the flexo curriculum at NELMA’s annual Expo and Networking conference on May 8 in Bridgewater, N.J.

Dr. Kenneth P. De Lucca recently participated in an emergency communications drill between a number of hospitals located in the Southern Susquehanna Valley. De Lucca was part of the Amateur Radio Work Group of the South Central

Task Force for Emergency Communications based at the Heart of Lancaster Regional Medical Center, Lititz. Members of the task force are amateur radio operators who will staff emergency communications sites at hospitals and assist in conveying information to the right county planning groups set up by the Homeland Security Alert System for various levels of disaster planning in Pennsylvania.

Industrial Technology

• CADD Technology
• Graphic Communication Technology
• Construction Technology
• Electronics/Control System Technology
• General Industrial Technology
• Manufacturing Technology
• Mechanical Technology
• Nanofabrication Manufacturing Technology
• Safety Technology (AT only)
• Bachelor's Degree Compentencies
• Associate's Degree Compentencies

Occupational Safety & Environmental Health

• Bachelor of Science

Technology Education

• Undergraduate
• Graduate
• Post-Baccalaureate Certification
• Supervisory Certification

Thirty-six technology education majors recently participated in a series of contests at the Technology Education Association’s Eastern Regional Conference that was held in Virginia Beach November 9 through November 11, 2008. Colleges and Universities from up and down the east coast were represented at the conference. Millersville students placed in four competitions.

Contest winners were as follows:

First Place
Instructional Module Development

Erika Rakow
Nolan Smith
AJ Warner

First Place
Transportation Contest

Andrew Kaufman
Jake Marushak
Erik Sheehan
Dustin Vargas
Shane Westhafer

Second Place
Manufacturing Contest

Blake Bardman
Jessie Buechele
Mark Golden
Brian Hunt
Erica Schmuck
William Trombley

Third Place
Problem Solving Contest

Andrew Ash
Josh Christman
Mark Costello
Joel Ober
Justin Rudy 

TECA is the student organization associated with the International Technology Education Association (ITEA). TECA provides students with leadership opportunities, networking, and practical examples they can use in their professional life. Students TECA members are involved with campus activities, community outreach, as well as activities in the local public schools.