ICYMI, MMT Chats: 30 Under 30 Honoree, Plastics Engineering TA Teaches Value of Learning and Producing Not Perfection

^{This episode is brought to you by ISCAR with New Ideas for Machining Intelligently.}

MoldMaking Technology’s 30 Under 30 Honors Program shows off the next generation of talent making an impact across the mold manufacturing marketplace. Their stories are impressive and their energy is incredible! Working on this program has only increased my passion for this community!

Here are just a few tidbits from this 30 Under 30 honoree from the Plastics Engineering Dept. of UMass Lowell to whet your appetite for our full conversation:

• This award-winning teaching assistant is humbled by the appreciation of his students and department colleagues for his commitment to education.
• He has fallen in love with plastics engineering over 5-6 years and is now working on his Ph.D. at UMass Lowell.
• Working on his dissertation on materials development in powder injection molding.
• Every semester offers up 9 different mold design challenges which really test the students’ knowledge and understanding of designing for manufacturability.
• Grading whether a student can make a part not if that part is perfect.
• Loves to see the light bulb go off for students once they get hands-on experience with the equipment.
• Stresses the powerful combination of theory and practical application in plastics engineering programs.
• Fixing problems on the fly in a lab environment is priceless for preparing students for the real world.
• Fun watching the hands-on students work with and learn from the theory students.
• An emphasis on group projects builds the communication skills needed as they move into the real world.