Representatives from The Dow Chemical Company visited The Penn State Department of Chemical Engineering on April 16 to pledge their support of future advancements in the department.
Dow Chemical strengthens relationship with Penn State Chemical Engineering
5/05/2015
Delegates from The Dow Chemical Company visited Penn State Chemical Engineering on April 16, with a goal to further their long-standing collaborative relationship.
Seven representatives were on campus to meet with key faculty to discuss the current state of the department, tour facilities, and learn about the aggressive growth vision for the future.
A.N. Sreeram, corporate vice president of Research and Development at Dow, presented “Innovation at Dow,” a lecture that provided insight into the company’s forward-thinking model, and its dependence on new research and pioneering developments.
At the conclusion of the presentation, Dow presented Penn State with a $500,000 gift in support of the new 188,000 square ft. chemical engineering and biomedical engineering facility to open in 2019. The contribution will assist Penn State in outfitting the new building with state-of-the-art equipment and contemporary labs.
“Penn State Chemical Engineering appreciates the strong relationship with Dow Chemical. Dow is one of the top employers of our students and they sponsor research in the department. Alumni at Dow are regular guest speakers in our classes, which strengthens our educational programs, and they support the department through our advisory committee and their gifts,” stated Phillip Savage, chemical engineering department head.
Following the presentation, Dow representatives further extended their industry insight as they joined chemical engineering graduate students for a candid career advising lunch in the Millennium Science Complex.
“The lunch with Dr. Sreeram and Dow representatives built on the seminar, delving into the nitty-gritty details associated with researching and developing innovative products at Dow,” said Michael Regula, a Ph.D. candidate and president of the Chemical Engineering Graduate Student Association. “We also learned about how the research and networking skills that we are currently developing as graduate students will translate into future job opportunities. We were thankful to learn about the unique challenges that face Dow's chemical engineers and that we can contribute to overcoming those challenges right now and in the future.”
Over the last decade, Dow has been an exceptional corporate partner of Penn State Chemical Engineering. The two have teamed-up on several multi-year research projects poised to enhance the chemical industry. According to Savage, “Penn State looks forward to celebrating this continued partnership.”