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May 22, 2006
Alcoa Kama R&D working with local students in Hazleton, PA
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Through membership with Partners In Education (a Greater Hazleton Business and Student Alliance), gifted students from the Hazleton Area School District and Weatherly Area School Districts have been working with Alcoa Kama's Hazleton, PA Research and Development Department on a project entitled "Securing A Greener Environment". Project SAGE will enable students to study the advantages of new technology, specifically biodegradable plastics and composting, The project will require approximately one year of work from the students.
The students, under the direction of Lisa Howell, Antoinette Refowich, and Cathy Tombasco (HASD) and Katie Leach (WASD), are coordinating their efforts with Alcoa Kama's Keith Yanuzzi and Jeff Pristera to provide students with the social, scientific and political aspects of the products and their effect on the environment.
"The project started as a way to connect classroom education with real-life work projects so that students could apply the concepts they were learning in school to projects that happen in industry each day" said Lauretta O'Hara, Alcoa Kama's Human Resources Manager and Board Member of Partners In Education. "These students could very well be our future employees and we want them to make the most of their educational experiences and have the opportunity to learn more about the world of business at the same time. We also wanted them to know that local companies were involved in projects to improve the environment because we know that a cleaner world is a priority to these students."
The project was kicked off at Valley Elementary with an address from State Representative Todd Eachus who commended the students on their efforts and stressed the importance of our environment. The students were then able to tour the Alcoa Kama facility to gain knowledge about the extrusion and thermoforming industries and to begin studying the various plastics to be used in the experiment. Keith and Jeff took some time to provide the "Chem 101" lesson that linked chemistry to the manufacture of plastic. Each school was given a compost bin and instructions on how to conduct the experiment. They buried various samples of plastic including a biodegradable plastic called PLA, which is made from corn, along with some suitable scraps from the school cafeterias. The students will measure the rate of decomposition of the samples and report their findings to Keith and Jeff on a regular basis, including results over the summer months. In connection with the project, students will also research various careers within Alcoa Kama and learn about the skills needed to improve their success probabilities in the workplace.
Students have had overwhelmingly positive reactions to the project and performing the measurements and calculations. They are excited about contributing information to our R&D Department and perhaps helping PLA become a successful new product for Alcoa. They are documenting their experiences through video and creative writing projects as well.
Alcoa is proud to support our local educators and the Partners In Education organization that is involved in creating these valuable alliances.
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