What's Happening Around SPE

SPE Now Offers Premium Membership

SPE’s NEW Premium Membership takes you to the next level of your SPE member experience. Unlocking additional benefits provides you with more opportunities to advance your career-building education. Premium Membership includes all Professional Member benefits PLUS 10+ Select webinars, additional discounts, and deeper technical resources. Join now as a Premium Member OR upgrade your current membership and reap major membership rewards!

`

Need to Understand How to Troubleshoot Single-Screw Extruders?

Attention all problem-solvers! Are you tired of grappling with project-stalling issues in your single-screw extrusion processes? Look no further! Get ready to take matters into your own hands by learning how to optimize single-screw extruders at SPE’s upcoming 4-part workshop, Troubleshooting Single-Screw Extruders. Workshop, taking place online March 25, March 27, April 1, and April 3, is presented by Mark Spalding, Fellow, Dow.

ANTEC® 2024 Really Did Rock!

ANTEC® 2024, held from March 4-7 in St. Louis, MO., was a hit! It offered fantastic technical sessions and social events that brought plastics professionals from around the globe together. Everyone had the opportunity to share insights, make new friends, and reconnect with familiar faces. Check out these photos from SPE's Facebook page!

Boost Your Additive Manufacturing Knowledge!

Are you in or near Atlanta, GA? Are you looking to implement additive manufacturing/3D printing into your processes? Then don’t miss SPE’s upcoming ImplementAM additive manufacturing event, taking place in Atlanta on Wednesday, April 24th. Presentations are cross-functional and provide valuable information that is applicable no matter what industry you’re in. Learn the foundations of key industrial 3D printing technologies, as well as the business cases behind additive manufacturing via this small group workshop. This day-long event starts at Endeavor 3D (1 Endeavor Way, Douglasville, GA 30134) and continues at the Frog Rock Brewery (2764 Broad St., Austell, GA 30106). Be on the look out for other ImplementAM events coming to a city near you!

Call for SPE Instructors

Are you a knowledgeable professional with a passion for sharing your expertise in an impactful manner? We invite you to join our team of instructors as we develop educational programs and workshops for our audience of plastics professionals seeking to enhance their work skills and abilities. Instructors will lead workshops that break the mold, offering unique perspectives and insights that resonate with our audience.

Unlock Your Leadership Potential

If you're aspiring to move into a leadership position, whether it involves managing teams or projects, SPE's Essentials of Management & Leadership in Plastics is ideal for you to refine your leadership skills. The fourth cohort of this online program starts on April 1, 2024, and runs through September 29, 2024, and is expertly guided by Dr. Sarah Skidmore, a seasoned leadership specialist and experienced strategic consultant.

SPE Foundation

SPE Foundation, Brightmark® Announce First-Of-Its-Kind Scholarship Fund for Georgia Tech Students

The SPE Foundation is proud to announce the establishment of the Brightmark Scholarship in Plastics Circularity endowment. In collaboration with the SPE Foundation, Brightmark, a circular innovation company with a mission to Reimagine Waste®, has created an enduring legacy by establishing an endowed scholarship intended for students attending the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Hot Off the Presses: SPE Foundation 2023 Impact Report Now Available!

From PlastiVan visits to Girl Scout patches, After-School STEM Clubs, 3D printer grants, Junior Researchers, new partnerships, and record-breaking scholarship support, 2023 was a year of growth for the SPE Foundation and Positive Plastics Education! See what was accomplished with support from our generous donors, partners, and stakeholders. Check it out!

Top SPE Foundation Donors Honored at ANTEC®

To recognize the individuals, organizations, and SPE Chapters that support Positive Plastics Education, the SPE Foundation created the Ambassador Giving Society. We honored these generous donors who have given $10,000 or more at this year’s ANTEC Awards Luncheon. We also recognized members of the SPE Foundation Loyalty Society which includes those who have made gifts for the past three consecutive years. Visit our website to see the full list of honorees.

SPE Chapter News

SPE Bioplastics & Renewable Technologies Division Newsletter Available

Newsletter includes message from the chair, ANTEC® 2024 sessions, member spotlights, and more.

SPE Carolinas Division Newsletter Out Now

Newsletter includes president's message, February Education Night recap, Technical Meeting at the Polymers Center, Treasurer's report, and more.

In Memoriam

Vivian Ernest Malpass

Vivian Ernest Malpass, age 87, of Hudson, OH, passed away on Monday, February 19, 2024. As a distinguished Ph.D. chemist, Vivian's passion for the plastics industry fueled his involvement with SPE. Vivian joined SPE in the late 1960s and held various Board of Director positions throughout the last 50 years including Akron Section President, Akron Section Councilor, Education Foundation Committee member, and Chair of the Thermoplastic Elastomers TopCon. His most significant achievement with SPE was his Presidency of SPE in 1989.

William O’Connell

William "Bill" J. J. O'Connell, age 80, of Nashua, NH, died peacefully on Tuesday, February 13, 2024. Bill attended MIT, where he graduated with both his undergraduate and master’s degree in chemical engineering Practice. He began his career employed in the plastics department for General Electric for 21 years. He then worked for Custom Resins in Kentucky as well as Nycoa in Manchester, NH. Most recently, he owned his operated his own consulting firm for 15 years until his retirement. Throughout his career, Bill was an active member of SPE, serving as the National President of the Society in 2008-2009.

SPE News Story Ideas?

Know a member who is doing outstanding things in plastics or in SPE? Have you heard about or are part of a chapter that is making an impact or a difference in the industry? Let us know if you have any story ideas for SPE News! Feel free to contact Chris Barry at cbarry@4spe.org.

Upcoming Events

• 

  SPE Workshop: Troubleshooting Single-Screw Extruders

  March 25, March 27, April 1, April 3 | Online
  Register
• 

  Essentials of Management & Leadership in Plastics

  Begins April 1 | Online
  Register
• 

  SPE Webinar: Polypropylene: Commodity Resin, I Don't Think So

  April 4 | Online
  Register
• 

  SPE Webinar: Energy Management in Plastics Processing

  April 18 | Online
  Register
• 

  SPE Workshop: Failure in Plastics

  April 22 | Online
  Register
• 

  ImplementAM Workshop

  April 24 | Atlanta, GA
  Register

View full events calendar