Reflection:

In PKSC 4160, also known as Application of Polymers in Packaging, this course is about the detailed study of polymer science and engineering as applied to packaging science. It covers polymer morphology, rheology, physical properties, processing methods, and polymerization. On top of all this, the course also makes sure to emphasize the relationships among processing, structure, and properties. When looking back on this class, I remember it as one of my favorite courses throughout the program. Application of polymers became one of my favorite courses for many reasons, one of which was due to the fascinating nature of the material. I greatly enjoyed learning about the physical properties of various plastics and how we can manipulate them to act the way we want them too. Another reason I look back fondly upon this class is because Dr. Darby was an excellent professor who constantly made real world connections and ensure we were truly learning the material and not just "memorizing and purging" as he liked to say.

The artifact selected from this course was my patent presentation. Throughout the course my partner, Emily Sabella, and I worked on a patent project regarding a tamper evident plastic food container with a trigger opening mechanism. It was through this patent project that we learned about all that goes into patents and all the intricacies surrounding them. This project assignment in the class helped me learn more about patents and also respect patent writers a great deal after learning all that goes into filing and keeping a patent. On top of learning about patents, learning about the physical properties of these various plastics was especially beneficial to me as I started my internship at a flexibles converter plant not two weeks after this class had ended. Once again I was able to see what I had just learned in the classroom and see it being used in the industry.