TAPPI-PIMA Student Summit: unique learning, 'amazing' mill visit.

The 2004 TAPPI-PIMA Student Summit was held January 17-19, 2004, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA. Forty-five students--representing 15 universities in the United States and Canada--and 17 industry professionals attended the event. The Summit provided an excellent opportunity for undergraduate students to learn about career opportunities after graduation as well as the current state of the paper industry and its key issues and opportunities.

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The event kicked off on Saturday with a meeting of Student Chapter Presidents. The presidents were able to exchange ideas on fund raising, recruiting techniques and retention plans. That evening, Summit participants attended a dinner and mystery tour at the Myrtles Plantation, a bed and breakfast in St. Francisville, Louisiana. The Myrtles is an 18th century antebellum plantation allegedly known as one of America's most haunted houses.

Sunday morning saw the start of the official technical program. Jim McNutt, executive director of the Center of Paper Business and Industry Studies, and Bob Kinstrey, director, process technology for Jacobs Engineering Group, focused their presentation on the state of the industry. Wayne Gross, TAPPI's executive director and COO, provided an overview of Agenda 2020, the forest products industry's strategic plan for the future.

Associate professor at the University of Florida Gary Peter made his presentation on the role of biotechnology in the industry. Blanton Godfrey, dean, College of Textiles, North Carolina State University, provided his thought-provoking and comprehensive presentation on the textile industry, "Remaking the Industry through Innovation." Bob Kinstrey wrapped up the morning's session with "Required Path for Tomorrow's Paper Machine."

Georgia-Pacific's Port Hudson mill hosted a mill tour and in-depth discussion of the mill's operations for the students on Sunday afternoon. Several students mentioned that the mill tour was what they liked best about the summit. One wrote, "I really enjoyed the mill visit. The Port Hudson facility is amazing and I felt that it was really worthwhile."

On Sunday evening, the students enjoyed a banquet of local Louisiana cuisine. After dinner, they were organized into teams and competed in a design competition. The teams had one hour to complete their task: to build a vehicle to transport liquid the farthest distance in the straightest path using only the items supplied in a paper bag. One student commented on the evaluation, "This was by far the most effective method of getting the students to cross-mingle between universities." Said another, "I really enjoyed the engineering design competition. It allowed everyone to get to know each other while having a great time."

The technical program concluded Monday morning with a panel discussion on "Transitioning Into the Workforce--Key First Steps and How to Make a Difference." Panelists included David Ashcraft, executive in residence, North Carolina State University; Jim Thompson, chairman/CEO, Talo Analytic International Inc.; Jon LaBonte, engineering consultant, FM Global; Geoff Folse, entry level engineer, Georgia-Pacific; and Jennifer Matthews, technical service engineer, Mead-Westvaco Corp.

Ninety-seven percent of the attendees rated the 2004 Student Summit as "good" or "very good." Plans are already underway for the 2005 Student Summit, to be held January 15-17 at the Radisson Riverwalk Hotel in Jacksonville, Florida. Smurfit-Stone's Fernandina Beach mill will be hosting the mill tour. Mark your calendar today and visit www.tappi.org for updates on the event.

LAURA FEIX, TAPPI

About the author: Laura Feix is director of membership for TAPPI, Norcross, Georgia.