Rutgers engineering students who attended the November event with, at center (L-R): RPEAB chair and Topline Products president Charles Chang; School of Engineering Dean Thomas N. Farris; and Professor Hae Chang Gea, director of the Rutgers packaging engineering program.

Packaging Engineering at Rutgers University received another big boost at a November 7th fundraising event organized by the Rutgers Packaging Engineering Advisory Board (RPEAB). The second annual banquet drew 120 people including School of Engineering faculty, department chairs and students, as well as representatives of packaging companies, and raised $150,000, a nearly 40% increase over last year’s amount.

Contributions raised by the Advisory Board are earmarked for curriculum development, faculty recruitment, research and development, and student scholarships and internships. This year, for example, Board member companies hired 12 students for summer internships and are planning for an additional 18 internships next year.

The RPEAB fundraiser included presentations by School of Engineering Dean Thomas N. Farris and Professor Hae Chang Gea, director of the Rutgers Packaging Engineering Program. Under Professor Gea’s leadership, the program has grown from 32 students last year to more than 65 students this year. According to RPEAB chair and Topline Products president Charles Chang, Rutgers anticipates over 100 students to study packaging next year.
 
The November 7th fundraising event surpassed its fundraising goal with the help of many industry sponsors including L’Oréal, Bayer HealthCare, Topline Products, Coty, Gurwitch Products and Mally. L’Oréal contributed $50,000 toward the renovation of the packaging laboratory at Rutgers. The laboratory will be a critical part of the planned Rutgers Research Center for Packaging Sustainability.

For more information about packaging engineering at Rutgers, contact Professor Hae Chang Gea at 732-445-0108 or visit: http://soe.rutgers.edu/packaging.

For more information about the Rutgers Packaging Engineering Advisory Board, contact Charles Chang, president of Topline Products, at 973-785-1600.