OXFORD, Ohio -- The Paper Science & Engineering Foundation at Miami University was founded in 1960 through the donations of several local paper mills and corporations who wanted to ensure the education of future paper engineers.
The foundation continues to actively work with students in the paper science and engineering program at Miami University. Paperitalo Publications was able to catch up with senior Jacob Kanuk. We asked him a few questions about his experiences at Miami.
What attracted you to the Paper Science and Engineering program?
On my very first day at Miami University, having already decided to do Chemical Engineering, I wanted to see if there was anything that I could further specialize in. I asked a professor who was talking with the incoming engineering students if there was any sort of minor that dealt with material science, and it was then when I was told "Well, paper is a material, and we have a Paper Engineering minor here!" I decided to declare the minor then, and at the first meeting of our University's Student TAPPI chapter, I was exposed to the vast network of resources available to me. I even got to listen to a speaker from the paper industry discuss what their company is all about, and how they fit into the wider scope of the industry. I gradually learned more and more about all of the opportunities now afforded to me as a result of being a part of the program, from scholarships to internships, and I knew that I had found the perfect program to assist in my professional development.
Were you looking into pulp and paper when you were in high school?
Honestly, I had never even considered the pulp and paper industry as a viable career path when I was back in high school. I was thinking about majoring in Chemistry until I had a conversation with my Chemistry teacher, who told me that I should look into Chemical Engineering instead. Even after declaring the major, I was not sure what was in store for me going forward, or what industries were even available to work in as a chemical engineer.
Tell us about the internships and/or co-ops you have had.
My first internship was with Pratt Industries at their recycled paper mill in Wapakoneta, OH, where I worked as a chemical engineering intern. I assisted in daily data collection, worked on a multitude of projects, and submitted work orders for the installation of hot taps on the centrifugal cleaners in addition to a handsheet former. The first large project that I worked on was a comprehensive mass balance on the system of centrifugal cleaners at the mill, which involved measuring flow rates, finding ash content, calculating efficiencies, and providing recommendations to run even more efficiently. The second large project that I worked on involved remotely testing and labelling all of the air valves in the starch system in addition to stenciling the corresponding equipment tag numbers onto all of the equipment within the system.
My second internship was with ND Paper at their recycled paper mill in Biron, WI, where I worked as a process control intern. I was able to participate in this internship thanks to the Systems Automation Springboard to Internships (SASI) workshop hosted through Miami University. At the mill, I was in charge of monitoring the loop health of the systems on the paper machine, ensuring alarm limits were set properly for the pulp mill, and updating a PARCview clone of the DCS by creating many new tags and fixing others to ensure that the clone would accurately report the data being recorded. I shadowed the process improvement manager at the mill often, and learned how to utilize the Honeywell Experion PKS program and work with Bailey PLCs.
What does this program mean to you?
I can say without a doubt that the Paper Science & Engineering Foundation has been instrumental in both my academic and professional development during my time at Miami University. On the academic side, I have been supported every single semester since declaring the minor and joining the Student TAPPI Chapter via scholarships from the foundation, allowing me to focus more on my studies. On the professional side, the Paper Science & Engineering Foundation has provided a vast amount of resources that have allowed me to grow my professional network, seek out internships and full-time employment, and develop skills necessary for the workplace. As far as I'm aware, no other program on our campus comes close in terms of connection to the industry, and I am deeply thankful that it has ultimately led me to my two internships in addition to full time employment at Avery Dennison after graduation.
Where do you see yourself in five and 10 years, and what are your career aspirations?
After I graduate this May, I will be starting a full-time position in an Operations Controls role at Avery Dennison. Within five years, I hope to first and foremost establish myself within the company, but I also wish to travel internationally for business at some point in that time frame. Looking at where I might be in 10 years, I would like to go back to college to earn a Master's Degree in Chemical Engineering. With a Master's under my belt, I look forward to utilizing my education to further my career, like taking on leadership roles in increasingly ambitious projects.
What would you recommend to anyone who might be interested in getting into pulp and paper?
To anyone looking to get into the pulp and paper industry, the first thing I would recommend is attending a TAPPI meeting. Experiencing a glimpse of what the industry has to offer can pique a prospective student's interest in the field, and from there they can take an introductory class on paper science to learn more about it. Seeking out and working at an internship within the pulp and paper industry at this point to get a real glimpse into what the industry is like will likely be the final piece of the puzzle for a student to decide if they would like to continue in the industry, or pivot elsewhere. Talking to upperclassmen about their experiences and why they decided to pursue a career in the pulp and paper industry can also be very informative for anyone interested, as every single one of them was once an underclassmen with a decision to make too.
Please let us know of anything else of interest about your experiences in the program.
In January 2023, I had the amazing opportunity to participate in the Paper Engineering in Austria and Central Europe (PEACE) study abroad program, where I completed a semester's worth of coursework on papermaking and paper coatings at the Technical University of Graz and visited 12 paper mills and 2 paper museums--all over the span of three and a half weeks. Visiting a variety of different types of paper mills in Austria, Slovenia, and Italy deepened my appreciation of the industry, and gave me new insight on what the paper industry is like an ocean away. A year later in January 2024, I participated in the SASI workshop, where for a period of three weeks I learned about many facets of the automation and process control industry. I got hands-on experience programming a robot arm in ladder logic, and configuring a program to communicate with a PLC. As a result of participating in this program, I secured my process control internship with ND paper, having learned information that I had never come across in a classroom setting before. Both of these unique experiences outside of the classroom were only possible thanks to the Paper Science & Engineering Foundation, with both deeply enriching my learning experience in the paper program and being something that I would recommend to any other student in a heartbeat.
Please tell us what year you are in the program, your hometown, and anything interesting you might do in your free time.
I am currently a senior, graduating in May of 2025, majoring in Chemical Engineering and minoring in Paper Engineering and Ethics, Society & Culture, which is a philosophy minor. I grew up in Mentor, OH, which is about a half hour northeast of Cleveland, OH. I do sabre fencing with the Miami University Fencing Club, and I am also the Head Armorer of the club, which means that I take care of and repair all of the equipment we use like our blades, electronics, and protective gear. Off campus, I love reading science fiction novels, playing games, and spending time with my friends.
Editor's Note: Click here for more on the Miami PS&E foundation.
