Syracuse University Libraries Curator of Plastics and Historical Artifacts Courtney Asztalos showing plastics information to a student from the Institute of Technology at Syracuse Central.
Syracuse University Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center hosted a visit from the PlastiVan on April 26. The PlastiVan is sponsored by SPE Foundation, an association of more than 22,000 members uniting plastics professionals worldwide and committed to making the plastics world better by providing a forum that generates awareness of issues facing the plastics community to identify solutions that will benefit everyone.
The PlastiVan program travels to schools and companies throughout North America, educating people of all ages about plastics chemistry, history, processing, manufacturing, sustainability and applications.
The PlastiVan provided a unique field trip for 40 Syracuse high school students from the Institute of Technology at Syracuse Central. PlastiVan CEO Eve Vitale delivered onsite PlastiVan instruction sessions complete with hands-on scientific experiments. Syracuse University Libraries Curator of Plastics and Historical Artifacts Courtney Asztalos provided one-hour sessions in the Lemke Room in Bird Library showcasing the Libraries’ historical plastics collections.
“The Libraries’ plastics collection is truly unique,” Asztalos says. “It provides an opportunity to unite chemistry, engineering and history. And the PlastiVan program helps to spark that curiosity.”
“This is a great opportunity to provide experiential learning to high school students in the area,” says University Librarian and Dean of Libraries David Seaman. “Syracuse University Libraries is committed to educating those in our campus and broader community.”
