NEWS & EVENTS
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Outreach and Recruitment
The School of Polymer, Textile & Fiber Engineering (PTFE) continuously offers outreach programs to high schools, middle schools, teachers and counselors, parents of prospective students, and industry professionals, as well as to Georgia Tech students. The majority of the outreach is geared toward recruiting students into PTFE as well as to educating the public about the career opportunities the program provides.
High School Outreach
The School's enrollment manager visits high schools during the fall and spring semesters. Through a series of hands-on demonstrations, she brings the world of polymers and engineered fibers into the classroom. PTFE routinely participates in high school career fairs and college nights.
Yearly, high school students and their parents are invited to campus for the annual PTFE Career Day. They hear presentations on polymers and engineered fibers, tour the labs, are informed of current research initiatives, and interact with faculty and current students.
PTFE works closely each year with the Office of Minority and Special Programs, including participation in their Minority Introduction to Technology and Engineering (MITE) initiatives. PTFE took part in Tech's Tech on Your Terms event, where top minority high school juniors and seniors were targeted.
Off-campus College Students
PTFE visits each of the Regents' Engineering Transfer Program (RETP) schools in Georgia to introduce the PTFE degree program to the students considering transferring to an engineering degree at Georgia Tech. In addition, the School takes part in the annual spring visits to the campus by the RETP coordinators and their students.
Participation in On-campus Outreach Events
PTFE's undergraduate coordinator, faculty, and enrollment manager take part each year in Tech's Engineering and Computing Conference. The faculty, enrollment manager, and executive-in-residence also attend all Connect-with-Tech Sessions and entertain visits from interested prospective Tech students and their parents. They participate in Tech's other special population programs such as Family Affair, FUTURES, Women's Program, the President's Scholarship Weekend, and the Welcome Weekend.
PTFE faculty members, in conjunction with the executive-in-residence, have promoted the opportunity for Tech students majoring in ISyE, Economics, and Management to choose a scholarship-supported Polymer/Fiber Enterprise Management Certificate and/or participate in a Minor program. In addition, PTFE majors are encouraged to consider a scholarship-supported concentration in management.
Industry Outreach
The School has organized a series of workshops for the carpet industry with input on topics from carpet industry representatives. Each spring PTFE sponsors a workshop on recycling of carpet, textile, and polymer fibrous waste in Dalton, Georgia. This workshop has been ongoing for nearly a decade and is well-attended and well-received by approximately one hundred industry participants.