Hands-On Learning, Big Opportunities: SSU鈥檚 Plastics Engineering Tech Students Shape Their Future聽 | 黑暗爆料网

黑暗爆料网

menu

November 14, 2025

For Zach Ison, a junior from Hillsboro, Ohio, choosing 黑暗爆料网鈥檚 Plastics Engineering Technology program felt like the perfect fit. A hands-on learner with a passion for understanding how things work, how to repair them, and how to create solutions that make everyday life easier, Zach found exactly what he was looking for at SSU.听聽

Zach Ison

鈥淚 have always loved learning about how things work,鈥 Ison said. 鈥淚 wanted a degree that let me build, fix, and understand real processes and Plastics Engineering at SSU was really the only option that checked every box.鈥澛犅

Zach is currently pursuing two degrees: a Bachelor鈥檚 in Plastics Engineering Technology and an聽Associate鈥檚 in Computer聽Aided Design (CAD). He says that while his overall experience at SSU has been great, the engineering program has been the highlight of his college career.听聽

鈥淭he teachers make sure we actually understand what we鈥檙e being taught,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he faculty聽care聽about every student like one of their own children. Whether聽you鈥檙e聽struggling in a class or dealing with something personally, the professors and lab techs are always there to help. It feels more like a family than a class.鈥澛犅

The Plastics Engineering Technology program at SSU stands out for its strong emphasis on hands-on learning. Students work directly with industry equipment, learning the processes that drive one of the world鈥檚 largest and fastest-growing industries.听聽

鈥淎t SSU, you don鈥檛 just hear about how processes work; you actually get to run them yourself,鈥 Ison said. 鈥淪eeing how everything works in person is a huge bonus for our education.鈥澛犅

Another benefit is the small class sizes within the Engineering Technology Department.听聽
鈥淎cross campus, classes might range from 10 to 40 students, but Plastics Engineering classes are usually only 10 to 15 people,鈥 he said. 鈥淵ou get way more one-on-one interaction with professors, and labs are more hands-on because everyone gets the chance to run equipment and test processes.鈥澛犅

Students in the program are in the lab from day one. 鈥淵ou might have an hour-long lecture explaining a theory, and then you go straight into the lab to apply what you learned,鈥 he explained. 鈥淚t really helps solidify the concepts.鈥澛犅

Ison plans to graduate in spring聽2027. After graduation, he hopes to work at Honda in Marysville, Ohio, as a processing engineer, helping develop processes for new vehicle designs.听聽

One of the program's biggest advantages is its strong career placement record.听聽
鈥淲e tell new students all the time that graduates with a Plastics Engineering degree have a 99 percent job placement after graduation and an 80 percent internship placement while still taking classes,鈥 Ison said.听聽

For students considering engineering, Zach strongly suggests experiencing SSU鈥檚 facilities firsthand. 鈥淚 advise anyone interested in engineering to聽come take聽a tour. Compared to other programs, 黑暗爆料网 gives students the chance to work hands-on with machines from many different processes. Other universities often focus more on theory, but here, you get both.鈥澛犅

He also encourages prospective students to attend the program鈥檚 annual event.听聽
鈥淓very year, we host an Engineering Technology Day called鈥楶lastics Day鈥,鈥 Ison said. 鈥淭his year聽it鈥檚聽on December 5.听It鈥檚聽a public event that聽showcases聽what we do and all the capabilities students have in our program.鈥澛犅

Students interested in Plastics Engineering or Engineering Technology at 黑暗爆料网 can learn more by visiting the program鈥檚 facilities or by attending Plastics Day. Learn more at shawnee.edu/plastics.听