St. Patrick Catholic School 8th grade class attended an engineer-for-a-day experience at Minnesota Rubber & Plastics’ new Innovation Center
MINNEAPOLIS – June 6, 2022 – Quadion LLC, d.b.a. Minnesota Rubber & Plastics (MRP), a leading provider of highly engineered elastomer and thermoplastic solutions, today hosted the 8th grade class of St. Patrick Catholic School of Hudson, Wisc for their “engineer-for-a-day” experience. Eighth grade student Megan C. from St. Patrick’s School in Hudson, Wisc. was selected as the winner of the contest, earning her entire 12-person class a visit to MRP’s new state-of-the-art Innovation Center in Plymouth, Minn. and $2,500 in STEM supplies for her school.
Megan’s entry, “Solar Power Solution to Make Contaminated Water Drinkable,” outlined a solution for securing clean drinking water using solar power and hydrophobic filters.
Speaking to teacher Julie Mattimiro and her 8th grade Earth Science class, Karthik Viswanathan, Vice President of Product Development, shared what he called “unsolicited advice”, in hopes of inspiring young minds to leverage their curiosity:
- Do not let ambition get in the way of your experiences – live in the present and do not always worry about what comes next.
- Tough lessons are more valuable than good experiences – never be afraid to try something new.
- Join a group where you don’t know many people – coming together for a common goal shows what humanity is capable of despite our many differences.
The class joined MRP experts on a tour of the recently opened Innovation Center and learned from materials scientists and engineers in the areas of design, process and tooling. From the advanced materials lab through design and the prototype production center, students had an opportunity to experience firsthand how prototypes are made and learn how small rubber components play a critical function in daily lives.
The students were shown:
- A cell culture assembly for cancer treatment
- A transmission seal ring for automotive applications
- A specialized O-ring for bringing natural gas and clean water into homes.
In addition to the tour, students were presented with $2500 in STEM supplies which will be distributed through all grades of St. Patrick’s, which has approximately 200 students in pre-K through 8th grade.
About Minnesota Rubber & Plastics
Minnesota Rubber & Plastics (MRP) is a leader in material compound development and the manufacturing of custom elastomeric and thermoplastic components. For 76 years, the company has built a reputation for consultative design services and successful production of “the tough parts.” With facilities across North America, Europe, and Asia, MRP collaborates with customers to solve difficult sealing and component challenges across multiple markets. Capabilities include materials science and formulation, new product prototyping, operational excellence and supply chain consolidation. The company’s new Innovation Center provides its customers with direct access to materials science expertise and a fully integrated design-build-prototype-test process that enhances innovation and greatly accelerates product development. The company places emphasis on research and development and empowers its technicians to design, formulate, develop, and test a wide range of highly engineered materials and parts. For more information, please visit www.mnrubber.com. meet the next-generation needs of our customers’ product.
Media Contacts:
Minnesota Rubber and Plastics
Karl Spilseth
Global Marketing
(952) 927-2161
[email protected]
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