Profile: Matthew Haws

Hello! My name is Matthew Haws and I am from Hampden, Maine. I am a second year Chemical Engineering student at the University of Maine and I have accepted a co-op position over the summer at Woodland Pulp/St Croix Tissue in Baileyville, Maine. I am eager to learn more about the paper industry and look forward to the experiences that this summer will bring.

Thank you to all of the people that have helped make the TREE trip possible. I am looking forward to touring the facilities in Germany and Austria to gain perspective of the industry overseas and gain a more widespread understanding of the paper industry. It is a great opportunity for all of us involved to experience the European culture and process of producing paper.

In my free time I enjoy riding bikes, fishing, hiking and playing with my dog. In the winter I spend a lot of time playing pond hockey and on occasion I go skiing

Once again, thank you to everyone involved to make the trip possible!

Profile: Cory Schweitzer

Hey everyone!  My name is Cory Schweitzer and I am a Junior Chemical Engineering Student at UMaine.  I'm currently in my second semester of internship for Sappi Fine Paper at the Somerset mill and cannot get enough of it.  Please don't make me go back to school.  My co-op experience has limited me to the Sappi Somerset Mill and I'm really looking forward to touring foreign paper mills on this upcoming TREE trip.

Working at Sappi has shown me that as an engineer, we look for opportunities to better the process.  I feel as though the TREE trip is a huge opportunity to better my process in finding a career after college as well as rounding myself out as a young adult, and I intend to make the most of it!

Living in Central Maine this winter/spring has been perfect as well in terms of being a very active person.  Snowboarding, Ice Fishing, and Hockey are all I want to do in the winter and I can't think of a better place to experience all of that than Maine.

Thank you to everyone who has helped us and contributed to this extraordinary opportunity!

Cory Schweitzer

Profile: Kelsey Dillon

Hello! My name is Kelsey; I am a senior chemical engineering student. I have interned three summers in technical sales with Ashland Inc. in Maine and Georgia. After graduation I will be working for BTG in Savannah, Georgia. Over the course of my internships and undergraduate study I have had the chance to visit numerous pulp and paper facilities in the United States. I am really excited for the TREE trip as this will be my first opportunity to see the industry abroad. As someone about to enter the global pulp and paper industry, this will be an amazing opportunity to see the culture in Germany and Austria and become more knowledgeable about the industry on a larger scale.  The planning and preparing continues as our trip gets closer. Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed and helped us so far!!

Profile: Kelsey Bolduc

Hello TREE Trip Followers!

My name is Kelsey Bolduc and I am a third year chemical engineering student from Oakland, ME.
I have completed one semester of my two semester coop experience at Sappi Somerset in Skowhegan, ME. I am very excited to return for my second semester when we get back from Germany.

 I'm super excited to be a part of the TREE trip to Germany and Austria. It will be an incredible opportunity for us to see all of the capabilities of the facilities overseas and also to learn more about our industry. Thank you all so much for your continued support of the TREE trip. This really is a once in a lifetime opportunity for us and I'm so thankful to be a part of it.

In my spare time I really enjoy playing lacrosse and I am a member of the women's club team here at UMaine. During the spring we spend our weekends traveling around New England playing different club teams. I also love spending summers on the lake with my family and our pup, Buddy.

Thanks again for your support and keep checking the blog for updates!

Kelsey

Profile: Lauren Tingley

Hello, I’m Lauren and I am from Madawaska!  I am a sophomore and am studying chemical engineering.   Last summer I was able to intern at Twin Rivers Paper Company.  This fall and next summer I’ll be co-oping there as well.

I’ve never traveled overseas and am extremely anxious to go to Germany and Austria.  I’ve been involved in AIChE and TAPPI/PIMA the last two years so I have been fortunate enough to tour several mills and plants, but I’m interested in seeing how they differ in European countries.

Lastly, thank you to everyone who is helping us make this trip happen!

Profile: Alexi Deering

Hello everyone!

My name is Alexi Deering, and I am currently a junior chemical engineering major.  Jay, Maine is where I call home.  I have been fortunate enough to have had a coop experience at MeadWestvaco in Covington, Virginia.  I will be returning to Covington this summer for my second rotation.  I can’t say thank you enough to everyone who has contributed to make this trip possible.  This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am very excited to be a part of it!  I am looking forward to gaining a more global perspective on the industry because of the trip.  I think it will be very interesting to tour the facilities overseas and see how much or how little they differ with what we have here.  I’m thrilled about the cultural experience in store for us!

I enjoy spending the majority of my free time outside.  In the fall and summer months I can usually be found hiking or rock climbing, and in the winter snowboarding. This spring will be my second attempt at making my own maple syrup.  Thanks again for all of your support!

Profile: Jonathan Haws

Hello, my name is Jon Haws and I am a senior graduating from the University of Maine with a Chemical Engineering degree this upcoming May. My career will start at Woodland Pulp/St. Croix Tissue in Baileyville Maine as an entry level process engineer. I have had a great college experience but I am looking forward to the next phase of my life. I am an avid Patriots fan and I also enjoy the outdoors as well as an active lifestyle.
After graduation, I look forward to participating in the 2015 TAPPI/PIMA TREE Trip to Austria and Germany. I look forward to being exposed to European paper facilities as well as equipment manufacturing facilities in which I have yet to experience. I also have not traveled to Europe in my life so I look forward to the cultural exposure as well as we will be visiting multiple large cities.

Profile: Jonathan Lee

Hi everyone, my name is Jonathan Lee and I am from Madawaska, ME.  I am currently a senior at UMaine and will be graduating in May.  After school, I will be working for Sappi in Skowhegan, ME.  I am thrilled to be attending the TREE Trip and want to thank everyone who has been involved with setting up our tours as well as everyone that has contributed to our cause financially.  I know personally I am looking to broaden my knowledge of the pulp and paper industry from this TREE Trip.  I am really looking forward to the cultural experience as well.

When I'm not on the golf course in the summer, I can be found running or playing some sort of other sport.  I'm usually on the go as I don't like being lazy (even though you need a day like that every once in awhile).  In the winter I enjoy skiing and ice fishing.  I also do quite a bit of hunting in the fall.

Meet Katrina Lessard

Hi everyone!

My name is Katrina Lessard, and I am a junior chemical engineering major from Corinth, ME. I am
so excited to be apart of this trip to Germany/Austria and have been counting down the days until we leave. But before we get into that, I just wanted to introduce myself and give you guys some background.

As I mentioned before, I am currently a junior chemical engineering major. I have completed one semester of coop at Sappi Technology Center in Westbrook and can't wait until I can start my second semester. I worked on maintenance of the pilot coater, updating network diagrams, and a research project. It was a great experience and I'm excited to be able to continue my work. I'm currently active in the UMaine chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers as well as TAPPI/PIMA.

We have a lot of locations already planned for the trip, and I can't wait to tour all of them. It is going to be a once in a lifetime opportunity that I will treasure. Seeing how the industry works across
 the globe is going to be a unique learning opportunity and I'm excited
 to observe the culture in Germany and Austria.

Thank you guys for all of your support! I look forward to updating you guys on our progress!

Profile: Devin Weaver

Hello everyone,

First off, I am very excited to have the chance to go on this amazing trip. I am counting down the weeks till we leave, but now I am gonna tell you a little bit about myself.

My name is Devin Weaver, and I am a junior chemical engineer from Essex Junction Vermont. I currently have completed one semester at a Co-op at Sappi Fine Paper in Westbrook, ME as a project engineer. This was such a great experience and can't wait to go back for a second term this summer. I am involved with many clubs around campus such as: Tennis Club, American Institute of Chemical Engineering, and lastly I am the president of the University of Maine Trap & Skeet club.

As the itinerary has been filling in I am getting more excited to see the different parts of the industry and see how they differ from ones back here. I also can't wait to see the culture differences as well.

One thing I can tell you already is German isn't that easy !

Auf Wiedersehen !