Alyssa Daly is a senior in the School of Packaging.

Packaging is something that I grew up hearing a little about, but I didn't think it was the right field for me at the time. I loved science and math courses in high school and had great interest in environmental issues which stemmed from growing up in Northern Michigan. I thought that engineering was the route I would take in college, but I wasn't sure I would enjoy it as a career. My uncle is in the Packaging field and my parents knew how much he loved it, so they convinced me to take the Packaging 101 course my freshman year of college. After the first few classes I knew that Packaging was the field for me. I would call my parents and talk to them about all the cool things I learned, and I would explore the grocery store with my newfound knowledge. Packaging is a mix of the best aspects of different science, engineering, and business fields and the variety is one of the reasons why I love it.

Last year during my junior year I had two 6-month co-ops. July-December 2017 I was with PepsiCo in Chicago working with their Fruit and Vegetable Beverage Packaging team. January-July 2018 I was with Abbott Nutrition in Columbus, OH with their Packaging Innovation team. I loved both of these experiences and learned so much about packaging and the business world that class time alone can't teach. I worked with mainly beverage packaging for both of my co-ops. Before my co-ops I'd never been to a manufacturing facility, and I enjoyed seeing the machines and packages that we'd discuss in class.

After my two co-ops I believe I want to stay in the food and beverage industry and work with beverage products. I found it fascinating to see hot-fill, cold-fill, aseptic, and retort facilities and understand how the product dictates the process and packaging. During my co-ops I saw a few different production facilities that make the same product but under two different processes. I learned about the benefits of each and the product formulation differences that are needed depending on the filling/sterilization process. I created an information diagram about PET and HDPE bottles with 1, 2, or 3 step closure systems and their barrier properties that could be used to decide what type of manufacturing plant would be best for the future. Before then I didn't think of all the challenges of shipping the preforms or blown bottles to production facilities or the challenges of blowing your own bottles.

Beverage packaging is full of nuances and there is so much to learn about different processes and materials that continue to evolve. I am excited to graduate in May and start my career in the beverage industry.

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