Gov. Inslee visits WWU plastics composite program

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee visited the Western Washington University campus on Monday, Feb. 17, to tour the plastics engineering technology facilities.

Nicole Hoekstra, a professor of engineering technology at Western, explained the program to the governor, and a handful of Western students demonstrated and explained their projects.

"The visit gave us the opportunity to show the hands-on learning experience that our students get in that program, which makes it unique among other engineering programs in the state," said Steve Swan, Western's vice president for University Relations. "We got to show how that work prepares students for careers in aerospace, automotive and other fields, helping Western meet the needs of the state of Washington.

Inslee tweeted a few thoughts during the tour:

 

Students in Western's PET program get practical experience in design, control analysis, processing, testing and production, according to the program's website. That hands-on learning, along with a grounding in mathematics, physics, chemistry and materials technology, is a critical part of Western's program.

Photos by Rhys Logan / WWU

Matthew Anderson
Western Today editor