The Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) will offer a new scholarship designed for students pursuing a career in the field of packaging thanks to a recent gift. The Daniel Siegel Memorial Scholarship was funded by the Siegel family and MICA Corporation in honor of Daniel Siegel, founder and chair of MICA Corp.

“We are very grateful for the recent gift made on behalf of Daniel Siegel that will fund a new scholarship for students in our industry,” says Larry N. Montague, president and CEO of TAPPI. ”The Daniel Siegel Scholarship Fund will assist deserving youth in pursuit of a career in the field of packaging. This gift will be a testament to Daniel Siegel’s interest in TAPPI and higher education for all.”

MICA Corp. is a supplier of primers, coating, and adhesives to the flexible packaging industry. According to a statement by the company, Siegel’s innovations in water-based adhesive technology were considered innovations of their time and continue to influence manufacturers of flexible packaging materials. Dan joined TAPPI early in his career in 1968. He attended many TAPPI events over the years and played a key role in encouraging his employees to become active in TAPPI.

The scholarship, in the amount of $4,000, will be presented to an undergraduate or graduate student chapter member at a packaging school. The scholarship is designed to encourage more students to pursue careers in packaging and to raise awareness of the TAPPI Polymers, Laminations, Adhesives, Coatings, and Extrusions (PLACE) Division at these institutions. The deadline is February 15th on even numbered years, except this year, when it is March 15th.

The Daniel Siegel Scholarship Fund comes at a crucial time in American Manufacturing. “A chronic shortage of engineering students threatens America’s role as the world’s leading innovator and continues to impede our nation’s fragile economic recovery,” wrote Paul Otellini,  a member of the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, in a recent opinion piece for The Washington Post. “This shortage of engineers is even more acute in the manufacturing sector and threatens America’s ability to retain its innovation edge.”

For more information, visit www.tappi.org.