2004 ISA PUPID Scholarships
Mike Waller - PUPID Education Co-Chair
For the third consecutive year, and the second year for the newly established ISA
Pulp & Paper Industry Division Scholarship Endowment, the ISA Pulp & Paper
Industry Division is pleased to award a $1000 scholarship to a college student
pursuing a career in pulp & paper. This year, the winner is another
“top-notch” student with an impressive scholastic record as well as
extracurricular activities and having demonstrated a significant interest in
the instrumentation/process control component of the pulp and paper industry.
The winner is Michael Alan Graff, also last year's recipient. Michael sent in his completed application
form from the PUPID website, an official transcript from his university, three letters of recommendation from persons familiar with
his character, and answered three questions describing his interest in the pulp
and paper industry, his educational accomplishments, his school activities and
his leadership roles. You can read a little bit about him in the rest of this
article.
Michael Alan
Graff, a junior
majoring in Paper Science and Engineering at State University of New York College of Environmental Science and
Forestry in Syracuse, New York, hails from Baldwinsville, New York and is the son of ISA Niagara Frontier section member Darlene and Alan Graff, a Sales Engineer with R.L. Stone. Michael will graduate in May 2005 and
currently has a GPA of 3.226. Michael has received many awards including the
When asked about his activities of the past year and particularly about his work last summer (his first insternsip), Michael says "As far as my Kodak experience went, it was an internship for the summer. I was on one of the four crews, and my job title was assistant winderman. It was interesting because the whole experience familiarized me with the real-life setting of a paper mill and certain operations which go on in a paper mill. I was also involved in some mill tests to see how easily the paper machine could be converted to produce ink-jet paper instead of photography paper. It was an EXCELLENT experience to introduce me to the field and the amount of money I made in one summer made my friends extremely jealous."
When asked why he needs this scholarship; he says “college
costs continue to go up while the economy stays sluggish; both my parents have
been affected by the economy in the form of wage freezes, mandatory furloughs,
and decreased or eliminated bonuses. Combining these with my brother entering
college next year and my need of transportation for an internship or co-op,
this money is needed”.
In describing the most important things he has learned from
his employment: he says, “the most important thing I have learned is the value
in a strong work ethic. Because of my strong work ethic, my employers like me,
depend on me, and appreciate my contributions to their company. They welcome me
back and support me in return for what I have done for them”.
When asked to elaborate on his interest and participation in
the pulp and paper industry thus far and in the future: he says, “I decided on
an engineering degree because of my abilities in math and sciences and because
I knew there was going to be a need for engineers in the future. ESF impressed
me with its pilot-sized paper mill and engineering lab and the hands-on
experience I was going to get while in college. I tend to analyze and critique
things so I would think I would like the control side of the pulp & paper
industry. I hope to get exposure to that as I concentrate more on the PSE
courses I take and as I get exposure to companies and jobs in my internships or
co-op positions. I am taking Introduction to Papermaking, Pulp & Paper lab
skills, and Principles of Mass & Energy Balance this semester. I have
visited International Paper’s
Now that PUPID has gotten back to giving away the college
scholarships, hopefully the word will spread and the coming years will bring
many more applicants. Start spreading the word for the 2004 PUPID Scholarship!