Two ELCO students win national SCHOTT Innovation Challenge with ideas on glass

Two ELCO students were the national winners of the SCHOTT Innovation Challenge, a nationwide challenge for high-school kids that asked them to imagine innovative uses of glass to solve current or future problems.

ELCO sophomore Adelina Wolfe, who placed first nationwide, was honored Tuesday at Lebanon’s SCHOTT Pharma and given a tour of the facility alongside her parents and school representatives.

Wolfe also briefly presented her idea — biodegradable glass — Tuesday after receiving two $500 VISA gift cards and a SCHOTT interview pass as rewards. Glass, she explained, does not biodegrade; while it is broken down over time, the particles continue to exist, and can be dangerous if breathed in.

All glass ends up thrown away eventually, she said, whether after first use, like the vials used to carry life-saving medicine (like those produced at SCHOTT’s Lebanon location) or after breaking, like many household glass products.

Research is forthcoming on the topic, she explained, but scientists have begun researching changes to the glassmaking process that can allow the product to biodegrade with enough time.

Addressing the business element of the challenge, she said that many individuals and businesses would be willing to pay extra in order to lessen environmental impact, especially given the role public image plays in a corporation’s success.

Human resources representative Kurt Johnson, who also presented on SCHOTT’s processes and impact, voiced agreement. “The companies that we work with want to know that we’re environmentally conscious,” said Johnson.

Second-place winner Aryana Haislip, also of ELCO, was unable to make it Tuesday. However, Johnson described her idea of glass that would blacken on touch, particularly for school safety applications.

Haislip received a $500 gift card.

ELCO science teacher James Thomas explained that he had introduced his students to the challenge, but had let them pursue it on their own without too much specific direction.

“I’m impressed that the students had the self-confidence to trust in their ability,” he said. “They knew that, in what they had there was value, there was innovation.”

Wolfe explained that science is not her strongest subject, but she loves research and hopes to incorporate it into her future career.

“It made me take initiative,” she said, adding that the most challenging part of the process was presenting her ideas. “I also found confidence in myself out of it: I can have an idea that other people found value in without being like, ‘Oh, you’re a kid.'”

On learning that she and Haislip were both in the top three and would compete to impress a panel and secure the No. 1 slot, Wolfe said she and Haislip were happy to bounce ideas off of each other.

“This is great, we can help each other,” she said of her thought process at the time.

This is the second year Lebanon’s SCHOTT Pharma has participated in the nationwide innovation challenge, which received 40 entries total.

Last year, SCHOTT reached out to students in the CTC’s welding and machinist programs. This year, they expanded to students at ELCO and Annville-Cleona, which had both either toured the facility or been visited by SCHOTT representatives.

Johnson said he was happy with the participation from ELCO, and that they will be open to expanding to more local school districts in the future.

Those present Tuesday also got to take a tour of the manufacturing plant, led by shift manager Eric Schneider, and have lunch on-site.

Attendees got a rare glimpse at SCHOTT’s proprietary technology, with employees overseeing mostly-automated machines that take glass from imported rods to custom-shaped vials, scanning for quality along the way.

The glass is heated and molded into shape, with machines capable of adjusting to meet the specifications of a customer. According to the SCHOTT Pharma website, the company globally creates more than 13 billion drug containers, all made to order.

Quality, Schneider explained, is SCHOTT’s top priority as they custom-make medical vials. Products that don’t pass the quality scan are removed, with Schneider explaining that the Lebanon plant sends rejects to a blacktop maker so they do not go to waste.

The Lebanon location is the only SCHOTT Pharma location in the United States, one of 16 globally. SCHOTT, established in 1884 in Germany, also encompasses other glass products ranging from consumer electronics to architecture.

Johnson said one of the benefits of participating in the Innovation Challenge is that it gets the word out to more locals about SCHOTT and their work.