Inspiring the Next Gen: STEM Presentation Captivates 4th Grade Class

To end the school year with some fun and excitement, Matrix’s Director of Business and Engineering Development, Tom Moyak, had the pleasure of providing a STEM presentation to the entire 4th grade class of Elk Valley Elementary School (EVES). The goal of the presentation was to ignite curiosity among the students in the world of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) using plastic manufacturing to relate to their coursework. The 60-minute presentation covered STEM’s extensive impact on everyone’s day-to-day activities at Matrix.

Tom demonstrated how STEM is used to design, model, and manufacture a product familiar to all kids–a unique plastic golf tee that the company patented 25+ years ago! Tom highlighted many of the career opportunities available within Matrix & plastics manufacturing, while encouraging students to develop a lifelong interest in STEM as a way to succeed in their future careers. Following many thoughtful and engaging questions, students got an up-close look at the production parts we had on display. They were able to ran their hands through a bin of raw material (plastic resin pellets), which is how all injection molded parts begin. This was a crowd favorite! The students left their informative field trip with a better understanding of Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math, along with the importance of everyday STEM concepts as they relate to our lives and careers here at Matrix.

The students also left with their own pack of Matrix Tool golf tees! Have an amazing summer, EVES!