Funds from Parker Racor Co. in Holly Springs were used by the Ole Miss Chemical Engineering Car Team to purchase materials needed to create a car that runs off the degradation of hydrogen peroxide to oxygen and water.
OXFORD, Miss. – Five University of Mississippi students competed recently in contests at both the regional and national conferences of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, thanks to a generous corporate sponsorship.
Funds from Parker Racor Co. in Holly Springs were used by the Ole Miss Chemical Engineering Car Team to purchase materials needed to create a car that runs off the degradation of hydrogen peroxide to oxygen and water.
“We are very grateful for Parker’s sponsorship and involvement in the Ole Miss Chemical Engineering Car Team this year,” said Jenna Becker of Madison, a senior chemical engineering major and president of the AIChE campus chapter. “The car that we designed competed in the chemical engineering car competition at the AIChE regional conference in Lexington, Ky. We will be competing with the same car in the national AIChE conference in San Francisco, Calif.”
Other members of the Ole Miss team include Ashleigh Bristol of Biloxi, James Mott of New Orleans, Patrick Turbeville of Southaven and Patrick Wood of Madison.
“Parker Hannifin Holly Springs began hiring Ole Miss students in 2011 as interns,” said Bruce Day, operations manager. “There are a number of Ole Miss graduates on the Parker Racor Holly Springs team, including the engineering manager.”
Because the plant has seen outstanding results from other interns in mechanical and manufacturing engineering, it is hiring its first chemical engineering interns this year, Day said.
“We have research and development centers on-site for air, crankcase and fuel filtration,” he said. “We are excited to have chemical engineering students coming to help us with filtration media, resins, adhesives and polymers.”
Parker has also partnered with UM’s Center for Manufacturing Excellence to have instructor Satoko Wantanabe use its operation to teach classes.
“We have learned a great deal from Satoko as she has prepared for the first standardized work class to be taught on-site,” Day said. “We expect to gain a tremendous amount of safety and productivity improvement as the students work in our operation. Our team members will also be given a wonderful opportunity to learn from the CME students. There will be other classes to follow.”
Previously, Parker officials met with the engineering students at the CME and have since used the facility there for its management team to do a two-day financial training session.
“We are really excited about the opportunity to provide learning experiences for students and part-time jobs to help them put the knowledge to practice,” Day said. “We know we will learn at the same time from them and benefit from their contributions. We also are excited to develop relationships with students that become long-term career opportunities with Parker.”
In the early ’90s, Farr Co. relocated to Holly Springs a HEPA, engine and railroad filtration business, which was acquired by Camfil in 2000. Parker Hannifin acquired the diesel engine air filtration business from Camfil Farr in May 2002. It manufactures diesel engine air filtration systems, crankcase ventilation filtration systems and high-flow fuel filtration systems for industrial applications.
Founded in 1918, Parker Hannifin Corp. is a global company. With annual sales exceeding $13 billion in fiscal year 2012, Parker Hannifin is the world’s leading diversified manufacturer of motion and control technologies and systems, providing precision-engineered solutions for a wide variety of mobile, industrial and aerospace markets. The company employs approximately 60,000 people in 48 countries.
Parker’s engineering expertise and broad range of core technologies uniquely positions the company to solve some of the world’s greatest engineering challenges. By partnering with customers, Parker improves their productivity and profitability and seeks new ways to solve humanity’s biggest challenges.