To help better understand the coursework, the Process Technology (PTEC) 101 class from Hahnville High School recently visited the Louisiana Technical College in Reserve, Louisiana for a field trip. The PTEC 101 class is for 12th grade students interested in the process technology (PTEC) field.

PTEC 101 enables students to earn three hours of credit towards a 2-year associate degree program in process technology, while continuing to work towards their high school diploma. Dow is sponsoring the college-level PTEC class in partnership with other area chemical and refining companies to help students from St. Charles Parish gain a head-start towards the PTEC degree, which provides the skills needed to work in local chemical plants. Volunteer instructors from Dow help teach the PTEC 101 class at Hahnville High School.

As part of the PTEC class field trip, the high school students had the opportunity to see the Louisiana Technical College Methanol Plant in actual operations. They were also given the chance to completely tear down a control valve, see the control system at work, and run a lab sample. Sandra Louis, Dow employee and volunteer PTEC instructor, attended as an industry representative and assisted Louisiana Technical College instructors as needed.

Dow is a leader in science and technology, providing innovative chemical, plastic and agricultural products and services to many essential consumer markets. With annual sales of $33 billion, Dow serves customers in more than 180 countries and a wide range of markets that are vital to human progress, including food, transportation, health and medicine, personal and home care, and building and construction, among others. Committed to the principles of sustainable development, Dow and its approximately 46,000 employees seek to balance economic, environmental and social responsibilities. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. St. Charles Operations is owned by Union Carbide Corporation, which is a subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company.