Area students get first-hand look at Dow facility

St. Charles, LA - March 09, 2006

Students from Hahnville and Destrehan High School recently visited the St. Charles Operations site of Dow Chemical to meet with operations personnel and to get a first-hand look at a production facility.

About 20 students in the PTEC 101 class attended. The class is significantly larger this year with 24 students. They began with an orientation and overview on process technology at the Dow Learning Center. Several of Dow’s process technology personnel spoke to the students about what it takes to get a job in operations at Dow, and encouraged them to continue their efforts to pursue the PTEC curriculum in a technical college. In the PTEC 101 class, the high school students can earn up to three hours of college credit that can go toward a PTEC Associate of Applied Science (AAS)degree.

The students were then taken for a tour of the Amines Plant on the St. Charles Operations site.  It was the first time that many of the students had ever been in a chemical facility, and many were very impressed by the size and the overall operations of the site.

Dow Learning Leader Ronnie Madere said the PTEC101 classes will be taught in the new High School Technology Satellite Center in Luling beginning this fall. He said the new center will be much more convenient for the Destrehan students to attend. The classes are currently taught at Hahnville High School.

Madere said the chemical industry is very high tech and provides some of the best wages and benefits in the state.  He said Dow annually contributes $6,000 in PTEC scholarship funds for residents in St. Charles Parish.

The St. Charles Operations Instructors for the PTEC 101 Class include: Sandra Louis, Cecil Jones, Greg Diebold, Duane Minvielle, Ron Fanara, Carl Poche, Ron Oleksik and Gaynell Alexander. Thanks also to Wayne Adams, Karen Davis and Trina Meadoux for helping to make the student's visit a success.

Dow is a diversified chemical company that harnesses the power of science and technology to improve living daily. The Company offers a broad range of innovative products and services to customers in more than 175 countries, helping them to provide everything from fresh water, food and pharmaceuticals to paints, packaging and personal care products. Built on a commitment to its principles of sustainability, Dow has annual sales of $46 billion and employs 42,000 people worldwide. 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.

	Ron Fanara, PTEC 101 instructor and process technician at Dow, points out part of the Amines Unit to the PTEC students during their recent visit to the St. Charles Operations site.

For Editorial Information:

Jolen T. Stein
St. Charles Operations
(985) 783-4990