Paducah Site Challenges Students to Brainstorm Ideas for Plastic Waste

PADUCAH, Ky. — Students from six regional high schools recently participated in the Paducah Site’s annual EcoThink program. Sponsored by deactivation and remediation contractor Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership, EcoThink engages students interested in STEM in brainstorming sessions to imagine creative solutions to environmental issues in their community and worldwide. This year, the students focused on the management and mitigation of plastic waste with Jeff Seay, a chemical engineering professor at the University of Kentucky College of Engineering – Paducah Campus. Seay shared the challenges posed by plastic waste, which led him to develop a small-scale, low-cost reactor to convert plastic waste into fuel oil. Students pitched their ideas to Seay and learned about future Paducah Site career opportunities.