Students in Action
Engineering Students Ship a Chip Across the Country
RALEIGH, N.C. (March 6, 2020) – Can a single Pringles potato crisp travel 2,677 miles from Wake Tech to Fresno City College, in Fresno, Calif., and arrive with its perfect saddle shape?
Wake Tech engineering students sure hope so.
Called Ship the Chip, about 50 first-year students completed a cool project this week that taught them design, packaging, and shipping skills.
“This is something that engineers do all the time,” said instructor John Spevacek. “They are always building things that are going out of their control to a customer, whether it’s an industrial customer or an average consumer.”
Students carefully designed, packaged, and shipped their Pringles box to fellow engineering students at Fresno. Students there will receive and inspect the packages and give Wake Tech students feedback on their package design and delivery condition.
Spevacek said the project teaches students the importance of proper packing and shipping techniques for products.
“In this case, the product is a single Pringles chip, and the students are trying to safely ship it undamaged across the country,” he said. “When the chips are stacked in the can they protect each other, but a single chip is pretty fragile.”
Students also developed their own testing methods for the chip package, like adding weight on top and dropping it on the ground, to see if it damaged the box.
Student Luke Hogan said the project was a lot of fun. And he’s anxious to see if his package weathers the coast-to-coast trip.
“It’s hands-on education in an intro level class, and that’s something that’s very valuable for me and I know it’s very valuable for other people,” Hogan said.
