Students from the Prairie Junior High School Chemistry Club recently toured GC America’s facilities in Alsip, Ill, where they observed the many components involved in making dental supplies and watched how chemistry is incorporated into the manufacturing process. After learning how to perform a polymerization reaction, the students also made molds of teeth.
“GC America is proud to provide opportunities for local students to observe the application of the science and technology they are learning in the classroom in a real-life manufacturing setting,” said Mark Heiss, director of regulatory affairs and academic affairs at GC America. Heiss led the lesson on polymerization as well.
Plus, GC America personnel recently attended the 2017 Alsip Community Expo and Craft Fair, where they distributed educational information about oral health, including tips for maintaining positive oral health habits. The company plans on extending this outreach effort into several Alsip schools in the fall, providing oral health education to local students.
The visit and the fair, which fell under GC America’s Corporate Social Responsibility Program, were supported by the ADA and America’s ToothFairy: National Children’s Oral Health Foundation. Students from additional schools and clubs are expected to tour the GC America facilities in the future.
Next month, GC America will break ground on a training center designed to provide continuing education for dentists, dental hygienists, and other dental professionals. Once complete, the facility will increase opportunities for local students to engage in hands-on learning and for exposure to dental and manufacturing careers, according to the company.
“We look forward to engaging more student groups in learning about dental careers and the technologies behind the innovative products manufactured right here in Alsip,” said Heiss.
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