Elena Kowalczyk

Background

Elena Kowalczyk is on the faculty of the Department of Plastics & Packaging Engineering and holds a master’s degree from North Carolina State University, along with professional licensure and industry certifications. Before Porter, Elena led packaging development for a consumer-goods company.

Elena brings that practice into the classroom, teaching from real cases and current standards in distribution packaging and testing and rheology.

Areas of expertise

• Distribution packaging and testing
• Rheology
• Applied practice and industry partnerships

Teaching

Elena regularly teaches courses in Plastics Engineering, Packaging Technology. Specific sections and syllabi are listed in the class schedule each term.

Class time is built around cases and real deliverables. Students work to professional standards, present to a critique or a client-style panel, and revise. Elena keeps the connection to current practice explicit.

Advising and office hours

Elena advises students in the Plastics & Packaging Engineering programs and holds weekly office hours during the fall and spring terms, posted on the office door and in the course pages. Prospective students are welcome to email to arrange a visit or a call.

Advising conversations usually cover course sequencing, whether to add a minor or a concentration, and how classroom work connects to internships, research, or graduate study. Students who are undecided are welcome; part of the job is helping them narrow things down.

Recent and representative work

Elena stays active in practice alongside teaching, through consulting, standards work, and applied projects in distribution packaging and testing and rheology. Representative items:

• An applied project in distribution packaging and testing with an industry or community partner.
• A workshop or short course on rheology for practitioners in the region.
• Service on a standards, licensing, or advisory body related to distribution packaging and testing.

Titles and venues here are illustrative. UW–Porter Falls is fictional; Elena has no real publication record.

Get in touch

The fastest way to reach Elena is email (ekowalczyk@uwporterfalls.edu); messages during the fall and spring terms are usually answered within two business days. Prospective students and families can ask the Plastics & Packaging Engineering department office to set up a call, a class visit, or a meeting during an admitted-student day.