This past March, Jocelyn Erickson, a sophomore in Industrial Engineering, received 1st place in the Purdue University Student Soybean Innovation Competition. In this, West Lafayette students are challenged to create soybean based products. The competition’s emphasis on renewable resources and environmental stewardship creates a real world impact through sustainable production. 

 

Over the course of multiple months of brainstorming, testing, designing, and marketing, Erickson’s team created SoySeal. As the first ever 95% soy-based pressure sensitive tape, this product serves as a reliable alternative to traditional petroleum-based packaging tapes. It works for multiple mediums, including securing packages, sealing cartons, and general household or commercial use. SoySeal is almost a direct replica of traditional petroleum-based and microplastic-containing adhesives, only it has a drastically reduced environmental impact.

 

 

Erickson has participated in the Soybean Innovation Competition for the past 2 years, winning 3rd as a freshman. When recounting her experience in the development phase, she described each stage as long, yet crucial. No matter all the planning that went into a design, nothing can be trusted until the actual testing phase. Her team spent upwards of 100 hours in the lab, conducting trial and error, and pivoting to different ideas when their original thought process wasn’t working. After nearly 15 iterations, they finally came to their final product. 

 

“This competition really supports what you would be doing in the real world, keep trying until you make something work” said Erickson. She connected her competition experience to the real world benefits she derived from it. This past year, she received 4 job offers of 9 interviews, each one inquiring about the competition. Having had experience in the entire product development life cycle, Erickson was a prime candidate for companies seeking interns to contribute to their business.

 

 

Beyond the personal opportunities she experienced, Erickson and her team have the potential to bring benefits to many others. SoySeal has the potential to support $2.4 billion in revenue for farmers, building a direct relationship with industrial manufacturing and agriculture. By supporting Midwestern farmers, this innovative solution will undoubtedly strengthen local economies. Additionally, the plant-based product supports a reduced reliance on non-renewable materials, aligning with growing global demand for sustainable packaging solutions. Packaging and e-commerce are two of the largest sources of tape consumption, perpetuating deforestation and toxic material usage. SoySeal is an environmentally safe alternative that maintains performance standards. The real-world impact of this product should not go unnoticed. 

 

Though having only spent a year in Industrial Engineering after First Year Engineering, Erickson can attest to the big-picture mindset that IE provides. Not only visualizing the mechanics behind products, but how it will affect the people it is intended for. 

 

“IE is a beautiful mash up of engineering and human intergradation, that I am excited to continue my journey in for my last year at Purdue” professed Erickson. “College is meant to be the place you find what you love and what you don't; it is meant for failure, success, and everything in between.” Not taking risks will ultimately hurt you later down the road, because building resilience is an essential component to gaining confidence in one’s own abilities. Employers look for diverse candidates, and finding some way to set yourself apart is one of the best things you can do at Purdue.