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44609-SE
Polymer Innovation at Emerging Boundaries of Science and Engineering, at the 2006 ACS Division of Polymer Chemistry Biennial Meeting, May 2006, Key Biscayne, FL
The ACS Division of Polymer Chemistry, Inc. Biennial meeting, entitled Polymer Innovation at Emerging Boundaries of Science and Engineering, provided an exciting forum for leading scientists and engineers from academia, industry, and government to discuss emerging multidisciplinary technologies that bridge traditional boundaries between polymer science and engineering. The workshop was organized by Drs. Timothy E. Long (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University), Kenneth Carter (University of Massachusetts), Kathleen Havelka (Lubrizol), Erica Martin (Rohm and Haas), and Bridgette Voit (IPF Dresden) and took place on May 21-24, 2006 at the Sonesta Beach Resort in Key Biscayne, Florida.
The workshop, which had an attendance of approximately 100, included oral and poster presentations by scientists and engineers representing university, government, and industrial, laboratories in five countries including Germany, The United Kingdom, Canada, The Netherlands, and The United States. All sessions were highly attended and afforded the participants the opportunity to discuss recent advances polymer science and engineering, education across multiple disciplines, and cultivate collaborations and professional networks across diverse disciplines. The workshop had a strong student component as well with 11 students from domestic universities and 1 student from an international university in attendance.
The 2006 Biennial was an integrated educational forum for the most recent advances in polymer science and engineering, and the meeting topic, Polymer Innovation at Emerging Boundaries of Science and Engineering, was intentionally broad to bring together experts in diverse fields to address advanced technologies over a wide range disciplines. Such an educational forum was needed at this time to facilitate the collaborations and mutual understanding necessary to catalyze breakthrough polymer-based material solutions from the molecular to the device level. The objectives of the 2006 Biennial included (1) dissemination of the most recent advances in polymer science and engineering, (2) education across multiple disciplines, (3) cultivation of collaborations across diverse disciplines, and (4) formation of professional networks.
The 2006 Biennial consisted of twelve “mini-symposia” sessions on polymer innovation in biomacromolecules, nanotechnology, catalysis, sustainable polymer chemistry, renewable technologies, rheology and processing, modeling, and electronic, optical, stimuli-responsive, and biomedical materials and devices. Each mini-session included a tutorial/plenary lecture from an invited expert and several subsequent research lectures in the discipline. The plenary speakers were widely recognized as leaders in their fields and delivered tutorial lectures with broad scientific appeal. Special attention was devoted to the development of a diverse program including under-represented groups, leading universities from across the nation, international participation, and demonstrated innovation across disciplines. A poster session enabled additional non-invited contributions with an emphasis on presentations from graduate students. An instrumentation showcase involved 4-6 vendors with expertise in polymer characterization including advances in thermomechanical analysis, rheology, differential scanning calorimetry, and light scattering Industrial and NIST scientists co-organized the poster session and industrial showcase to ensure broad societal impact and provide networking opportunities for industrial participants.
Thanks to the generous support of the Petroleum Research Fund, five international scientists received funds to help defray their travel and living expenses: E. W. Bert Meijer (Eindhoven University, The Netherlands), Ulrich S. Schubert (Eindhoven University, The Netherlands), B. Voit (Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, Germany), D. Fischer (Eindhoven University, The Netherlands), and T. McLeish (University of Leeds, UK). PRF support was absolutely essential in bringing these world-class scientists and engineers together and key to the overwhelming success of the workshop.
