Materials Research Science and Engineering Center on Polymers

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The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst supports an interdisciplinary program in the area of polymeric materials. The Center is entitled "Materials Research Science and Engineering Center on Polymers". The research is organized into three interdisciplinary research groups (IRGs). Tailored Interfaces (IRG 1) focuses on controlling the lateral order in thin polymer films using a variety of chemical, surface structural, and applied field techniques. IRG 2 on Structured Materials in Supercritical Fluids is concerned with the incorporation of supercritical CO2 in polymers with emphasis on gaining a fundamental understanding (diffusion, thermodynamics, interfacial interactions) of the process. Aqueous Polymer Assembly (IRG 3) investigates the assembly of polymers in aqueous solutions. The goal is to understand the contributions of various forces (electrostatic, hydrophobic, hydrodynamic, etc) in order to predict the final nano structured material. The Center has active education and outreach programs with special emphasis on undergraduate and K-12 teacher education. Effective links to the liberal arts colleges for women (Smith and Mount Holyoke) have been established. A total of 8 undergraduates will be sponsored at Smith and Mount Holyoke. Other ties to undergraduates are developed through faculty links at Howard U. and Harvey Mudd College. The Center's outreach to colleges is leveraged by a NSF Research Site on Education in Chemistry award (RSEC) with Smith, Mount Holyoke and Amherst Colleges. The MRSEC operates eleven shared experimental facilities which are also an effective tool in the education outreach program. The Center has a well developed industrial oureach program. The Center for UMass-Industry Research on Polymers (CUMIRP) leverages the MRSEC's outreach efforts by linking industrial sponsors with UMass research programs, faculty, and students. CUMIRP also fosters education links to industry in the form of the industrial visitors program (several week visits by industrial scientists at UMass), industrial scientist speaker program, and participation of industrial scientists on dissertation committees.Participants in the Center include 34 senior investigators, 2 postdoctoral associates, 30 graduate students and support for undergraduates and K-12 teachers. Professor Thomas P. Russell directs the MRSEC.