Symposium Support: The Polymer Science of Everyday Thing. National ACS Meeting, Boston, MA, August 18-20, 2007.

“日常事物的聚合物科学”研讨会和研讨会的目标是解释人们日常遇到和使用的事物如何依赖于聚合物科学，因为它们无处不在。科学家和教师听到新发明或新产品时往往会感到兴奋，但可能不会停下来思考一些常见的事情，比如阿司匹林和泰诺的控释过程是如何起作用的，绷带是由什么制成的，聚合物材料植入物有什么问题....那尿布和导尿管呢？研讨会和讲习班结合的独特之处在于，教师和科学家就聚合物科学的这些主题向教师和科学家进行教育推广，重点放在三个远程现场讲习班学习设施上。因此，这次研讨会和工作坊在满足这些需求的同时，也加强了高分子科学领域的教育，提高了教学的专业性。本次研讨会的科学价值在于在解释高分子材料的组成和性质方面所采取的基本方法，高分子材料在医疗和保健领域的应用。更广泛的影响源于博士专业人士（学术，工业，政府）的高出席率，他们对聚合物在医疗应用中的要求和对最先进技术的见解感兴趣。这些信息通常会影响研究项目的进程或启发相关的例子，以便纳入课程。通过K-12远程研讨会，波士顿、阿克伦、凤凰城和ici将利用当地学区的交流论坛邀请K-12教师。因此，就K-12教师而言，演讲的杠杆作用至少是三倍，而对学生的影响则相应更高。

COMBINED TECHNICAL AND NON-TECHNICAL ABSTRACT The goal of the "The Polymer Science of Everyday Things" symposium and workshop is to explain how things that people encounter and use everyday depend on polymer science for their ubiquity. Scientists and teachers hear and are often excited about new inventions or products but may not stop to think about common things, such as how controlled release processes for aspirin and Tylenol work, what are bandages made from, what issues are involved in implants made of polymeric materials....and what about diapers and catheters? The unique feature of the combined symposium and workshop consists of extending educational outreach on these topics in polymer science to teachers and scientists, by teachers and scientists, with substantial emphasis on three remote-site workshop learning facilities. Thus, this symposium and workshop fulfill these needs while enhancing education in the field of polymer science and enhancing teaching professionalism. The scientific merit of this symposium lies in the fundamental approach taken in explaining the composition and properties of polymeric materials in the area of polymers in medical and health care applications. Broader impacts stem from a high attendance of Ph. D. professionals (academic, industry, government), who are interested in requirements for polymers in medical applications and insight into the state-of-the-art. This information often influences the course of research projects or inspires relevant examples for inclusion in courses. With the K-12 Long Distance Workshop, Boston, Akron, Phoenix, and ICI-sites will be utilized that involve local school districts' communication forums for inviting K-12 teachers. Thus, the presentations are leveraged by a factor of at least three in terms of K-12 teachers and a correspondingly higher factor in terms of students impacted.