US - Argentina Planning Visit: New Thymine Based Bioinspired Polymeric Materials

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This U.S. - Argentina award will support one senior researcher and four undergraduate college women under the direction of Dr. Richard Gurney of Simmons College, on two planning visits visits to Argentina in the summers of 2011 and 2012. The primary goal of these visits is to further develop collaborations on thymine-based polymer research between scientists and students from Simmons College and the Universidad Nacional del Litoral in Argentina. During Dr. Gurney's visit to Dr. Debora Martino at the Universidad Nacional del Litoral, the PI will develop a three-year research plan. The visiting students will perform computational work related to the polymers in question, gain experience in the use of a breath of instruments not normally available in the laboratories of undergraduate institutions, and transfer their research knowledge, skills, and results to investigators in Argentina. The research topics include the synthesis, characterization, processing and biodegradability of thymine-based polymers.The collaborators will bring complementary skills to the project with Dr. Gurney providing expertise in the synthesis and characterization of thymine-based polymers and Dr. Martino offering her experience in molecular dynamic calculations and further characterization techniques. This joint effort will allow undergraduate students to gain valuable experience in analytical skills while forging international partnerships with Argentinean researchers. The polymers to be developed have generated interest from a commercial organization.