Excellence in Graduate Polymer Research Symposium: An Interdisciplinary and International Forum for Future Leaders in Polymeric Materials

技术简介聚合物材料的进步继续推动国家的发展？S未来的关键技术包括生物医学设备和净水膜中的带电聚合物，以及用于传感器和替代能源解决方案的导电聚合物。功能聚合物材料需要在从纳米到厘米的长度范围内进行基本的理解。持续关注基本结构-财产-绩效关系对于持续成功和社会影响至关重要，研究战略需要快速和综合解决方案的跨学科和协作愿景。正是这种跨学科战略将使聚合物科学和工程方面的新发现成为可能。这项提议将允许未来的领导人聚集在一个独特的聚合物科学和工程国际论坛上，他们目前是美国顶尖大学的研究生。在由美国化学学会主办的“卓越聚合物研究生研究研讨会”上的口头演讲和互动海报会议上，将讨论主要研究领域，包括理论和分子建模、聚合物设计和合成策略、使用最新技术的聚合物表征、基于聚合物的设备工程，以及对聚合物化学、物理、生物和工程界面的基本理解。此外，该论坛将鼓励科学网络建设，并提高年轻的聚合物科学家和工程师对跨学科研究必要性的认识。研讨会将在加利福尼亚州阿纳海姆举行的美国化学学会2011年春季全国会议上举行。拟议的NSF资金将允许顶尖研究生出席，确保多样化参与，并展示跨学科研究对于解决我们科学界面临的一些更复杂问题的重要性。非技术性摘要大学和商业实验室认识到跨学科研究的重要性；然而，大学生真正体验聚合物科学与工程跨学科会议的机会仍然有限。题为“卓越的研究生聚合物研究”的综合性研讨会将为研究生级别的国际科学家和工程师提供一个开放论坛，以培养对跨学科研究的欣赏和国际合作精神。该论坛将用于表彰领先的研究生研究人员，并提供一种机制，使研究伙伴关系以基层方式发展。研讨会将提供一种教育体验，学生将能够对他们的研究策略和演讲技能进行基准测试，与会者将提高他们对聚合物科学和工程新领域新兴主题的认识。

TECHNICAL ABSTRACTAdvances in polymeric materials continue to catalyze the nation?s future critical technologies ranging from charged polymers in biomedical devices and water purification membranes to conducting polymers for sensors and alternate energy solutions. Functional polymeric materials require fundamental understanding at length scales ranging from nanometers to centimeters. Constant attention to fundamental structure-property-performance relationships is critical for continued success and societal impact, and research strategies demand an interdisciplinary and teamed vision for both rapid and integrated solutions. It is this interdisciplinary strategy that will enable new discoveries in polymer science and engineering. This proposal will allow future leaders, who are currently graduate students from leading universities across the United States, to assemble in a unique international forum of polymer science and engineering . Oral presentations and interactive poster sessions at the intended "Excellence in Graduate Polymer Research Symposium" under the auspices of the American Chemical Society, will address key research areas including theory and molecular modeling, polymer design and synthetic strategy, polymer characterization using state-of-the-art techniques, engineering of polymer-based devices, and fundamental understanding of the interface of polymer chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering. Moreover, this forum will encourage scientific network building and raise the awareness of the necessity for interdisciplinary research to younger polymer scientists and engineers. The symposium will occur at the 2011 spring national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim, California. The proposed NSF funding will permit the attendance of leading graduate students, ensure diverse participation, and showcase the importance of interdisciplinary research for solving some of the more complex questions that face our scientific community.NON-TECHNICAL ABSTRACTUniversity and commercial laboratories recognize the importance of interdisciplinary research; however, the opportunities for university students to truly experience an interdisciplinary meeting of polymer science and engineering remain limited. The encompassing symposium entitled "Excellence in Graduate Polymer Research" will provide an open forum for international scientists and engineers at the graduate level to cultivate an appreciation of interdisciplinary research and an international spirit of collaboration. The forum will serve to recognize leading graduate student researchers and provide a mechanism for research partnerships to evolve in a grass-roots fashion. The symposium will offer an educational experience where students will be able to benchmark their research strategies and presentation skills, and participants will raise their awareness of emerging topics at new boundaries of polymer science and engineering.