Japan-United States Symposium: Polymer Synthesis for a Sustainable Future

技术和非技术摘要：美国和日本的研究人员将于2016年6月在日本北海道联合举办研讨会，重点讨论可持续发展未来的聚合物合成。该研讨会由材料研究部通过其聚合物计划和国际科学与工程办公室通过其全球风险基金共同资助。本次研讨会的主题不仅包括合成，还包括降解性和可再生资源聚合物等方面。 为了促进可持续发展的未来，塑料材料必须由可再生资源合成，并可降解，从而产生环境友好的产品。 这一奋进的一个重要方面是基础聚合物科学，它需要了解导致分子和超分子组装的基本结构决定因素，以及材料结构和所得性能之间的相关性。 因此，本次研讨会的主题不仅涉及聚合物合成，还将影响材料的性能及其与工程和社会影响等领域的关系。演讲者将有一半来自美国，一半来自日本，为详细的互动和建立新的联系和合作提供了机会。 与会者将构成一个多元化的群体，包括许多不同研究领域的科学家。 与会者中有许多来自两国的高级研究人员和教育工作者，也有一些处于职业生涯早期阶段的调查人员。 因此，研讨会将为指导和全球互动提供重要机会。

TECHNICAL AND NON-TECHNICAL ABSTRACT:This joint symposium between researchers in the United States and Japan is focused on synthesis of polymers for a sustainable future and will take place in Hokkaido, Japan, in June 2016. The symposium is co-funded by the Division of Materials Research through its Polymers Program and the Office of International Science and Engineering through its Global Venture Fund.The topics of this symposium will include not only synthesis, but also aspects such as degradability and polymers from renewable resources. To contribute to a sustainable future, plastic materials are endeavored to be synthesized from renewable resources and be degradable leading to environmentally benign products. An important aspect to this endeavor is the underlying basic polymer science, which requires to understand the fundamental structural determinants leading to molecular and supramolecular assembly, as well as the correlation between the materials structures and the resulting properties. This symposium will therefore include topics that go beyond polymer synthesis but also affect the properties of materials and their relationship to fields such as engineering and societal implications as a whole.Half the speakers will be from the US and half from Japan, providing the opportunity for detailed interactions and the establishment of new connections and collaborations. The participants will constitute a diverse group including scientists in many different research areas. Among the participants are many leading senior researchers and educators from both countries, but also a number of investigators at early stages of their careers. The symposium will therefore provide significant opportunities for mentoring and global interactions.