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CMSE Hosts 2008 Symposium & Poster Session
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The Center for Macromolecular Science and Engineering held its 2008 Symposium and Poster Session on Thursday, January 17. The MacroCenter invited three speakers to share their research- two from universities and one from industry- to enhance the goal of promoting interdisciplinary interactions among our students and faculty. A poster session and reception followed the seminars in the newly renovated Kathryn Chicone Ustler Hall Atrium on campus. Forty-four graduate students and postdocs presented, with contributions from 16 different research groups comprising the CMSE (the MacroCenter).
Dr. Harry Gibson, a Professor from Virginia Technical University, is spending his spring here at UF while on sabbatical. He was the first to speak, and his seminar was titled: "Supramolecular Self-Assembly of Polymeric Systems", which focused on his group's well-known polyrotaxane chemistry as employed in alternate supramolecular assembly schemes.
Dr. Eric Moskala of Eastman Chemical Company presented the second seminar. Eastman Chemical Company has been a long time supporter of the polymer research effort here. His talk was titled: "New Developments in Specialty Copolyesters at Eastman Chemical Company." Dr. Moskala brought us up to date on Eastman's well-known amorphous copolyester product line, which has been widely accepted in the marketplace for a long time now.
The final seminar was presented by Professor Jeff Moore from the University of Illinois, titled "Stress-Activated Reactions in Polymeric Materials", a report that provided a nice view of the latest approach to mechano-chemical chemistry as found in self-healing and signal generation responsive materials.
Following the symposium, participants walked over to the poster session held in Ustler Hall, where the posters were judged for their effectiveness. The judges told the directors of the MacroCenter that this was one of the highest quality poster sessions that they had attended. Three posters were eventually selected for special recognition and a $300 prize.
"Electrochromic and Light-Emitting Electrochemical Display Devices" Aubrey L. Dyer & J. Reynolds
"Sequenced Copolymers of Ethylene and Alpha-Olefins: Polyethylene with
Precisely Placed Alkyl Branches" Giovanni Rojas & K. Wagener
"Supramolecular Networks from "Unconventional" Donor-Acceptor Molecules" Ling Yuan, K. Hong, M. Osa, R. Castellano
Many people worked together to make this event a success. A special thank you to James Leonard for his leadership and logistical talents in coordinating the transportation, assembly, and clean-up of the poster stands. He and his team did a terrific job (Kate Opper, Romain Stalder, David Liu, Scott Cooper, and Chris Long). Also, special appreciation to Craig Levoy & Sara Klossner in the polymer office for their creative computer work and organization skills.
Did you attend the Symposium and Poster Session? If so, please complete our short survey. |
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