NSF Industry/University Cooperative Research Center in Coatings at Eastern Michigan University

Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti MI

Investigators

Abstract

Establishment of a National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC) in Coatings at the University of Southern Mississippi and Eastern Michigan University is proposed. The Center's mission will be two-fold: (i) to be a world leading academic organization that develops relevant, pre-competitive scientific knowledge for understanding and advancing the technologies of polymeric coatings and (ii) to enlarge the cadre of scientists and technologists capable of being productive in the field of coatings. With this program the Center will directly address barriers that impede progress in coatings: (1) a shortage of precise polymer synthetic methods, (2) a need to better understand film formation and molecular level processes that control resistance to mechanical and chemical damage, (3) a need to extend and develop systematic understanding of degradation processes in coatings, and (4) a shortage of scientists and technologists who understand coatings science and technology.