44th International Symposium on Macromolecules (MACRO 2012)-IUPAC World Polymer Congress: Enabling Technologies for a Safe, Sustainable, Healthy World

Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University, Blacksburg VA

Investigators

Abstract

TECHNICAL AND NON-TECHNICAL ABSTRACT The 44th International Symposium on Macromolecules (MACRO 2012) ? IUPAC World Polymer Congress: Enabling Technologies for a Safe, Sustainable, and Healthy World, co-supported by the NSF Divisions of Materials Research and Chemistry, will provide an international forum for leading scientists and engineers from academia, industry, and government to discuss multidisciplinary technologies that bridge emerging boundaries of macromolecular science and engineering. This prestigious conference rotates biannually around the globe; previous USA conferences were held at the University of Akron (1994) and UMass-Amherst (1982). The 2012 MACRO World Polymer Congress is envisioned as an integrated scientific and educational forum for the most recent advances in polymer science and engineering, and the meeting subtitle focuses experts in diverse fields to address technologies of national importance over a range of disciplines. Such an international and interdisciplinary forum will facilitate collaborations and mutual understanding necessary to catalyze breakthrough polymer-based material solutions from the molecular to the device level. The objectives of the 2012 MACRO World Polymer Congress include (1) dissemination of the most recent advances in polymer science and engineering, (2) education across multiple disciplines, (3) cultivation of collaborations across diverse disciplines, and (4) formation of international professional networks. The Congress will consist of eleven symposia on: Recent Developments in Synthesis, Modern Methods in Characterization, Complex Macromolecular Systems, Surfaces and Interfaces, Macromolecules and Nanotechnology, Macromolecules in Biotechnology and Medicine, Energy, Optics, and Optoelectronics, Sustainability Science and Engineering, Commercial Frontiers, Advances in Interdisciplinary Interactions, and Polymer Physics. Poster sessions in concert with instrument exhibitors will provide additional non-invited contributions with an emphasis on presentations from graduate students. The symposium topics are relevant to the scientific community in the USA. Each symposium will include a discussion leader from a US university or company, one or more international co-chair(s), and 30 invited research lectures in the discipline. Each symposium will also welcome contributed lectures (approximately 30 each, totally 60) and contributed posters (4 sessions with 150 posters approximately in total). Invited speakers are recognized as leaders in their fields and will deliver focused lectures with broad scientific appeal. Special attention was devoted to the development of a diverse program including under-represented groups, leading universities from across the nation, international participation, and demonstrated innovation across disciplines. Two morning plenary lectures will convene the entire conference registrants for perspectives on themes of global importance (11 plenary speakers in total including 2 Nobel Laureates).