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

University Of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

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.