2020 Polymer Networks Group Conference

University Of Akron, Akron OH

Investigators

Abstract

TECHNICAL AND NON-TECHNICAL ABSTRACT This award provides partial support for student attendance at the 25th Polymer Networks Group Meeting, which will be held May 17-21, 2020 in Potomac, MD. This meeting provides a forum for scientists and engineers across disciplines to gather, present, and discuss current research on the theoretical and fundamental aspects and advances in the synthesis, characterization and application of polymer networks and gels. The Polymer Networks Group is an international organization aimed at promoting interdisciplinary studies of polymer networks, encompassing both experiment and theory/computation across all types network-forming polymeric systems. Specific areas to be discussed include: Neutral and Polyelectrolyte Gels, Phase Transition in Gels, Responsive gels, Structure-property relationships in polymer networks, Self-Assembly and Fiber Formation, Organogels, Nanostructures in Gels, Transport and Dynamic Properties, Computational Modeling and Simulation of Network Formation, Structure and Dynamic Properties, Novel Chemistry of Crosslinking, Surfaces and Interfaces, Gels as Biomaterials, andApplications of Polymer Networks and Gels. The specific focus on polymer networks and gels will give students working in different topical areas as chemists, physicists, and engineers a broader perspective of the field. There will be multiple learning opportunities for the students including attending lectures and participating in the question and answer sessions, and informal interactions and discussion with their fellow students and more established scientists in the field. In addition, many students may choose to give a poster at the meeting, which will give them an opportunity to engage in in-depth discussion of their own research with a broad audience of experts in the field from academia, industry, and national laboratories. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.