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The Department of Macromolecular Science is a major
educational and research strength of
Case Western Reserve
University, with activities in all areas of polymer
science and engineering. It was founded in 1963 as the
first department for education and research in polymers
in the nation and also has the first accredited
undergraduate program in the United States.
Activities
The activities of our department continue to reflect
the exciting national and international developments in
the polymer field. Polymers represent the major
component of the chemical industry and are fundamental
to the manufacture of plastics, fibers, rubber and
elastomers, composites, coatings, adhesives, films, and
biomaterials. Polymer research at CASE has traditional
strength in structure-property relationships, which lead
to knowledge for modification of properties and the
development of new products. Recently, the department
has emphasized the development of new functional
polymers with unique properties including proton or
electron-conduction, photoluminescent, or optical
switching characteristics. These are the key to future
applications in fuel cells or as sensors and molecular
computers. As a result, students come to understand the
importance of the systematic approach of polymer science
and engineering by understanding, controlling, and
tailoring properties. These diversified areas of
expertise are coordinated in several centers in the
department.
People
The department now has 17
full-time faculty which
comprises nine full professors, three associate
professors, and one assistant professor as well as
four active emeritus professors. Research collaboration
among faculty members with diversified backgrounds is
very active, consisting of Ph.D. degrees in Polymer
Science, Chemical Engineering, Physical Chemistry,
Organic Chemistry, Physics, and Biophysics. Biopolymer
research is also emphasized, offering a M.D./Ph.D.
degree program in cooperation with the medical school.
In addition, the Department has 11
associated faculty
from other CASE Engineering departments (including
Physics, Chemistry,
Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Pathology). We also have five
adjunct faculty
from industry and other academic institutions. The
annual funding of individual faculty members is one of
the highest in the nation, resulting in superior
research activity. Currently, there are 11 post-doctoral
research associates and scholars working in our
research laboratories. We currently employ 11
administrative staff
and one technical staff member. In addition, the Department has 55 graduate students while 31
undergraduate students are registered for the B.S. or
B.S./M.S. in Engineering (major field: Polymer Science and Engineering).
Research Funding
Research expenditures for the department total
approximately $3.8 Million from a
combination of federal, state and industrial sources.
This support comes in the form of grants and contracts
to individual faculty and from large-scale funding
through multi-investigator research centers. Several
exciting new directions in research have been initiated
during the past fiscal year.
Building
The
department is housed in an architecturally attractive,
progressive building with approximately 90,000 square
feet of total space encircled by a spacious garden. The
building is tailored to the logistical and mechanical
needs of the department's individual laboratories and
centers. Frontiers of research include biological
materials, mechanical analysis of polymers, polymer and
composite processing, polymer synthesis, fracture
mechanics, electron and optical microscopy, molecular
spectroscopy, research computing, polymer microdevices,
thermal analysis, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance
and imaging, and X-ray structure analysis.
The depth and diversity of faculty experience in polymer
research, including synthesis, physical
characterization, structure-property relationships,
theoretical modeling, polymer processing, and materials
development balanced with the new, state-of-the-art
facilities provides a catalyst for graduates and
undergraduates to excel in today's global challenge to
push forward the frontiers of polymer science and
engineering. As 70% of all graduates in the chemical
sciences are employed in some aspect of polymer
production, demand for polymer scientists and engineers
provides superb job opportunities. The graduates of our
program find attractive jobs in large and small
companies, governmental institutions, and the nation's
prime universities and colleges.
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