OVERVIEW
The MRSEC at the University of Massachusetts is committed to interdisciplinary education in polymer science and engineering. This commitment to excellence in education extends beyond the University of Massachusetts. Strong educational and research ties with Smith and Mount Holyoke (two nearby women’s colleges), Howard University (a traditionally African American institution), and Harvey Mudd College are well established. Two highly successful K-12 educational programs developed by MRSEC-supported graduate students continue to excel and expand. The Center continues a very successful Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program. The Center’s successful Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program has been augmented by students working in nanotechnology and in biopolymer physics with support from other sources. With MRSEC support, a Northeast Complex Fluids Workshop and the New England workshop in Chemistry stimulate inter-institutional collaborations. The Center continued support of inter-MRSEC collaborations through its Spring Workshop on Long Interactions in Polymer Technologies.
SPECIAL COURSES AND WORKSHOPS
The Center sponsored visits, ranging from weeks to months, by distinguished scientists who lectured and participated in its research programs. The MRSEC sponsored visits by Edward D. T. Atkins of the University of Bristol, Seung Hyun Kim of Seoul National University, and Hong Qi Xiang of Kyushu University, who participated in IRG-I research. Atkins is also involved in graduate student education at the Center by delivering general lectures on the use of x-ray diffraction on polymers, and is actively involved in the research efforts of the MRSEC. The Center also supported a visit by Jae Jho of Seoul National University to perform research on the use of copolymers to spatially organize nanoparicles. Each of these visitors were integrally involved in the Center’s research and in collaborations with researchers at the Center continues.
The highly successful course entitled Excellence in Polymer Education Program, (EP)2, designed to better prepare students for employment after graduation, continues to be supported. Lecturers drawn from over 7 national industries taught industrial skills such as management, leadership, teamwork and ethics. The professional support staff of the MRSEC participated in teaching practical aspects of experimental design and execution, and consulted with students on research problems.
The MRSEC augmented its Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program and supported 12 undergraduate research participants. The outreach programs with Howard University and the University of Puerto Rico also serve as a source of REU participants. The REU program for the summer of 2002 included 8 undergraduates with full Center support, and at least 4 other students were funded by alternate sources to perform research directly related to the Center. The Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program, launched at the Center in the summer of 2000 with 3 teachers was expanded to include 7 teachers in 2001 and 2002, and will continue at this level in 2003. Not only has the research involving teachers been published in peer-reviewed journals, but the modules developed by the teachers based on their research are being used in the classrooms. A new research area at the Center aimed at enhancing mobility in thin films had its origins in the RET program.
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH EXPERIENCES
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College (MHC) has a strong tradition of uniting teaching and research to train women for careers in the chemical sciences. Center-sponsored research activities are on-going in Browne’s laboratories for the solution characterization of polymer structures using high-field NMR spectroscopies with two female undergraduate students. Donald Cotter, whose research interests are aligned with Seed1 program performed his sabbatical at the Center in 2002 with Coughlin. Investigations focused on the encapsulation of Lewis acid transition metal salts within a polymeric host matrix with retention of catalytic activity. Wei Chen and her students collaborate with McCarthy on the modification of polymer surfaces for adsorption and biocompatability studies. The research efforts of Chen align with those outlined in IRG-I and she is spending the academic year 2003/2004 on sabbatical leave at the Center.
Smith College
Smith College is the largest liberal arts college for women in the United States, enrolling over 2,800 undergraduates. The Smith College program is coordinated by Professor Nalini Easwar of the Department of Physics. In collaboration with Menon, Easwar and Kate Byers investigated force fluctuations at the boundary of flowing granular materials. She is now attending Duke University as a graduate student in physics. Sonia Dragulin, a junior in physics, joined the project and continues this research.
Howard University
With Steve Pollack (Chemistry Department), the Center began a research effort with Howard University, a research oriented, historically African American university. With Pollack assuming a position at the Naval Research Laboratories, the Center continues its efforts with Dharmaraj Raghavan (Chemistry Department) on the modification of interfacial interactions to control and manipulate the structure in thin polymer films. This tie to HU directly couples into IRG I research and will utilize the small angle neutron scattering and reflectivity facilities at NIST. Raghavan has already established close ties with NIST that make a natural bridge with the Center’s efforts.
Harvey Mudd College
Harvey Mudd College is an undergraduate institution with strong programs in the core sciences. Shenda Baker, a noted woman scientist in the Chemistry Department at HMC, spent her sabbatical year at the Center building a collaborative research program with Russell in IRG–I. At HMC Baker has mentored young women scientists and guided them to graduate programs. A former female student of Baker is currently a PhD candidate in the PSE department. The program focuses on templating nanostructures using block copolymers, and provides a mechanism to promote young women in science.
