9314562 McCarthy The Problem of plastic pollution is an important issue in environmental research. Industry has been responding to this by developing environmentally acceptable products which can replace disposable plastic articles currently in use. The use of biodegradable polymers for this effort has been recognized by many companies. An Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Polymer Biodegradation at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell would provide a better mechanism to stimulate industrial innovation in the development of new technologies in degradable plastic materials. The Center will address research topics in the areas of the microbial production of polymeric materials, organic transformations, plastics processing, material characterization, and environmental engineering. The goal of this Center is to develop suitable materials which are inherently degradable in natural as well as being environmentally benign. A number of companies have committed to support this effort. Currently, there are six sponsors for the Center committing approximately $300,000. The Principle Investigator/Center Director and his colleagues have demonstrated competency in their research performance in the proposed area and have the knowledge and facilities to run this Center. The proposed research projects will address: 1)Microbial synthesis of biopolymer; 2)design and chemical synthesis of biodegradable polymeric materials; 3)graft and block copolymer synthesis; and 4) modification on natural polymers. The Industry/University Cooperative Research Center has been coordinated with Dr. Robert Wellek, Deputy Division Director of Chemical and Thermal Systems Division at the NSF. The Program Manager recommends the University of Massachusetts, Lowell be awarded $50,000 for the first year of a five-year continuing award. Near the end of each 12-month period the Program Manager and/or the Division Director of the Engineering Education Centers Divisi on will review the progress of the Center on a number of renewal criteria requirements, including the following: 1) the extent to which the university/industry interaction is developing; 2) the extent to which the support base is developing; and 3) the extent to which a robust research program is developing. If the review is satisfactory, the Program Manager will recommend support for the next period of this continuing award.
