A proposal submitted to National Science Foundation to support the 2005 Polymers (East) Gordon Research Conference: From Precise Polymer Synthesis to Advanced Polymeric Materials; to be held at Mount Holyoke College, June 19-24, 2005
Chairman: Professor Kris Matyjaszewski, Carnegie Mellon University Vice Chair: Professor Karen Wooley, Washington University in St. Louis
Recent advances in polymer synthesis open new avenues for the preparation of advanced polymeric materials controlled at the nanoscopic level. The new well-defined polymeric materials can find applications in a range of advanced technologies. From smart surfaces, sensors, drug delivery systems, catalysts, agents for chemical warfare detection and destruction, to biodegradable tissue replacements, polymeric materials are the critical component and enabling technology for the successful implementation of these applications. This conference will focus upon recent developments in the design and precise macromolecular synthesis of polymeric materials, biodegradability, supramolecular chemistry and polymer physics as well as potential applications in biomedical areas, surface sciences and in optoelectronics. Such an exchange of knowledge in these critical areas by world experts will provide new stimuli for future developments and will encourage young scientists to focus on polymer science and engineering.
