NSF support will be used to renovate the non-metallic materials laboratory facilities in Rogers Hall at Polytechnic University. Constructed in 1923, the space was last renovated in the mid 1950s, and the laboratories are ill-suited to the multi-million dollar research and research training program in polymeric materials, non-polymer materials and materials characterization. The materials research program involves faculty from the School of Chemical and Material Science (including the departments of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering and the Herman F. Mark Polymer Research Institute) and the Physics department. The multi-disciplinary nature of the research activity requires a well-designed physical layout of the laboratories. The funded renovation effort will reconfigure the laboratory space into an efficient arrangement and will allow for the consolidation of major research instrumentation and facilities. Material Characterization will be greatly improved by the consolidation and centralization of the X-ray laboratory, SEM, STEM, laser facilities, scanning tunneling microscope, light scattering facilities and spectroscopy facilities. In addition, all space will be substantially improved with the installation of a new HVAC system, new windows, and new fume hoods.
