...University Missouri-Rolla, The University of Southern Mississippi.

Polymers and Coatings Program at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo

Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, one of the 23 campuses of the California State University system, enrolls over 18,000 students and is nationally recognized for the excellence of its programs in architecture, agriculture, engineering, and the sciences. Extensive hands-on experience with modern techniques and equipment is hallmark of the undergraduate education offered at Cal Poly/SLO. The polymers and coatings program was developed with the support of the FSCT and its member societies. An Industrial Advisory Council provides support and guidance for the program. The Council includes representation from 20 major coatings manufacturers and raw materials suppliers. During the past year the Council has been working to raise funds for the new Western Coatings Technology Center to be housed in the proposed Science Center. Construction of the new center is planned to begin in 2008. The Western Coatings Technology Center will provide a state-of-the-art facility for polymers and coatings research and education and will include three major laboratories, a conference center, and faculty offices. This project must be funded entirely by private donations.

The polymers and coatings programs at Cal Poly include an undergraduate concentration, a masters program leading to an MS degree in Polymers and Coatings Science, and short courses offered during winter and summer. The concentration provides educational and professional experience to chemistry and biochemistry majors who wish to specialize in polymers and coatings sciences, and to materials engineering majors who want a background in polymers and coatings. The program meets the American Chemical Society requirements for certification as a chemistry/polymers degree. Some Cal Poly/SLO students receive scholarships sponsored by the LASCT and scholarships supported by the FSCT through CIEF.

The concentration includes five courses, including two laboratory courses, and comprises a total of 18 quarter units. An industrial internship, lasting from three to six months, is a central part of the undergraduate program. Graduates completing the concentration have the academic knowledge, technical training, and applied experience to enter the polymer and coatings industries. Students graduating last year accepted positions with a wide-range of companies and several are continuing their studies at graduate school.

The initiation of a new MS degree program in Polymers and Coatings Science in Fall 2002 marked a major milestone for Cal Poly's Polymers and Coatings program. The focus of the program is a structured industrial internship or an industry sponsored research project. This not only takes the place of the traditional thesis, but involves students undertaking directed study while on the internship or working on their project and writing research papers related to their internship or project. With this approach, the internship/project serves as both coursework and research. This program has two different tracks, a "4+1" track begun by selected undergraduates during their junior year and a more traditional track begun after completing a BS degree in a chemistry-related field. The MS program is suitable for those who have worked in industry since leaving school and who wish to obtain further advanced training in polymers and coatings science. Currently, there are 14 students enrolled in the MS degree program. Financial support from the Bill Moore Research Fellowship Endowment is available for qualifying masters degree candidates.

Industry-Related Research

Faculty and students are involved in a wide range of projects related to coating raw materials, formulations, and application aspects. The department's continuing research projects on surfactants, rheology modifiers, and their interactions are focused on developing solutions to real-world coating problems such as viscosity stability and color development issues. A growing area of research within our program is on nanotechnology applications in coatings. The faculty members have expertise in colloid and surface chemistry, dispersants and other additives, synthetic chemistry, rheology, and coating formulating methods and make significant contributions in these areas.

The students and faculty have also developed techniques that are crucial for the analysis of the new generation of coatings formulated to meet the more strict environmental requirements of state and governmental agencies. They have pioneered the use of solid phase microextraction for the analysis of volatile organic compounds in coatings. In addition, methods have been developed for analysis of both exempt compounds and very low (often called "zero VOC") coatings. These techniques also allow for the determination of speciated volatile organic compound levels, where both the total amount of volatile organic compounds and the amount of each specific compound are determined.

Other industry and government-funded projects include coatings for aircraft applications, applications of coatings in art restoration, and medical applications of polymers and coatings.

Requests from qualified industry and academic personnel to spend a sabbatical year at Cal Poly/SLO are most welcome.

Short Courses

The program offers two short courses, one during winter and another during summer. The winter short course on "Polymers and Coating Science" was held February 5-9, 2007....

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.




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