Overview
Mission Statement
The
Center of Excellence in Polymer Science and Engineering at Illinois
Institute of Technology (IIT) is an interdisciplinary research
and education center devoted to the advancement of polymer science
and engineering. The primary mission of the Center of Excellence
in Polymer Science and Engineering (CEPSE) is to conduct an interdisciplinary
education, research and technology transfer program in Polymer
Science and Engineering. The program has two major objectives:
• To
conduct fundamental and applied research designed not only to
evaluate and improve
existing polymer processes and technologies, but also to develop
new ones.
• To
educate scientists and engineers at all degree levels by providing
competence in
the fundamentals of polymer science and engineering as they relate
to their basic
disciplines.
Executive Summary
Plastics
and other polymeric materials are increasingly important in modern
life and can be found in a wide variety of products with applications
ranging from the packaging of foods to the manufacturing of integrated
circuits. The industrial demand for scientists and engineers who
have expertise in the manufacture, use and ultimate disposal of
these materials is growing and an adequate supply of such professionals
is critical to global competitiveness and the cost-effective practice
of industrial ecology.
The
research and educational activities of CEPSE are under the direction
of the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department. The
center is comprised of 14 faculty members from the Biological,
Chemical and Physical Sciences; Chemical
and Environmental Engineering; Mechanical,
Materials and Aerospace Engineering; Computer
Science and Applied Mathematics Departments; and the
National Center for Food
Safety and Technology . These faculty
are actively involved with the research
and education programs of CEPSE. Building
upon the strong interdisciplinary programs in which this faculty
is engaged, and historically successful multi-faceted relationships
with leading industrial firms, CEPSE's goals are to further undergraduate
and graduate education in polymer science and engineering, to
provide a readily accessible university facility dedicated to
leading-edge polymer research and development, and to serve as
a conduit for communication and transfer of technical and scientific
advances in the polymer field.
CEPSE
was established in 1990 through a $1.5 million, five-year challenge
grant from the Amoco Foundation. Under the terms of the challenge
grant, an additional $1 million were to be raised from other sources
making the annual budget approximately $500,000 during the period
1990-1995. These other sources include other corporate and foundation
grants and contributions, and research grants from industry and
state and federal funding agencies. As a result of these investments,
CEPSE has established state-of-the-art facilities
and equipment for polymer characterization, polymer processing
and polymer reaction engineering. CEPSE also offers a range of
services that include access to faculty
expertise and facilities that can be arranged on attractive terms
through the CEPSE director, Jay
Schieber, or individual faculty members.
Accomplishments
of the Center of Excellence in Polymer Science and Engineering
include the following.
• The
education programs of CEPSE have resulted
in the granting of many Ph.D., M.S.,
Professional Masters degrees and B.S. degrees with a specialization
(minor) in Polymer Science and Engineering.
• Research
conducted by CEPSE faculty has resulted in over 150 publications
in refereed
journals and 8 U.S. patents.
• CEPSE
faculty have given over 100 presentations at national and international
conferences
and at universities throughout the world.
• CEPSE
faculty have raised approximately $2.5 million in support
from state and federal
funding agencies and from U.S and international corporations for
its research
and educational programs.
