Center for UMass Amherst-Industry Research on Polymers Celebrates 30 Years of Practical Collaboration
Oct. 7, 2010
| Contact: | Janet Lathrop 413/545-0444 |
AMHERST, Mass. - The nation’s oldest industry-university collaborative research center, established by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 1980, will celebrate its 30th anniversary of partnerships this month during a three-day conference at the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus, Oct. 12-14.
The Center for UMass Research on Polymers (CUMIRP) was one of several centers funded by NSF beginning 30 years ago to bring basic research to industry for practical applications and new technologies, says James Capistran, center director.
Highlights include industry, government and UMass Amherst faculty speakers plus a poster session with more than 100 presentations by students at the Five Colleges. In addition to the CUMIRP events, the UMass Amherst polymer science and engineering department and the NSF-supported Materials Research Science and Engineering Center will present their latest research. All events are free and open to the public.
UMass Amherst was already a world leader in the relatively new polymer and materials science field in 1980, when NSF began partnering with universities to bridge the gap between basic, academic research and development of practical applications and products by private industry and manufacturers. At next week’s conference, Capistran and retired faculty members Richard Stein and Otto Vogl, CUMIRP’s original co-directors, will trace the history of the highly successful collaboration between the campus and international, national and regional industries.
As Capistran explains, "One of the missions of any public university is to do good for the Commonwealth, for the nation, and to have a positive impact on society. But there has been a persistent disconnect, a ‘valley of death’ as some people refer to it, across which basic science just doesn’t make it to the marketplace with new manufacturing materials, new drug delivery systems and other technologies. NSF realized this 30 years ago and set out to do something about it by engaging industry and academia in collaborative research programs."
Partnerships through CUMIRP started with 13 companies who worked with polymer scientists on the campus, Capistran says. "The companies were interested in the new frontiers of polymer science, in our students and our faculty. The program has continued to grow to our current level of approximately 45 industrial and government agency partners. Research thrusts now are in bio-related polymers, fire-safe materials, polymers in energy, nano-materials and high-performance polymer materials. The center adapts and keeps current with emerging areas in polymer science and technology."
CUMIRP has brought outstanding opportunities to students as well as to industry, the director points out. A high percentage of UMass Amherst polymer science and engineering graduates who choose an industrial career have gone to CUMIRP member or sponsor companies for their first jobs. "The fact that the top companies in the polymer materials business recruit with us speaks to the high quality of our graduates," he adds.
One of the longest-term CUMIRP supporters has been the Federal Aviation Administration, which supports research on fire-safe materials for aircraft. At present, after many years of basic research that wouldn’t have been possible in most corporate research and development labs, polymer scientists at UMass Amherst are closing in on developing several new plastics that are resistant to burning, produce less smoke and little or no toxic by-products. Major aircraft companies and others are now seriously interested in commercializing this and related discoveries, says Capistran.
"I know, because I used to work in industry, that when you’re busy fighting fires every day, you don’t have time to follow up on fundamental questions or do the experiments that could help answer the critical questions. When you’re in industry, you never get that time. That’s where a university partner can make a significant contribution, and where we here at UMass Amherst have done so," he says.
"This is all about partnerships. Our strengths lie in conducting world-class research and training the next generation of scientists and engineers. Collaborating with industry allows us to work on real-world systems and provide a mechanism for our science and technology to reach the public," he summarizes.
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