 
American Chemical Society
Division of Polymer Chemistry, Inc.HISTORY UPDATE
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| Christopher N. Bowman William J. Brittain Alan D. English Warren T. Ford Kathleen O. Havelka |
Timothy E. Long John M. Pochan Judy S. Riffle Carrington D. Smith |
A. ACS National Meetings
A very important activity of the Division is the organization and presentation of symposia, general papers, and posters at the ACS National Meetings. The topics presented at these meetings have kept pace with the innovations and developments in the field of polymer science. The Division has provided a forum for the exchange of most recent ideas and experiences.In the 1950s, the topics included the syntheses of polymers, mechanism and kinetics of polymerization, reactions of macromolecules, characterization of their properties, block and graft polymers, and stereoregulated polymers; in the 1960s physics of polymeric materials such as crystallization, rheology, and thermal analyses, ladder and spiro polymers, carbon and graphite fibers; and in the 1970s application of polymers in medicine, desalination, and for unusual service conditions, inorganic, coordination, and organometallic polymers, and environmental and societal concerns.
In the 1980s, the topics included polymer composites, polymer blends, conducting polymers, liquid crystalline polymers, biopolymers, recycle and reuse of polymers, polymer surfaces and interfaces, and advances in NMR techniques; and in the 1990s macromolecular assemblies and supramolecular polymers, biocomposites, optical materials, dendritic and hyperbranched polymers, nanomaterials, and modeling and computer simulations.
For the first three decades, the number of symposia and papers per decade rose from 73 and 1,130 to 144 and 3,430, respectively. In the last 25 years the numbers rose significantly, and reached for the decade of 1990s 363 symposia and 12,327 papers.
Free state-of-the-art tutorial lectures were first introduced at the 182nd ACS National Meeting in New York in August 1981 and have been regularly continued as sessions, first within the "Polymer Science and Engineering Lecture Series" and later as separate more focused topics. A few more details are given in Section 8, "Educational Activities".
The Division began cosponsoring joint symposia with other ACS Divisions from the early days of programming for the ACS National Meetings. This culminated in the formation of the ACS Macromolecular Secretariat in 1973 as venue for cooperation and synergism among the ACS Divisions interested in polymer science. A recent cosponsored symposium on "Frontiers for Polymer Science in the 21st Century" was presented by the Macromolecular Secretariat at the 219th ACS National Meeting in March 2000 in San Francisco, CA.
The Division is also a member of the ACS Biotechnology Secretariat, the ACS Catalysis and Surface Science Secretariat, and the ACS Materials Chemistry Secretariat.
Recent symposia on "Catalysis for the Future" and "Combinatorial Approach to Materials Development", cosponsored under the umbrella of the Catalysis and Surface Science Secretariat and the Materials Chemistry Secretariat, respectively, were presented at the 219th ACS National Meeting in San Francisco, CA, in March 2000.
The Division continues to cosponsor symposia outside the framework of the Secretariats as well, most frequently with the Division of Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering (PMSE).
Somewhat less frequently, POLY cosponsored meetings with another "polymeric materials" division, the ACS Rubber Division, primarily because the latter does not participate in the ACS National Meetings. One such cosponsored meeting was the Rubber Division 154th Technical Meeting and Rubber Mini Expo '98 in Nashville, TN, in September/October 1998.
A detailed listing of all the POLY sponsored and cosponsored symposia at all the ACS National Meetings (117th through 221st) since POLY inception in 1950 is provided in APPENDIX D.
B. ACS Regional Meetings
The Division has promoted programs on polymer science and engineering at the ACS Regional Meetings, and offers seed money up to $500 for symposia that are at least one day long and include invited speakers. During 2000, requests for support were approved for two regional meetings.C. POLY Biennial Symposia
A significant slice of the Division's technical programming continues to be part of the Biennial Polymer Symposium, outside the framework of the ACS National Meetings, a tradition started in 1962. The themes in the last decade, as well as previously, have invariably centered on the advances in polymerization processes and on the advanced polymeric materials for unusual interdisciplinary applications:
| 1992 | 16th Biennial Symposium in Palm Springs, CA, on "Advances in Polymerization and Polymeric Materials" (organized by James E. McGrath) | ||
| 1994 | 17th in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on "Polymers in Critical Technologies", (organized by Stanley C. Israel and Eli M. Pearce) | ||
| 1996 | 18th in Santa Barbara, CA, on "Industrial Research in the 21st Century", (organized by Richard M. Ikeda and Thomas W. Smith) | ||
| 1998 | 19th in Williamsburg, VA, on "Polymers in Interfacing Disciplines and Technologies", (organized by Hyuk Yu and Leslie M. Smith) | ||
| 2000 |
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D. Polymer Technology Conference
In June 1991, the Division had a special national meeting, the Polymer Technology Conference in Philadelphia, in addition to the ACS National Meetings, to celebrate the POLY 40th anniversary. It was organized by Joseph C. Salamone, Norman G. Gaylord, Burton C. Anderson, and James E. McGrath. The emphasis was on the areas of major industrial interest such as high performance polymers, recycling of polymers, polymers for designed applications, polymers for biological systems, polymers for hostile environments, and barrier polymers and constructions. Two workshops, an exposition, past chairs' luncheon, mixer and banquet were included in the celebration.E. National Graduate Research Polymer Conferences
The inaugural National Graduate Research Polymer Conference, organized by Michael M. Coleman, David A. Tirrell, Bernard Gordon, Alexa A. Dembek, and Richard A. Register, held at the Penn State in 1994, was a resounding success with 199 graduate students from about 30 schools, presenting about 100 talks and over 50 posters. The subsequent Conferences, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th were held at the Virginia Tech in 1996, at the University of Akron in 1998, and at the University of Southern Mississippi in 2000, respectively.F. Intersocietal and International Cosponsored Meetings
These are covered in Sections 5 and 6, "Intersocietal Activities" and "International Activities", respectively.G. Workshops
These are covered in some detail in Section 8, "Educational Activities" . The workshops inform as well as educate a small group of members at a time in a convenient place about the most recent advancements in both theory and practice of specially selected topics.H. Information Recording on CD
A project on recording information (presentation account and slides) on CD's from workshops and meetings has been initiated by Lon J. Mathias and the MRG Polymer Press of the Department of Polymer Science at the University of Southern Mississippi. The "Fluoropolymers 2000" workshop (October 2000) and "POLY Millennial 2000" (December 2000) are two recent targets. This is done for members who could not attend, yet want access to the presentation information.
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