CSP annual meeting draws reseachers and industries

The Center for Sustainable Polymers (CSP) held its 3rd annual meeting on April 20, 2012, on the University of Minnesota campus. Center faculty, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, representatives from CSP company affiliates, and other University of Minnesota faculty and staff attended the meeting to present research and share ideas for collaboration. This was the largest annual meeting to date; more than 80 people attended the day-long symposium and poster session.

The CSP is committed to engaging with industries, and the annual meeting provides CSP company affiliates the opportunity to learn first hand about the center’s most recent research activities. Providing this access to the company affiliates allows them to give feedback on the relevance and timeliness of the CSP’s work, which will ultimately help shape the CSP’s research directions. For the first time, several company affiliates presented information on their own research, which provided special insight into their priorities. The annual meeting also provides graduate students and postdoctoral scholars with the opportunity to meet with business leaders and learn about industry needs and future directions.

Front page photo: College of Science & Engineering Associate Dean Wayne Gladfelter, a professor with the Department of Chemistry, welcomed faculty, students, and industry visitors to the Center for Sustainable Polymers annual meeting.

Photo below: Graduate student Mark Martello, from Professor Marc Hillmyer's research group, discusses his research with Nicole Harris, Ph.D., from Valspar.