After three years as director of the IMS Polymer Program, Dr. Kelly Burke has stepped down to assume the role of Head of the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering. Faculty members have elected Professor Mu-Ping Nieh as the new director of the IMS Polymer Program.
Professor Nieh’s first achievement as director was writing a successful Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) grant proposal. The Department of Education-backed grant will provide over $1 million to support domestic students over three years. Additional goals include increasing student recruitment, creating new courses, and coordinating a polymer certificate program consisting of a series of short courses.
The program plans to create new polymer courses as an option for the science and technology requirement for undergraduate general education courses. These courses will introduce students to polymer science, discuss the current plastic crisis, and analyze efforts to produce plastics that are environmentally friendly.
The goal of the planned polymer certificate program will be to provide advanced educational options for scientists and strengthen industrial ties. This task had been initiated in the past but was put on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Dr. Nieh will continue the project with a proposed start date of Fall 2025.
The IMS Polymer Program welcomes the new leadership of Professor Nieh.