Regents OK new polymer chemistry graduate degree

  Wednesday, October 15, 2014 2:00 AM
  News

Pittsburg, KS

The Kansas Board of Regents has approved a new master’s degree in polymer chemistry at Pittsburg State University. The board took the action at their regular meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 15.

Petar Dvornic, chair of PSU’s Department of Chemistry, said the board’s action was another step forward in the university’s Polymer Chemistry Initiative, an academic program that is expected to not only create polymer chemists for high-value jobs in industry, research and government institutions, but also support important research at PSU in one of the fastest growing scientific areas.

The Kansas Legislature invested in PSU’s Polymer Chemistry Initiative in 2013 and the program began by offering the first bachelor’s degree in polymer chemistry in the region.

“It’s an exciting time,” Dvornic said.

Karl Kunkel, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said the undergraduate and graduate programs in polymer chemistry, along with the ongoing polymer chemistry research, have the potential to make PSU a center for excellence in polymer science education, research and economic development.

“Our linking three solid areas of the university -- the Kansas Polymer Research Center, the Plastics Engineering Program in the College of Technology, and the Chemistry Department in the College of Arts and Sciences -- into a larger initiative creates synergy with significant impact,” Kunkel said. “It is unique in Kansas, the region, and the United States, and will tremendously benefit undergraduate and graduate students as well as industry in this fast developing and important scientific and production field. Over the past two years we've assembled a world-class faculty and created outstanding laboratories for teaching and research. I'm excited to see what the future holds for our polymer initiative.”

For more information on the PSU Polymer Chemistry Initiative and degree programs, visit www.pittstate.edu/department/chemistry.