James A. Morrison Lectures in Materials Research: Plastics

January 22, 2018

The Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research is pleased to present the 2018 James A. Morrison Lectures in Materials Research.

PROFESSOR FRANK S. BATES, Distinguished McKnight University Professor, University of Minnesota.

Synthetic plastics, discovered less than a century ago, have transformed nearly every facet of our lives. With sales of nearly a half trillion dollars annually the polymer industry has emerged as a dominant factor in
the world economy. In general, plastics enhance our standard of living, providing materials that reduce energy consumption, improve health care, and expand access to food, water and clean air. But, as with any new technology, the emergence of products reliant on giant molecules known as macromolecules has been accompanied by various societal challenges, most notably the generation of enormous amounts of waste that clutters our landfills and has the potential to damage the environment. This lecture blends a review of the extraordinary science and engineering that enables plastics to improve our lives and peers into the future when plastics will be engineered to be compatible with a sustainable economy.

PROFESSOR BATES is one of the world’s most distinguished polymer scientists and engineers. Frank Bates was elected to the US National Academy of Engineering in 2002, to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2010, and to the US National Academy of Sciences in 2017. He has also received many high level discipline-specific recognitions. He completed his PhD in Chemical Engineering at MIT in 1982, and moved to AT&T Bell Laboratories, eventually being named Distinguished Member of Technical Staff. In 1989 he moved to the University of Minnesota, where he is now Distinguished McKnight University Professor.

THE JAMES A. MORRISON LECTURES are the Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research (BIMR) distinguished lecture series. They are named in memory of J.A. Morrison, FRSC, one of Canada’s most accomplished physical chemists, and the BIMR’s founding director, from 1969 until 1986.

Presentations:

  • Sphericity and Symmetry Breaking in the Formation of Quasicrystals and Frank-Kasper Phases in Block Polymer Melts
  • Monday, January 29, 2018 | 3:30 p.m.
  • BSB 108
  • Structure and Dynamics of Block Copolymer Micelles
  • Tuesday, January 30, 2018 | 3:30 p.m.
  • ABB 102
  • James A. Morrison Public Lecture on plastics
  • Wednesday, January 31, 2018 | 7:30 p.m
  • ABB 102