Polymer Scientist To Speak Sept. 6

by Judy Long

Dr. Mark Foster, a professor in the Institute of Polymer Science at the University of Akron, will speak at 2 p.m. Monday, Sept. 6, in the Baylor Sciences Building in room E231 on the Baylor University campus. The lecture, "The Effect of Long-Chain Branching on Polymer Blend Bulk Thermodynamics and Surface Segregation," is the first of the 2004 Fall Colloquium Series and is sponsored by the vice provost for research and the department of chemistry.
Foster, a polymer scientist, researches the structure and dynamics of polymer systems, especially in thin films and near interfaces. Polymers are large molecules made up of two or more single molecules that combined in a chemical reaction.
He also researches thermodynamics and dynamics in blends of molecules that differ in architecture, such as star and linear chains, as well as the surface behavior of polymer brushes and the absorption of proteins to well-defined surfaces. Monday's lecture will address the differences in the architecture of star-branched and linear chained synthetic molecules.
For more information, contact the office of the vice provost for research. at 710-3763.