Eric Fossum, in the Department of Chemistry, is the lead P.I. on a $300,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. The three year project, is entitled "Exploiting 3,5-Difluoro Aromatic Systems to Functionalize Poly(arylene ether)s," The grant will provide support for both undergraduate and graduate students.
To quote from the grant summary: "This work will enhance our ability to synthesize new engineering polymers (plastic) with excellent environmental stability and properties that can be readily tailored to meet a specific need. The results of these studies may have many positive, long-term impacts on applications in which engineering plastics are currently employed, including the energy, medical, automotive, electronics, and aerospace industries."
Congratulations to Eric!