Chains of opportunity; The University of Akron and the emergence of the polymer age, 1909-2007.

9781931968539

Chains of opportunity; The University of Akron and the emergence of the polymer age, 1909-2007.

Bowles, Mark D.

University of Akron Press

2008

357 pages

$49.95

Hardcover

QD47

In 1979, the annual volume of the US production of plastic exceeded that of steel. This book examines the presence of plastic in our lives through the story of one academic institution, the University of Akron, that has played an influential role in shaping the Polymer Age. The book traces the school's industrial interactions with Akron's rubber giants, recounts its administration of the federal government's synthetic rubber program during WWII, and describes the creation of one of the first PhD programs in polymer chemistry. Bowles is a writer specializing in the history of science.

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