Coatings programs: polymers and coatings program at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, one of the 23 campuses of the California State University system, enrolls over 18,000 students and is nationally recognized for the excellence of its programs in architecture, agriculture, engineering, and the sciences. The school maintains a history of graduating students with special abilities in applied fields. Extensive hands-on experience with modern techniques and equipment is a hallmark of the undergraduate education offered at Cal Poly/SLO.

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The polymers and coatings program was developed with the support of the Federation of Societies for Coatings Technology and its member Societies. An Industrial Advisory Council provides support and guidance for the program. The Council includes representation from 20 major coatings manufacturers and raw materials suppliers. During the past year the Council has been working to raise funds for the new Western Coatings Technology Center to be housed in the planned, new Science Center (see related article).

The polymers and coatings programs at Cal Poly include an undergraduate concentration, a Masters program leading to an M.S. Degree in Polymers and Coatings Science, and short courses offered during winter and summer. The concentration provides educational and professional experience to chemistry and biochemistry majors who wish to specialize in polymers and coatings sciences, and to materials engineering majors who wish a background in polymers and coatings. The program meets the American Chemical Society requirements for certification as a chemistry/polymers degree. Some Cal Poly/SLO students receive scholarships sponsored by the Los Angeles Society for Coatings Technology and scholarships supported by the FSCT through the Coatings Industry Education Foundation (CIEF).

The concentration includes five courses, including two laboratory courses, and comprises a total of 18-quarter units. An industrial internship, lasting from three to six months, is a central part of the undergraduate program. Graduates completing the concentration have the academic knowledge, technical training, and applied experience to enter the polymer and coatings industries. Students graduating last year accepted positions with a wide-range of companies. Several of last year's graduates are continuing their studies at graduate school.

The initiation of a new M.S. degree program in Polymers and Coatings Science in Fall 2002 marked a major milestone for Cal Poly's Polymers and Coatings program. The focus of the program is a structured industrial internship or an industry sponsored research project. This not only takes the place of the traditional thesis, but involves students undertaking directed study while on the internship or working on their project and writing research papers related to their internship or project. With this approach, the internship/project serves as both coursework and research. This program has two different tracks--a "4+1" track begun by selected undergraduates during their junior year and a more traditional track begun after completing a B.S. degree in a chemistry-related field. The M.S. program is suitable for those who have worked in industry since leaving school and who wish to obtain further advanced training in polymers and coatings science. Currently, there are seven students enrolled in the M.S. degree program. Financial support from the Bill Moore Research Fellowship Endowment is available for qualifying masters degree candidates.

Industry-Related Research

Faculty and students are involved in a wide range of projects related to coating raw materials, formulations, and application aspects. Continuing research projects on surfactants, rheology modifiers and their interactions are focused on developing solutions to real-world coating problems such as viscosity stability and color development issues. A growing area of research within our program is on nano-particle applications in coatings. Our faculty has expertise in colloid and surface chemistry, dispersants and other additives, synthetic chemistry, rheology, and coating formulating methods to make a significant contribution in this area.

Our students and faculty have also developed techniques that are crucial for the analysis of the new generation of coatings formulated to meet stricter environmental requirements. They have pioneered the use of solid phase microextraction for the analysis of VOCs in coatings. In addition, methods have been developed for analysis of both exempt compounds and very low (often called "zero VOC") coatings. These techniques also allow for the determination of speciated VOC levels, where not only the total amount of volatile organic compounds, but also the amount of each specific compound, is determined.

Other industry and government-funded projects include studies of polymers for medical applications, comparison of hiding and coverage of solvent and water-based coatings, and applications of coatings in art restoration.

Requests from qualified industry and academic personnel to spend a sabbatical year at Cal Poly/SLO are most welcome.

Short Courses

The program offers two short courses, one during winter and another during summer. The summer Introductory Coating Science and Technology short course scheduled for June 21-25, 2004 includes both lecture and laboratory sessions.

For further information on the polymers and coatings program at Cal Poly/SLO, please visit our website at: www.polymerscoatings.calpoly.edu or, contact Dr. Ray Fernando, Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93407; 805.756-2395; email: [e-mail].

RELATED ARTICLE: Building the Future of Polymer and Coatings Technology

Cal Poly has plans to better meet the educational, research and training needs of the polymers and coatings industry. A state-of-the-art-facility to house the proposed Western Coatings Technology Center will be a big part of those plans. The Center is envisioned to be an integral part of the University's new $134 million Center for Science and Mathematics.

The Western Coatings Technology Center will provide students and faculty a combination of educational and research opportunities with hands-on training and internships, to create an intense education in polymers and coatings. In addition, it will offer professional development short courses, regional conferences and Internet-based virtual training and teaching programs.

According to Dr. Ray Fernando, director of the polymers and coatings program in the Dept. of Chemistry & Biochemistry, construction of the new facility, estimated to cost $5 million, will be entirely funded by donations from the private sector. Ken Edwards, CEO of Dunn Edwards Paint Co., and chair of a fund-raising committee made up 20 major coatings manufacturers and raw material suppliers, has donated $250,000 to kick off the drive.

The Western Coatings Technology Center will include a polymer synthesis laboratory, coatings formulation facilities, instrumental analysis center, project research labs for faculty and students, and offices and meeting facilities. In addition, the Center will offer companies expanded opportunities for sponsored research and specialized training.

Based on the Cal Poly mission of "learn by doing," the new center is expected to provide an environament for creative students to learn and conduct important, real-world research with faculty and industry mentors.

For more information on the Western Coatings Technology Center, visit www.polymerscoatings.calpoly.edu or call 805.756.2395

Presented here are summaries of the university programs supported by the Coatings Industry Education Foundation. Currently the CIEF supports programs at California State Polytechnic University, DePaul University, Eastern Michigan University, North Dakota State University, The University of Missouri-Rolla, and The University of Southern Mississippi.