A Letter from the Director

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the second issue of Intersections, the magazine of the Macromolecules Innovation Institute (MII), and our 70 MII affiliated faculty and more than 130 graduate students relish the opportunity to impatiently sit at the intersection of science, engineering, and society. I am truly honored to serve as Director. MII remains steadfast at placing macromolecular science and engineering in the lens of every discipline, from architecture and packaging to health and energy sciences. Complex global challenges demand complex research teams, and MII strives to pave these intersections to cultivate international research prowess and education of future interdisciplinary innovators.

This issue is dedicated to the late Professor Garth L. Wilkes; his legacy remains strong across our Institute with a keen attention to structure-property- processing relationships. This approach to discovery and education demands fundamental science and engineering with a passion for translation to society. We will announce the first Garth L. Wilkes MII Interdisciplinary Scholars to an exemplary faculty member and graduate student during our April 2018 MII Technical Conference and Review. I know this conference, which occurs every 18 months on our beautiful campus, provides a glimpse into the diversity of our discoveries and their potential impact. We continue to deliver the ACS Principles Short Courses three times a year, welcoming leading industries and universities to appreciate the fundamentals intertwined with future technologies.

The newly formed Macromolecular Materials Discovery Center (MMDC) housed within the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS) aims to provide state-of-the-art instrumentation to the Virginia Tech community with interest in polymeric materials. Partnerships with TA Instruments, Waters, and Agilent have contributed to our success, and the center has evolved to welcome nearly 50 different students each month. We want to serve our industrial partners in our region, and our newly defined external advisory board reflects our desire to more effectively catalyze economic success with corporate partners. Our research portfolio is composed of more than 35 percent corporate funding, a strong indication of the relevance of our endeavors and the integrated training of our graduate students.

This issue also points to the many successes of our faculty and students with special attention to introducing you to the newest MII affiliated faculty. Our recent strategic initiatives for performance packaging systems, materials for future architecture, and materials at the food- energy-waters systems (FEWS) nexus serve as examples of a “molecules to manufacturing” paradigm. Our summer 2017 NSF-sponsored Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) focused on the FEWS nexus, and we were delighted to welcome 17 students from across the country, selected from an exceptional pool of more than 100 students from our nation’s leading institutions. Rest assured that the future is bright if these students represent the future of macromolecular science and engineering. We also welcome a diverse group of fall 2017 MACR students to our program, and this group even laughs at my corny chemistry jokes in MACR 5105!

I hope this issue catalyzes your excitement to visit Virginia Tech, kindles a fire for lifelong learning, and opens your eyes to many exciting activities of our MII faculty and students. We are thankful for our staff who continue to infuse our programs with excellence and facilitate these critical intersections.