We're sorry, but the 2019 classroom limit has been met, and registration is closed. You may still sign up for the waitlist.
Please stay tuned for the 2020 short course.
May 20-24, 2019
Hilton Garden Inn, Blacksburg, Virginia
Learn about our annual lecture-laboratory short course for those who produce or utilize adhesives and sealants.
Instructors & Areas of Expertise
- Michael J. Bortner
- Richey M. Davis
- Raffaella De Vita
- David A. Dillard
- Alan R. Esker
- Charles E. Frazier
- Timothy E. Long
- John B. Matson
Michael Bortner
Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering
Ph.D., Virginia Tech, 2003
Phone: (540) 231-4213
Email: mbortner@vt.edu
Expertise
Polymer nanocomposites; nanostructured materials and surfaces; polymer morphology and structure-property relationships; surface and interface phenomena in polymers. Applications: Additive manufacturing, composite processing, smart materials, advanced materials, structural composites, multifunctional coatings. Nanomaterial dispersion and characterization, manufacturing process development, novel nanocomposite characterization techniques, transport at polymer / particle interfaces and in multi-phase systems.
Richey M. Davis
Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering
Ph.D., Princeton University, 1983
Phone: (540) 231-4578
Email: rmdavis@vt.edu
Expertise
Physical chemistry and rheology of polymer solutions and colloidal suspensions with emphases on water-soluble polymers and suspensions in aqueous media; polymer adsorption at interfaces; waterborne adhesives; dispersion and processing of fine powders for coating, ceramic and composite applications.
Raffaella De Vita
Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics
Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, 2005
Phone: 540-231-5905
Email: devita@vt.edu
Expertise
Mechanical characterization of elastic and viscoelastic properties of soft materials, with special emphasis on the development of new mathematical models and experimental methods.
David A. Dillard
Adhesive and Sealant Science Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics
Ph.D., Virginia Tech, 1981
Phone: (540) 231-4714
Email: dillard@vt.edu
Expertise
Fracture and time dependent behavior of adhesives, elastomers and other polymeric materials; development of appropriate test methods for adhesive bonds; analytical and numerical (finite element) analysis of stresses in bonded joints; durability measurements and predictions for adhesive bonds.
Alan Esker
Professor and Chair, Department of Chemistry
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, 1996
Phone: (540) 231-4601
Email: aesker@vt.edu
Expertise
Solution casting, spin-coating, self-assembly, and the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique for exploration of the physical chemical aspects of polymer dynamics in confined geometries and at surfaces and interfaces. Investigation of contemporary issues affecting nanotechnology like nanofiller reinforcement in polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS)/polymer nanocomposites, magnetic nanoparticle-lipid interactions for drug delivery systems, and biomimetic engineering of cellulose/polymer interfaces in composites. Characterization techniques through neutron scattering and X-ray reflectivity at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and dynamic mechanical and thermal analysis (DMTA), rheology, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), surface light scattering (SLS), the fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) technique, ellipsometry, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and optical (OM), fluorescence (FM), atomic force (AFM), scanning electron (SEM), transmission electron (TEM), and Brewster angle (BAM) microscopy.
Charles E. Frazier
Thomas M. Brooks Professor, Department of Sustainable Biomaterials
Director, Wood-Based Composites Center
Ph.D., Virginia Tech, 1992
Phone: (540) 231-8318
Email: cfrazier@vt.edu
Expertise
Characterization of the wood-adhesive bondline with emphasis on thermosetting adhesives for wood-based composites, latex adhesives and reactive hotmelts, analysis of the effects of wood-adhesive interactions as they control the morphology and chain dynamics of the bondline, performance evaluation through fracture testing.
Timothy E. Long
Professor, Department of Chemistry
Director, Macromolecules Innovation Institute
Ph.D., Virginia Tech, 1987
Phone: (540) 231-2480
Email: telong@vt.edu
Expertise
Synthesis and characterization of interfacially active polymeric systems including block, graft, and star copolymers. Interfacial adhesion in polymer blends and polymer coatings on inorganic substrates. Synthesis of block copolymer adhesion promotors and pressure sensitive adhesives via living polymerization methodologies, in-situ FTIR spectroscopic studies on urethane-based adhesive kinetics, synthesis of liquid crystalline and semi-crystalline polyesters, ionomeric hotmelt polyesters with decreased melt viscosity, adhesion studies in semi-conductor fabrication, and adhesion between bio-derived molecules and organic polymer substrates.
John B. Matson
Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry
Ph.D., California Institute of Technology, 2009
Phone: 540-231-3329
Email: jbmatson@vt.edu
Expertise
Synthesis of polymers by living and controlled methods, including reversible-deactivation radical polymerizations (RDRPs) and ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). Synthesis, self-assembly and applications of densely grafted polymers, including as pressure-sensitive adhesives. Peptide self-assembly to form nanostructured gels for use in biomedical applications.
Short Course Topics
- Adhesives and Polymer Design Parameters
- Adhesives, Sealant, and Waterborne Rheology
- Adsorption on Surfaces/Surface Energy
- Classes of Adhesive Structure and Synthetic Methods
- Stresses in Bonded Joints
- Surfaces and Surface Preparation
- Fracture of Adhesive Bonds
- Viscoelasticity and Applications to Adhesives
- Adhesive Test Methods
- Analysis of Surfaces
- Free Volume and DSC
- Dynamic Mechanical Methodology
- PSA Performance and Testing
- Accelerated Characterization
- Frontiers in Adhesion Science
- Wood Adhesion
- Durability and Design
Course Site and Lodging
Lecture sessions for the Adhesion Science Short Course will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn (900 Plantation Road, Blacksburg, VA, 24060) with lab sessions on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. MII will provide transportation to and from the labs.
The closest airport (Roanoke Blacksburg Regional Airport—ROA) is located in Roanoke, Virginia, about an hour’s ride from Blacksburg. A shuttle service and three major car rental agencies are available at the airport.
MII has reserved a block of rooms at the Hilton Garden Inn at a discounted group rate of $98.00 per night for May 19-24, 2019. To reserve your room, contact the Hilton Garden Inn at 540-552-5005 and mention the “MII Adhesion Science Short Course” or enter the group code "MIIAS" online to get the group rate.
Cost
The cost of the Adhesion Science Short Course is $1,700 per person. This tuition covers:
- Printed course materials and interaction with Virginia Tech's top adhesion science professors
- 3.2 CEUs through Continuing and Professional Education
- Sessions in state-of-the-art labs at Virginia Tech
- Continuous break including coffee and snacks during class time
- Lunch from Monday-Thursday and Dinner Banquet on Thursday night
- Access to a room block at a discounted rate through the Hilton Garden Inn
Participants may bring a guest to Thursday's banquet for $50.
Questions?
Check out our FAQ page for questions.
Contact
For more information, please contact Andrew Tie at tie@vt.edu or 540-231-3704.
Comments from Past Attendees
"I found this course to be well-detailed and very informative. The course gave a very good overview of the topics related to adhesion. I gained a lot of knowledge this week, which will be beneficial to my career. The physical examples, labs, and demos were all very helpful. Overall, this was a really great course presented by passionate professors."
- Industry Chemist
"This is a great course: it’s well organized, the instructors are top-notch, and the course material is very informative."
- Research Specialist
"Very well presented, handouts contained a lot of information. The course gave a very good overview of materials and structure-properties relationship. It provided me with knowledge that would otherwise require years of studying to become familiar with. Good overall scope."
- Anonymous
"This has been an excellent course. The instructors demonstrated a keen interest in the topics they presented. I could tell that they were presenting the information to help our understanding rather than just to complete a task."
- Associate Chemist