The earliest macromolecular educational activities at MIT were centered in Mechanical Engineering, based on its connection to New England's historical strength in textiles. A molecular perspective developed in Chemical Engineering in the 1930's when Lewis and colleagues developed a text on amorphous and colloidal materials. Over time, polymer specialists in other departments responded to disciplinary trends and interdisciplinary opportunities. In the 1970's Metallurgy transitioned to Materials Science and Engineering, setting up a curricular track in polymeric materials. Interest in the macromolecule in the Chemistry and Physics Departments waxed and waned. Since 1985 an interdepartmental Program in Polymer Science and Technology (PPST) has very successfully unified the curricular and extracurricular needs of this diverse community of students, postdocs, faculty and visitors. The recent emergence of a new MIT department, Biological Engineering, with a vigorous set of activities in the polymer area, sets the stage for still further threading of the macromolecule through the educational framework of MIT. These issues will be discussed briefly in the context of the speaker's contributions to PPST.

Polymer education at MIT: Past, present, and future

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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