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Faculty's Published Polymer Research Ranks Top

Akron, Ohio, May 11, 2009 - The excellence of The University of Akron's College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering faculty is clearly evident through the significant publication of its research in leading industry journals. Specifically, UA polymer science and polymer engineering faculty members wrote 296 research papers between 2004 and 2008-more articles than those of the 40 institutions with research published by their faculties in principal polymer journals. These articles, published in Macromolecules, Polymer and the Journal of Polymer Science, represent 6.39 percent of the total 4,629 articles published in these journals throughout the five-year period.

"These are the three most important polymer journals in the field and they present a valid indicator of how intensive an institute is involved in polymer research," says Dr. Stephen Cheng, dean of the UA College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering. "Our college's research, particularly with regard to the science and engineering of soft materials, is unveiling significant medical and clinical applications in biopolymer materials. These innovations, in concert with our continuous engagement in research activities in the BioInnovation Institute in Akron, will further strengthen our leading position in the academic publications."

The university's renowned polymer faculty, which currently totals 30, includes many of the world's top researchers and innovators in the discipline. With concentration on research in biomolecular materials, renewable energy materials, microelectronics and optics, and environmentally benign polymers, the college is recruiting faculty members who specialize in these areas. The UA College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering also is preparing to break ground for a new multifunctional National Polymer Innovation Center this year.

The University of Akron is the public research university for Northern Ohio. The Princeton Review listed UA among the "Best in the Midwest" in its 2008 edition of Best Colleges: Region-by-Region. Serving 26,000 students, the university offers approximately 300 associate, bachelor's, master's, doctoral and law degree programs and 100 certificate programs at sites in Summit, Wayne, Medina and Holmes counties. For more information, visit http://www.uakron.edu/.

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