Third NSF decadal report presents challenges for polymer field
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Third NSF decadal report presents challenges for polymer field By Arthur L. Robinson
“F
or the polymer community, this is huge. It is the third such study, each charting the key challenges for the field in the coming decade,” says Richard Vaia of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, on the recently released report of an August 2016 National Science Foundation (NSF) workshop “Frontiers in Polymer Science and Engineering.” Vaia joined workshop initiator Andrew Lovinger of NSF and Kathryn Beers of the National Institute of Standards and Technology in supporting workshop chair Frank Bates of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and a cadre of workshop co-organizers. More than 70 workshop participants spanned the range from academic to industrial and government researchers. The report is notable because it spans the entire field of polymer science and engineering. “The polymer scope is enormous, and it’s only getting bigger,” says Bates, “so it was once again timely to evaluate the field in its entirety, including a look at how it impacts science and society.” For all three decadal polymer overviews, Lovinger sought the co-sponsorship of several federal agencies supporting polymer research. “I wanted these workshop reports and their recommendations to be seen not just as reflecting NSF priorities, but as indicative of the interests of agencies across the government,” he says. The two prior workshop reports were very prophetic. Many of the challenges and opportunities identified evolved into major efforts within the polymer community and also across a wider range of research fields. Starting with the monomers from which they are constructed, polymers fit naturally into the nanoworld, and the 1997 report had nanoscience as one theme. Its recommendations anticipated initiatives at NSF
Arthur L. Robinson, [email protected]
and elsewhere as the nano-revolution was taking hold throughout the research world. Similarly, the 2007 report highlighted the importance of energy and environmental sustainability, cornerstones of subsequent NSF initiatives in solar energy and sustainable chemistry and materials. And they continue to draw widespread attention today. Where will the 2017 report have the biggest impact? NSF’s Lovinger is making no predictions. “We are trying to grow the entire field without giving the impression that we have favorites,” he says. For those seeking clues to the future, the report’s Executive Summary identifies four broad themes and overarching concepts that resonated with the workshop’s participants: Integration from nanometers to meters, advanced instrumentation, ubiquitous theory and computation, and bridging the academia–industry divide. The executive summary in the report also lists scientific and engineering themes that cross through the eight sections in the document. Each section, in turn, identifies “grand challenges” and concludes with its own set of recommendations (see Table I). Of the four broad themes identified in the Executive Summary, Bates calls attention
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