The
S TUDENT P RINTZ www.studentprintz.com
SERVING SOUTHERN MISS SINCE 1927
September 15, 2011
Volume 96 Issue 7
ON CAMPUS
USM works to welcome new degree
Michelle Holowach Printz Writer
Melissa McCraw/Printz
Jack Ly, a junior polymer science major, works to create a nylon 6,10 through interfacial polymerization. If approved by the College Board, the University of Southern Mississippi plans to add a polymer science engineering degree as an additional undergraduate option for students. Southern Miss is already home to the number one polymer science program in the nation. If approved, the program will only require the hiring of two new professors.
DeRe’ LaRouge
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An exciting future lies ahead for Southern Miss as the proposal for the installment of a new polymer science engineering program will be presented before the College Board in November. If approved, this degree program will open many doors for USM students and graduates, and it will be the first of its kind in Mississippi. Dean of the College of Science and Technology Joe Whitehead said the proposal for this new program was prompted primarily because of the new opportunities it will offer to students. “In the U.S. we have a shortage of scientists and engineers overall,” Whitehead said. “And some of the research indicates that underrepresented minorities tend to major in areas where they can help society, and engineering is one of those areas because there’s a tangible benefit for people to see, and so we are appealing to all Americans.” Whitehead added that Southern Miss will have an opportunity to help a great section of the Mississippi society because it has one of the largest minority populations in the U.S. “So if we’re going to capitalize on one of our most precious resources,” Whitehead said, “that’s our people.” Professor of polymer science Robert Lochhead foresees this program at Southern Miss as a tremendous asset to the University. “The polymer science and engineering program gives the graduates a much broader de-
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gree,” Lochhead said. “And as far as employers are concerned it carries a lot more weight; the engineering title is highly valued by industry. While some of our students do go to academia, the vast majority of our students have been groomed for industry research and industry - and when you’ve got both science and engineering it opens doors.” Southern Miss is already the number one undergraduate program in the country for polymer science, Lochhead pointed out, but adding the engineering component to the already established School of Polymers and High Performance Material will bring more people to recognize this prestigious level. “Polymer scientists look at understanding and developing new molecules,” Lochhead said, “and the polymer engineer takes those new molecules to practical applications. So the polymer scientist and engineer are like two facets of the same thing, and if you take polymer science and engineering you’re a much stronger person than taking either polymer science or polymer engineering by themselves. So we would now be recognized as the number one polymer department in the country.” Sophomore polymer science major Tyler Brown thinks the new program, if approved, would be very beneficial to the university and the scientific community. “This program could potentially establish new collaborations with other chemical companies, industries, etc., which would benefit every single research group in the Polymer Science Research Center,”
See POLYMER, 4
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