Otto Vogl Home > Centers

Centers of Polymer Research

(in 235 pages)
by
Otto Vogl
In Cooperation with Gerald S. Kirshenbaum, Editor of Polymer News

Introduction

Macromolecules (polymers) have been with us for a long time. Our life depends on macromolecules, natural macromolecules: proteins, nucleic acids and polysaccharides. Elastomers and adhesives have been used for centuries. Over those years, almost 2 centuries, work that involves macromolecules was done in selected groups for specific purposes. The nature and fundamental structure of macromolecules were recognized only in the early 20th century.

As interest rose in macromolecular research, more scientific groups became committed to this research. In Europe, industry and some institutes became interested in macromolecules. Industry was represented by BASF, Bayer, academia by Staudinger at the University of Freiburg, and Mark at the University of Vienna.

After the war when Mark had moved to the United States, he created the first formal Institute for Polymer Research at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn. Somewhat later, Sadron’s Institute in Strasbourg was committed to macromolecular science. In other Universities, polymer chemists agglomerated; the University of Syracuse is an example. But no formal Institute was organized.

Starting in the early 60’s, several institutions devoted to teaching and research in Polymer Science were organized. The Department of Macromolecular Chemistry was created at Case Western University, Cleveland, the Rubber Institute at the University of Akron in Akron, OH and the Department of Polymer Science and Engineering at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA. Interestingly enough, not much interest in Polymer Science was shown in the highly visible Universities. It took almost 3 decades until Material Science Departments (including Polymer research and teaching) were developed in Engineering Schools of selected prominent Universities.

In the 60’s, there were questions among scientists involved in polymer research: Should we have a polymer scientist in every chemistry department? Also in prominent Universities? Or should we create institutes or departments in selected schools?

I was always on the side of the departmental approach. This is the reason that I went to and helped to develop a department of Polymer Science and Engineering at the University of Massachusetts. I was an academically trained organic chemist and an industrially trained technologist. I also had substantial experience in professional activities of polymer chemistry through leading offices in professional societies and editorial responsibilities.

As my scientific activities increased globally, I started to visit various Centers of Polymer Research. Some were located in this country but some were also located in other countries in Europe and Asia. Many of the institutions, far away at that time, did not have many contacts with the general polymer science community.

I decided to present some of the laboratories interested in polymer science, but more importantly, entire regions, by writing with my colleagues and friends about their institutions. I started by concentrating on Japan. My friends from Japan with whom I had close relationships, helped me to identify polymer science activities in various sections of the country. You will see most prominently presented the Kansai region (Kyoto and Osaka), Tokyo in three sections and the south and north of Japan.

When I spent some time in China, I was able to obtain the cooperation of some of my Chinese colleagues to help introduce macromolecular research into several parts of China, at that time a distant country. With their help I was able to describe polymer science activities in Beijing, Shanghai, Centers south and north of the Yangtze River and Changchun in Manchuria.

In Europe, with the help of my friends, I was able to describe the polymer activities in Sweden, Finland and Italy, especially Milan, the center of polymer research in Italy, but also research in Poland, the former Czechoslovakia and the Slovak Republic.

I should not forget to mention prominently the series of articles, which I wrote with my colleagues on Centers of Polymer Research in Austria and Hungary.

As I mentioned with regard to the articles on "Personalities" the writings on “Centers of Polymer Research” (primarily from 1980-2000) depended on the active cooperation of the individuals in these countries. It was not easy to obtain the information on polymer science in all the activities in these countries. A number of these Centers were behind the Iron Curtain. With patience and the sometimes-risky willingness of my friends we were able to write about the Centers of Polymer Science as recorded in the Polymer News articles. It shows and records the activity in Polymer Science in this part of polymer history.

I am happy with the public’s interest with the articles that we produced. It was to a great extent only possible because of the cooperation of my friend Gerald S. Kirshenbaum, the Editor of Polymer News.

Centers in Polymer Science – List
    1. Otto Vogl, Centers of Polymer Research; Polymer Science and Technology in the DDR, Polymer News, 5(6), 278-279 (1979)
    2. P. Kubisa and O. Vogl, Polymer Science in Lodz, Poland, Polymer News, 6(4), 189-191 (1980)
    3. W. Pradellok and O. Vogl, Centers of Polymer Research; Polymer Science in Silesia, Poland:Gliwice, Zabrze , Polymer News, 6(6), 284-286 (1980

      3a. K. Takemoto and O. Vogl, Polymer Science in the Peoples Republic of China, Kobunshi, 37(2), 134-136 (1982)
    4. A. Nakajima and O. Vogl, Centers of Polymer Research; Polymer Science in Kyoto, Japan, Polymer News, 7(3), 136-142 (1981)
    5. T. Tsuruta, H. Koinuma and O. Vogl, Centers of Polymer Research; Polymer Science in Tokyo, Japan, Part I:  Central Area, Polymer News, 7(4), 184-187 (1981)
    6. I. Uematsu, A. Abe and O. Vogl, Centers of Polymer Research; Polymer Science in Tokyo, Japan, Part II:  Suburban Area, Polymer News, 8(2), 58-61 (1982)
    7. I. Uematsu, A. Abe and O. Vogl, Centers of Polymer Research; Polymer Science in Tokyo, Japan, Part III:  Suburban Area, Polymer News, 8(3), 91-93 (1982)
    8. T. Otsu, K. Hatada and O. Vogl, Centers of Polymer Research; Polymer Science in Osaka, Japan:  Part I, Polymer News, 8(6), 185-187 (1982)
    9. T. Otsu, K. Hatada and O. Vogl, Centers of Polymer Research; Polymer Science in Osaka, Japan:  Part II, Polymer News, 8(7), 220-223 (1982)
    10. M. Nagasawa, Y. Yamashita and O. Vogl, Centers of Polymer Research; Polymer Science in the Nagoya Area, Polymer News, 8(9), 284-287 (1982)
    11. T. Kunitake, J. Kiji and O. Vogl, Centers of Polymer Research; Polymer Science in the South and West of Japan, Polymer News, 8(11), 344-347 (1982)
    12. J. Sohma and O. Vogl, Centers of Polymer Research; Polymer Science in Hokkaido, Japan, Polymer News, 8(12), 373-376 (1983)
    13. T. Yamaguchi and O. Vogl, Centers of Polymer Research; Polymer Science in Northeastern Japan, Polymer News, 9(3), 89-91 (1983)
    14. A. Romano, E. Borsig and O. Vogl, Centers of Polymer Research; Polymer Science in Czechoslovakia:  Slovakia I:  Polymer Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Polymer News, 9(8), 251-154 (1984)
    15. E. Borsig, J. Beniska and O. Vogl, Centers of Polymer Research; Polymer Science in Czechoslovakia, Slovakia II:  Universities and Research Institutes, Polymer News, 9(9),  281-283 (1984)
    16. W. Huang, Z. Ye, Z. Zhang, M. Cao and O. Vogl, Centers of Polymer Research; Polymer Science and Engineering in Academy Institutes in the Southern Part of the People's Republic of China (South of the Yangtze), Polymer News, 9(11), 346-348 (1984)
    17. T. Yu, B. Qian, S.J. Li and O. Vogl, Polymer Science and Engineering in the Southern Part of the People's Republic of China (South of the Yangtze):  Part I:  Shanghai Area", Polymer News, 9(12), 374-377 (1984)
    18. L. Shi and O. Vogl, Polymer Science and Engineering in Academy Institutes in the Northern Part of the People's Republic of China (North of the Yangtze):  Part I: Beijing", Polymer News, 10(1), 25-27 (1984)
    19. B. Huang and O. Vogl, Polymer Science in Academy Institutes in Northern China (North of the Yangtze): Part II: Changchun, Polymer News, 10(2), 57-60 (1984)
    20. Bengt Ranby and Otto Vogl, Polymer Science and Technology in Universities in Sweden, Polymer News, 10(4), 121-123 (1984)
    21. Kiichi Takemoto and Otto Vogl, Polymer Science in Japan:  The Hokuriku District and the Remaining Universities of Japan, Polymer News, 11(2), 54-60 (1985)
    22. Margit T. Raetzsch, Werner Berger, Guenther Heublein, Joachim Ulbricht and Otto Vogl, Polymer Science at Universities of the German Democratic Republic, Polymer News, 11(8), 425-248 (1986)
    23. T. Y. Yu, S. L. Yang and O. Vogl, Polymer Science and Engineering in Universities of The People's Republic of China: South of the Yangtze River - Part II, Polymer News, 11(11), 348-349 (1986)
    24. Vladimir Kubanek, Jan Sebenda and O. Vogl, Centers of Polymer Chemistry in Czechoslovakia 1:  Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Prague, Czechoslovakia, Polymer News, 12(4), 121-126 (1986)
    25. Jaroslav Kralicek, Miroslav Schatz, Petr Vondracek and Otto Vogl, Polymer Science in Czechoslovakia II: Universities in the Czech Socialist Republic, Polymer News, 13(4), 117-123 (1988)
    26. Cristofor I. Simionescu, Ioan I. Negulescu and Otto Vogl, Polymer Science in Romania I: "Petru Poni" Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Iasi, Romania, Polymer News, 13(11), 351-354 (1988)
    27. Ferenc Tudos, Margit Iring and Otto Vogl, Polymer Science in Hungary.  Part I.  The Institutes of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Polymer News, 15(6), 185-190 (1990)
    28. Jozef Varga, Margit Iring, Ferenc Tudos and Otto Vogl, Polymer Science in Hungary, Part II. The Universities in Hungary, Polymer News, 15(7), 215-221 (1990)
    29. Gyula Hardy, Sandor Doubravsky, Margit Iring, Ferenc Tudos and Otto Vogl, Polymer Science in Hungary, Part III.  The Industrial Research Institutes and their Factories, Polymer News, 15(8), 255-261 (1990)
    30. Josef Schurz and Otto Vogl, (in cooperation with Bernd Thrattnigg, Klaus Hummel, Wolfgang Daimler and Klaus Lederer), Polymer Research in Austria. I:  Introduction and the Facilities in Styria: Graz and Leoben, Polymer News, 16(9), 277-282 (1991)
    31. Ann Christine Albertsson and Otto Vogl, Royal Institute of Technology: Department of Polymer Technology, Polymer News, 17(7), 215-219 (1992)
    32. Johan J. Lindberg, Franciska Sundholm and Otto Vogl, Polymer Science in Finland, Polymer News, 17(9), 289-293 (1992)
    33. Shinzo Kohjiya, Takeo Araki and Otto Vogl, Polymer Science at the Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto, Japan, Polymer News, 18(1), 25-29 (1993)
    34. Lido Porri, Mario Farina, Guido Audisio and Otto Vogl, Polymer Science in Milano - ITALY, Polymer News, 18(4), 116-124 (1993)
    35. Otto Vogl, Polymer Science at Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan, 18(5), 149-155 (1993)
    36. Josef Schurz and Otto Vogl, Polymer Science in Austria II:  Universities in Vienna, Polymer News, 18(6), 182-188 (1993)
    37. Josef Schurz and Otto Vogl, Polymer Science in Austria III, Universities in Linz, Innsbruck and other Research Institute in Austria including Industry, Polymer News, 18(8), 245-252 (1993)
    38. Otto Vogl, Polymer Institute Slovak Academy of Sciences Bratislava, Slovakia, Polymer News, 19(5), 151 -157 (1994)
    39. Donald H. Napper and Otto Vogl, Polymer Science in Australia I. Sydney and Canberra, Polymer News, 19(8), 249-255 (1994)
    40. James H. O'Donnell, David J. T. Hill and Otto Vogl, Polymer Science in Australia II. Brisbane and Queensland, Polymer News, 19(10), 314-319 (1994)
    41. Ezio Rizzardo, Carolyn Morris and Otto Vogl, Polymer Science in Australia III. CSIRO and Other Government Institutions, Polymer News, 20(2), 56-62 (1995)
    42. David Solomon, Ezio Rizzardo, Robert A. Shanks, David Williams and Otto Vogl, Polymer Science in Australia IV. Universities in Victoria and Southern Australia, Polymer News, 20(12), 91-97 (1995)
    43. Dang Van Luyen, Dang Mai-Huong and Otto Vogl, Polymer Science in Vietnam, Polymer News, 20(12), 400-405 (1995), J. Macromol Sci., Pure and Applied Chem., A33(12), 1769 (1996)
    44. Franjo Flajsman, Zvonomir Janovic, Helena Jasna Mencer and Otto Vogl, Polymer Science in Croatia, Polymer News, 21(1), 38-46 (1996)
    45. Otto Vogl and Koichi Hatada, Osaka University: A Focus of Polymer Science: 70th Anniversary      Celebration, Polymer News, 27(5), 176-184 (2002).

     

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