In spite of Hurricane Katrina, it was an exciting year for the Urban Research Group (URG). Three students graduated with Ph.D., and we published numerous papers in internationally recognized journals. One of the papers was featured by "Heart Cut," a weekly electronic publication by the American Chemical Society (ACS) Molecule of the Week. Also, the ACS Symposium Series #912 featured stimuli-responsive polymeric coatings and films. The URG continues to make science headlines with new advances in cocklebur-shaped and hollow polymer particles, colloidal nano-tubes, and other nanostructures developed with coatings engineering concepts in mind.

Overall, it was a very exciting year with new people joining and graduating from the group. Dr. Reid Dreher, Dr. David Lestage, and Dr. Dan Otts, the 2005 Ph.D. graduates, joined the U.S. workforce, and former research associate Dr. Shengpei Su returned to China where he is now a professor. Mr. He graduated with a M.S. degree and is pursuing graduate studies at North Carolina State University.

Dr. Urban has been invited to be a guest editor of Polymer Reviews special issue on Intelligent Coatings. In addition to research and teaching activities, Dr. Urban continues to direct the National Science Foundation, Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at Southern Miss which is entering its 4th year. For more information on MRSEC activities, please visit the Web site at www.usm.edu/mrsec. As of February 2006, Dr. Urban accepted the position as director of the School of Polymers and High Performance Materials.

Dr. Lon Mathias

The Mathias Research Group is heavily involved in both polymer education and research. Please visit the Polymer Science Learning Center Web site at www.pslc.ws to view the world's leading polymer education resource – learning made fun for all ages!

Publications are summarized at www.pslc.ws/mathias and involves both traditional and cutting-edge research. The former includes polyesters and nylons, focusing on both synthesis and modification to improve existing applications and to discover new ones. The Mathias Research Group is known as one of the best labs in the world for understanding molecular and meso-scale composition and behavior of polymers using a combination of solution and solid-state NMR. These methods also apply to new, groundbreaking areas such as nanocomposites and nanomaterials where solid-state NMR has provided a detailed understanding of why clay-modified polymers display such dramatic property improvements. Also, they are actively involved in bio-based monomers and polymers to replace existing products and develop new ones with enhanced properties that possess biocompatibility and biodegradability. They have active industrial projects on space applications of high-hydrocarbon polymers and multifunctional monomers and polymers with enhanced performance. Finally, projects on adamantane-based materials are being re-invigorated in conjunction with industrial and federal funding, illustrating their ongoing efforts to use fundamental advances in synthesis and structures to develop the next-generation of polymer-based advanced materials.

Dr. Roger Hester

Dr. Roger Hester has completed the second year of his appointment as Bennett Professor. This honor is awarded to an outstanding faculty member in the sciences by the College of Science and Technology at Southern Miss. During this two-year appointment, Dr. Hester continued his work on waste biomass conversion to energy supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. In the spring of 2006, he will travel to Australia and New Zealand to present his findings to universities and industries. A current doctoral student working with Dr. Hester, Scott Miller, will also present his research during the Australian visit. This trip is a direct result of Dr. Hester’s collaboration with Dr. Russell Reeves of APACE Research, Ltd., an Australian organization. Their work on biomass conversion to energy has resulted in seven patents for conversion processes, and interest from the Australian government in constructing a plant based on those processes.