04.17.14
California Polytechnic State University's Polymers and Coatings Program invited industry partners to campus in appreciation of a quarter century of industry support, especially the many contributions to the new Kenneth N. Edwards Western Coatings Technology Center (WCTC). Attendees toured the new facilities and learned about student research.
The WCTC was funded by $2.5 million in private donations from Dunn-Edwards Corporation, Behr Process Corporation, BYK, Ellis Paint, LASCT, Rohm and Haas, Sherwin Williams, and other industry supporters. The center includes the following leading-edge facilities:
• Dunn-Edwards Coatings Formulation Facilities
• Behr Process Polymer Synthesis Laboratory
• Instrumental Analysis Laboratory
• Kenneth N. Edwards Conference Room
The laboratories in the WCTC will enhance the program's ability to educate future polymers and coatings professionals as well as provide unique opportunities for industry-sponsored research. Cal Poly offers the only polymers and coatings program in the West and is one of the nation's most selective public universities. With twice as much space as the previous facility and more advanced instrumentation, the WCTC will allow the master's program to expand to 10-12 graduates per year.
"It's a wonderful time to be a part of the polymers and coatings program at Cal Poly," said Ray Fernando, Arthur C. Edwards Endowed Chair in Polymers and Coatings. "The generosity of our industry partners is exceptional and will benefit our students, the university, and the coatings industry at large. These expanded facilities will allow us to capitalize on so many more opportunities for enhanced education and research."
The WCTC was funded by $2.5 million in private donations from Dunn-Edwards Corporation, Behr Process Corporation, BYK, Ellis Paint, LASCT, Rohm and Haas, Sherwin Williams, and other industry supporters. The center includes the following leading-edge facilities:
• Dunn-Edwards Coatings Formulation Facilities
• Behr Process Polymer Synthesis Laboratory
• Instrumental Analysis Laboratory
• Kenneth N. Edwards Conference Room
The laboratories in the WCTC will enhance the program's ability to educate future polymers and coatings professionals as well as provide unique opportunities for industry-sponsored research. Cal Poly offers the only polymers and coatings program in the West and is one of the nation's most selective public universities. With twice as much space as the previous facility and more advanced instrumentation, the WCTC will allow the master's program to expand to 10-12 graduates per year.
"It's a wonderful time to be a part of the polymers and coatings program at Cal Poly," said Ray Fernando, Arthur C. Edwards Endowed Chair in Polymers and Coatings. "The generosity of our industry partners is exceptional and will benefit our students, the university, and the coatings industry at large. These expanded facilities will allow us to capitalize on so many more opportunities for enhanced education and research."