02/23/2023
By Joseph Hartman
You are invited to join Chancellor Julie Chen and I as we celebrate this year’s University Professor Ramaswamy Nagarajan, on Tuesday, May 2 at Coburn Hall 255. The celebration will start with Distinguished University Professor Lecture, “Polymers and Sustainability – Progress Through Interdisciplinarity,” at 3 p.m. then will be followed by a reception at 4 p.m.
Prof. Ramaswamy Nagarajan of the Department of Plastics Engineering is a highly regarded researcher and teacher. Nagarajan “continually demonstrates visionary approaches in his professional endeavors, having made outstanding contributions both within his field of plastics engineering and across the larger community by engaging in highly acclaimed interdisciplinary research, teaching and service activities,” according to his nominator, Professor Pradeep Kurup, chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Nagarajan is the 15th professor to receive the award since it was established in 2008. His three-year term as Distinguished University Professor will run through 2025.
In his lecture, Professor Nagarajan will present examples of interdisciplinary research leading to more sustainable polymers and additives and their applications. The lecture will also cover aspects of energy requirements, greenhouse gas emissions from biobased materials, biodegradation and land use as the world tries to bridge the gap between aspirations and reality of using sustainable materials.
Register online!
Nagarajan is the university’s senior director for strategic defense research projects. He is also the co-director of the HEROES initiative (with the U.S. Army), the Fabric Discovery Center and the Center for Advanced Materials at UMass Lowell.