Chains of Opportunity: The University of Akron and the Emergence of the Polymer Age 1909-2007

by Mark D. Bowles

While ""plastics"" was a one-word joke in the 1967 movie The Graduate, plastics and other polymers have never been a laughing matter at the University of Akron, with its world-renowned College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering. Chains of Opportunity: The University of Akron and the Emergence of the Polymer Age, 1909-2007 tells the story of the university's rise to prominence in the field, beginning with the world's first academic course in rubber chemistry almost a century ago. Chains of Opportunity explores the university's pioneering contributions to rubber chemistry, polymer science, and polymer engineering. It traces the school's interaction with Akron rubber giants such as Goodyear and Firestone, recounts its administration of the federal government's synthetic rubber program during World War II, and describes its role in the development and professionalization of the academic discipline in polymers. The University of Akron has been an essential force in establishing the polymer age that has become a pervasive part of our material lives, in everything from toys to biotechnology.

Genres: Science, History

356 pages, Hardcover

First published July 15, 2008

About the author

Join me as we journey into the mists of the past together.

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Mark D. Bowles is Professor of History at American Public University System, founder of Belle History Publishing, and author of 15 books on the history of science and technology. His books, Science in Flux and the Apollo of Aeronautics, won the book of the year awards from the American Institute of Astronautics and Aeronautics in 2005 and 2010.

Dr. Bowles earned his Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University in 1999. He also has MA in history, an MBA in technology management, and a BA in psychology. He is a former Tomash Fellow at the University of Minnesota.

Visit him online at www.ProfessorMDB.com

Reviews

[April Helms · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for a story I was working on. I had only a vague notion as to what polymers were — which is sad, considering one of the largest institutes for polymer studies is practically in my back yard — and I admit I didn't know a lot of the history of polymers nor of The University of Akron. I braced myself for a dull, dry and technical read, but Bowles delivers a book that kept me interested from start to finish. It was neat not only reading about what a polymer is (basically anything that can be manipulated, such as natural rubber, plastics, even human skin) and the history of polymers and polymer studies. I enjoyed getting this glimpse of an important part of Akron's history.