POLY Newsletter - Spring 2026

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POLY is proud to partner with Tosoh Bioscience, a global provider of chromatography solutions, to bring you the latest news in the Division of Polymer Chemistry. Connect with Tosoh representatives at ACS national meetings (near the POLY information desk). You can learn more about Tosoh’s GPC systems and columns for polymer analysis here.

A Message from Derek Patton, POLY Chair

POLY turns 75 this year – a moment to look in three directions: where we have been, where we are, and where we go next. At ACS Spring in Atlanta, our undergraduate and graduate student research symposia, each running for more than two decades, offered a snapshot of all three directions: a long tradition, renewed again this spring, and, above all, the future leaders of the Division. This spring, we opened new ways for members to connect and be heard, including an inaugural Virtual Town Hall and the ongoing POLY Pathways storytelling campaign. As we build toward ACS Fall in Chicago and a plenary from Marc Hillmyer linking POLY's legacy to its future, I hope you will add your voice by sharing your POLY story or finding a way to get involved at polyacs.org.

Read Derek's full Spring 2026 "letter from the chair" here.

Get Involved!

All POLY members are welcome and encouraged to get involved in volunteer roles for division activities. Complete this form to volunteer for committees, events, or at national meetings!

2026 POLY Executive Committee Elections

Elections for the executive committee of the Division of Polymer Chemistry will be held in October. Voting instructions will be sent by email to all active division members. More information about elections will be posted on this webpage as it becomes available. If you do not receive an email from VOTENOW with election instructions, send an email to kathyl@vt.edu.

POLY Awards

Congratulations to our Spring 2026 POLY Award Winners! Read more about these recipients and find information on future awards and nomination processes on this page.

POLY at ACS National Meetings

More information about POLY activities and symposia at ACS national meetings can be found here. This page will be updated as each meeting approaches and more information becomes available.

Fall 2026 - Chicago, IL

The POLY symposia to be held at the Fall 2026 ACS meeting can be found here. Check this page as the meeting approaches for further details and for more info on POLY networking events - we hope to see you there!

Spring 2027 - New Orleans, LA

A list of the POLY symposia to be held at the Spring 2027 ACS meeting can be found here. Watch for more information to submit an abstract to present in these sessions.

Submit a proposal for a future POLY symposium!

Proposals will be accepted until October 1, 2026 for symposia to be held at the Fall 2027 ACS National Meeting in San Diego, CA. More information about organizing symposia can be found here. If you would like to propose a symposium, please complete this form.

Industrial Advisory Board

The IAB co-organized and contributed to several events at ACS Atlanta designed to highlight industrial science and industry–academia relations. We invite all of our member companies to look for opportunities in their local areas for IAB to sponsor small events throughout the year!

Read the full IAB Spring update here.

Upcoming Workshops

Attending POLY workshops is an opportunity to connect with colleagues and share knowledge on polymer chemistry topics. Learn more about or register for an upcoming workshop at the links below!

Innovations in Plastics Recycling and Sustainability

Nov. 8-11, 2026 - Santa Rosa, CA

This POLY workshop will feature experts from academia, industry, startups, national labs, and non-profits at the frontier of plastics recycling, upcycling, redesign, and sustainability.

Information Registration

National Graduate Research Polymer Conference

May 3-5, 2027 - Gainesville, FL

The National Graduate Research Polymer Conference (NGRPC) is one of the largest student-run polymer research conferences in the country. The 2027 conference theme is "Novel Polymers: Innovations in synthesis, design, material properties, and application"

Information Registration

Advances in Polyolefins

June 6-9, 2027 - Rohnert Park, CA

The purpose of this workshop is to address key challenges, opportunities, and advances in the area of polyolefin research, with topics including catalysis, characterization, physical/mechanical behavior, structure/property relationships, thermal analysis, melt rheology, processing/fabrication, applications, stability/degradation phenomena, and blends/composites.

Information Registration

MACRO

MACRO was awarded the 2025 James Flack Norris Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Teaching of Chemistry from the Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society. MACRO hosted a successful industry-focused panel in November 2025 and will continue similar events. The Outreach Repository continues to receive new contributions and is able to provide funding to those that wish to participate.

Read the full MACRO Spring update here.

Mentorship Program

POLY and PMSE have launched a mentoring program designed to connect graduate students with polymer scientists working outside academia—including industry, government labs, startups, and nonprofits. The program aims to build meaningful mentor–mentee relationships, broaden career awareness, and foster professional growth across the polymer chemistry community. Complete this survey if you are interested in participating as a mentee or mentor!

Student Events and Awards

POLY encourages students to engage in division activities through participation in student chapters, volunteer roles, the mentorship program, and at national meeting POLY/PMSE student social events. Additionally, POLY is proud to support numerous student awards and symposia. Congratulations to our awardees pictured here for the Spring 2026 POLY awards, in addition to the Excellence in Graduate Research and Undergraduate Research Awards!

Webinars

POLY is proud to host a series of webinars throughout the year. Catch up on previous webinars and register for future events here!

Membership

Thank you to all of our active members who help make the ACS Division of Polymer Chemistry continue to be a vibrant community in which polymer scientists come together across all career stages and sectors to engage in division activities and networking among one another! Read an update from our Member-At-Large, Piril Ertem, on Spring 2026 membership activities here, a report from our POLY Councilors here, and encourage your colleagues to become POLY members to help continue growing our community.

Visit the POLY Website