James Covello, student in Macromolecular Science and Engineering, Case Western Reserve University (CWRU, Cleveland, Ohio) has received the first pinfa-NA Merit Scholarship (US$ 2500): “I have been interested in fire protection research since my first semester as an undergraduate polymer engineering student at CWRU. Since then, I have had the opportunity to learn about fire-related phenomena, protection, and design and engineering. CWRU challenges us to think about not only the performance of polymeric materials but also responses to externalities such as, in my case, fire. I will incorporate these broad principles into my work regarding the environmental destiny of polymers as well as how they interface with humans across technical, social and environmental levels. In my thesis work, I am focused on developing a more mechanistic understanding of the protective performance of intumescent coatings through identification of the synergistic interactions of various components. Sustainability is a key driver for component selection, and I have had much success with tannic acid-based systems that show excellent performance regarding flammability mitigation of common plastics. The pinfa-NA research support award will allow me to further commit to research and to partially support further development of bio-based PIN intumescent coatings.”
https://www.wnekgroup.com/groupmembers and https://engineering.case.edu/macromolecular-science-and-engineering