UA faculty member’s creativity cited in rare grant extension award

Dr. Shi-Qing Wang of the University of Akron (UA) College of Engineering and Polymer Science has long looked at materials in new and different ways. In 2022, Wang received a $480,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to research the mechanical properties of polymeric (plastic and elastomeric) materials and has recently achieved a new molecular-level understanding of polymer fracture.

According to the NSF, Wang’s work goes beyond something new and different. The NSF’s Division of Materials Research recently approved a Special Creativity Award for Wang in recognition of his “pioneering research.” Only 0.2% of NSF grants receive Special Creativity Awards, according to the NSF’s Office of Legislative & Public Affairs. In Fiscal Year 2024, the NSF funded 10,592, or 26%, of the proposals it evaluated. In Ohio, it was just 19% of proposals.

"The objective of such extensions is to offer the most creative investigators an extended opportunity to attack adventurous, 'high-risk' opportunities in the same general research area, but not necessarily covered by the original/current proposal," the NSF stated in a letter notifying Wang of the extension.

Special Creativity Awards come with an automatic two-year extension. The total amount of the award is now $816,000.

Wang, a UA distinguished professor and the current Kumho Polymer Science Professor, is an international expert in polymer rheology, which is the study of how materials deform and flow under applied forces, and how materials may display both solid- and fluid-like characteristics.

“Professor Wang is one of UA’s outstanding scientists,” said Dr. Mark Soucek, interim director of the College’s School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering. “He has led the world in the understanding of polymer rheology and now polymer fracture mechanics. This NSF Special Creativity Award highlights our faculty and the innovative research happening in UA’s polymer unit, which is ranked No. 1 in the world for polymer science and plastics engineering.”

Wang’s project, “Exploring ultimate mechanical characteristics of polymers, from molecular to fracture mechanics,” examines mechanical failure of polymers in all forms, including plastics, to clarify why polymers fail and eventually increase the threshold of failure. A higher failure threshold could lead to the reduction of the annual consumption of several hundred billion pounds of petroleum-based plastics, lowering the pressure for landfills and working toward the goal of building a more sustainable economy.

Specifically, Wang is examining fracture behavior of polymers in unconventional ways to better illustrate the molecular cause for fracture. The contrast between the existing knowledge and new perspectives will be incorporated in a textbook he plans to finish in a year to fill the knowledge gap in this area. The next generation of scientists and engineers will therefore be able to generate their own new solutions to the existing and future challenges of polymeric materials.

Wang’s extension, and other recent faculty grant awards from entities such as the NSF and Department of Energy, underscore UA’s commitment to expanding the field of knowledge in polymers and contributing to the polymer industry in Northeast Ohio. The University is ranked No. 1 in EduRank’s list of best universities for polymer science and plastics engineering in the world, and plays a significant role in initiatives such as the U.S. Economic Development Administration-funded Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub and the State of Ohio-funded Polymer Innovation Hub.

Media contact: Cristine Boyd 330-972-6476; cboyd@uakron.edu