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WKU Centers Hosting National Scientific Meetings Bowling
Green, Ky. -Two centers in Western Kentucky University’s Applied Research and Technology Program will host national scientific meetings. International Conference on Environmental Informatics North American Thermal Analysis Society Conference THERMAL ANALYSIS LABORATORY AT WKU’S INSTITUTE FOR COMBUSTION SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY The Institute for Combustion Science and Environmental Technology, Western Kentucky University, will celebrate the grand opening of its Thermal Analysis facility at 4 p.m. Aug. 9 at 2413 Nashville Road in Bowling Green. The Thermal Analysis Laboratory was established in 1986. The Combustion Laboratory was established in 1993. The Mercury Emissions and Control Laboratory was established in 2001 after a Mobile Mercury Monitoring Laboratory was constructed. Following strong efforts to maintain excellence in WKU programs and create a hands-on learning environment for science students through the establishment of the Applied Research and Technology Program of Distinction, these prominent laboratories have grown and evolved very rapidly. In June 2005, the Combustion and Emission laboratories moved into newly renovated facilities, totaling more than 13,500 square feet, that includes fuel preparation and analysis equipment, as well as the newest circulating fluidized bed combustion system (CFBC), which is located on the north side of WKU’s Center for Research and Development on Nashville Road. The Thermal Analysis Laboratory will be located on the east side of this building after August 2006. The Thermal Analysis Laboratory at WKU has evolved into one of the best, if not the best, equipped thermal analysis laboratories in the United States. As a result, the lab has developed into an internationally recognized facility. The facility is used as an instructional lab for physical and materials chemistry courses, as a research facility for 10-15 students each year, and has provided analytical services to more than 230 companies, universities and agencies in 30 states. Analytical results for more than 2,500 samples have been provided to these agencies and to WKU researchers. Samples analyzed include everything from meat to explosive materials, but the majority of samples have been polymers. Revenue brought into the laboratory by this service work is used for students' salaries and maintenance expenses for the equipment. The Thermal Lab has provided part-time employment to 50 undergraduate students and 25 master’s and Ph.D. students. The mission of the Thermal Analysis Laboratory at Western Kentucky University is to work alongside governmental, industrial research and production laboratories in applied research. The transition from an academic laboratory setting to an industrial research setting can be difficult. A large number of students enter industry after obtaining degrees, and project-based curricula involving the partnership of universities and industry provided at the lab, ease the transition and increase the probability of our young professionals’ success. By partnering with local industries, we are able to participate in challenging research projects that are associated with cutting edge technology. Likewise, through partnerships, industries gain fresh ideas while educating a new employee pool. Cooperation with governmental organizations includes collaborations with the United States Air Force Research Laboratory, the United States Navy—Naval Undersea Warfare Center, and NASA. The research with the United States Air Force involved the determination of the thermal stability of organically modified layered silicates (OLS) and also a mapping of the thermal decomposition kinetics of these materials. The Thermal Lab used evolved gas analysis to identify combustion products of materials that were to be used on submarines to determine what potential hazards these materials may pose. The work with NASA is focused on the modification of single-wall carbon nanotubes to enhance solubility and degradation studies of the modified nanotubes. Recently, the Thermal Lab teamed up with a local rubber manufacturer to characterize automotive belts. A particular lot of belts operated at approximately ten percent of the expected performance levels. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to show that the glass transition temperature of the two polymeric portions was equivalent, indicating that the poor performance was due to a filler material. Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) experiments under pyrolysis conditions showed no apparent differences in the two belts; however, in oxidative atmospheres, the poor performance belt had decreased oxidative stability of carbon black. Upon examining the lots of raw carbon black, the faulty lot was identified. Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometery (GC/MS) has been used to perform an analysis for salicin—a mild analgesic—for a local willow farm. Salicin is a naturally occurring compound found in willow. Rabbit farmers use willow as a mastication agent to prevent the overgrowth of the rabbits’ teeth; however, too much salicin can have adverse effects on the rabbits’ health. Salicin was extracted from the bark of the willow and GC/MS used to quantitatively determine the amount of salicin within two hybrids of willow in order for the customer to choose the best plant for the rabbits’ health. Over the past 20 years, the thermal analysis group has presented more than 70 papers at the North American Thermal Analysis Society (NATAS) annual conferences. Students from the thermal analysis group at WKU also attend the NATAS Conference each year to serve as aides. The Thermal Lab also organizes at least two thermal analysis short courses every year--one with a national/international focus at the NATAS Meeting while the other one is of a more regional nature at WKU. More than 50 participants per year come from all over North America to attend these two-day short courses. The Thermal Lab has organized other thermal analysis symposia, including the 2nd International Symposium on Micro-Thermal Analysis at WKU in 2001. The Symposium featured talks by invited speakers and poster presentations by WKU students and attracted participants from all around the world. The Thermal Analysis Laboratory also will host the 2006 NATAS Conference on Aug. 5-9, in Bowling Green with more than 200 thermal analysts attending and more than 200 papers being presented. For information, contact Ogden College of Science and Engineering at (270) 745-4448. More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.
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