International Polymer Colloid Group
-Who we are-
The International Polymer Colloid Group (IPCG) was founded in 1972 as a forum for the exchange of ideas and emerging research activities for scientists and engineers from both academia and industry who study or use polymer colloids. The IPCG is comprised of about 125+ researchers who are elected to membership. Activities include annual symposia including a biennial International Polymer Colloid Group Research Conference and a semiannual newsletter that includes a summary of recent (including unpublished) research results from our members.
Our website also provides a venue for:- members to advertise available graduate or postdoctoral positions;
- members and students who are seeking research exchange visits between universities to advertise their interests with a project description;
- graduating students/postdoctoral fellows from member’s research groups who are looking for academic/industrial positions to post their C.V.s;
- students from member’s research groups who are seeking Ph.D. positions or postdoctoral fellowships to post their C.V.s.
You can read more about the origin of the IPCG from one of the first members, Dr. Irvin Krieger.
The term “polymer colloids” was coined in 1970 with the idea that it should embrace current science and technology as well as systems as yet unknown, beyond “latexes”. What was, and is known, is that science and technology develop rapidly, and that it is impossible to predict what new discoveries will arise. And this certainly has been the case in our field. Colloidal particles by definition have dimensions in the nanometer range. Thus it is somewhat amusing to colloid scientists who have been working with ‘nanoparticles’ for over six decades to learn about the ‘new’ field of nanoparticles. Nanotechnology, on the other hand, is a very exciting and truly new field which embraces not only colloidal particles of all kinds but also functional structures at the nanometer scale. We are delighted to be in the very heart of this activity! – R.M. Fitch
NEWS
IPCG Conference 2025 website is here!
Be sure to check out https://premc.org/ipcg2025/ for all of the 2025 conference details!
55th Annual Short Course - Lehigh University
Registration is now open for the 55th Annual Short Course for Advances in Polymerization and Latex Technology June 3-7, 2024.
Details can be found here.
47th Annual Short Course - Davos
Registration is now open for the 47th Annual Short Course in Davos, Switzerland for Advances in Polymerization and Latex Technology August 12-16, 2024.
Details can be found here.
A Farewell from Ker Groper
I guess every working life has some milestones. My first one was in 1975 when I graduated in electronics engineering. After a good year of military service I found myself a job at the medical department in Leiden in a lively group doing advanced cancer research. Then, in 1982 I started pursuing my physics education at Leiden University and finished that in 1990 with a PhD in Theoretical Physics. To my own surprise, and joy, I spent the next 10 years in the Physical Chemistry group at Leiden Univeristy. On 1 January 2000 I moved to Delft and became part of the Chemical Engineering department.
But the most important milestone actually turned out to be my illness that started in 2015 and took a few years to conquer. I am over it now, but in hindsight it was a complete brain wash. Luckily, the department accommodated well for my needs and lessened abilities. I am very grateful for that and I thank those that still made me feel at home, in particular the ASM group members.
It turned out that my teaching duties were completely taken over. But lecture time was still reserved for me and I started to teach advanced courses. For limited groups of students that were all enthusiastic about the material I presented and had them work on. That was really great fun. I did some regular teaching to substitute for a colleague that had to leave but that served to make it clear to me that I was no longer able to do that sort of mass education.
The latest course I gave was on a topic known as non-equilibrium or irreversible thermodynamics. I was actually persuaded to do this by some students and some colleagues. That was great fun, both times I gave the course. The lecture notes I cast in the form of an e-booklet entitled Perspectives on Molecular Thermodynamics. You can find it on ResearchGate. For some colleagues that I trust will read in it, I made a paper copy that was sent to them some week ago. This is now my farewell present to the academic society I will leave today.
I thank you all for being part of my professional life!
Ger Koper, 5 June 2020
Prof. Dr. Walter Richtering
Lehrstuhl für Physikalische Chemie II, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, D-52056 Germany, European Union
phone: +49(0)241 80 94760 secr. +49(0)241 80 94761
http://www.ipc.rwth-aachen.de/richtering
Congratulations to Patrick Lacroix-Desmazes!
Patrick Lacroix-Desmazes of the Department of Molecular and Macromolecular Chemistry, CNRS-UM-ENSCM has been named Distinguished Member of the Chemical Society of France for the year 2018. The title of “Distinguished Member” is awarded to a researcher, an industrialist or a teacher, a member of the SCF aged 45 and over, who have demonstrated excellence in the field of chemistry and has contributed to its expansion. This prize also aims to recognize and honour chemists who are particularly involved in the chemistry community. The nomination of Patrick Lacroix-Desmazes was made in May during an official ceremony where all of the new Distinguished Members of the Year were honoured.
Congratulations to Michael Cunningham!
Michael Cunningham along with his colleagues Pascale Champagne, Philip Jessop, and Warren Mabee were awarded the Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering, which recognizes outstanding Canadian teams of researchers from different disciplines who came together to engage in research drawing on their combined knowledge and skills, and produced a record of excellent achievements in the natural sciences and engineering in the last six years.