The third annual NDSU-KU Joint Symposium on Biotechnology, Nanomaterials and Polymers is scheduled for Oct. 12-13 in the Memorial Union Century Theater. The symposium brings together researchers from a variety of STEM disciplines working in North Dakota and Japan to develop new ideas for improving the sustainability of modern materials.

Scheduled keynote speakers include Kechun Zhang, associate professor of chemical engineering and materials science at the University of Minnesota, and Kimihiro Matsukawa, a faculty member of molecular chemistry and engineering at the Kyoto Institute of Technology, Japan.

Zhang will present “Better polymers through biology. What opportunities in material design can genetic engineering provide?” He will discuss his research using synthetic biology techniques to produce new materials.

Matsukawa’s presentation is titled “Preparation of Polysilsesquioxane Thin Films dispersing Metal Nanoparticles and Their Applications.” He will talk about his research on the development of hybrid organic-inorganic materials.

The meeting will include a poster session for undergraduate students, graduate students and post-docs in several STEM disciplines related to materials and material development.

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