Number: 2002-047-1-400
Title: Postgraduate course in polymer
science
Task Group
Chairman: Pavel
Kratochvil
Members: Karel
Ulbrich and Vera
Cimrova
Completion Date: 2003 - project
completed
Objective:
To enable young university graduates and PhDs from countries with
limited research facilities to acquire professional skills needed
for promotion of polymer science in their home countries.
> link
to info on previous courses
Description:
The eighth run of the Course for the academic year 2003-2004 is
going to start in October 2003 at the Institute of Macromolecular
Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, in Prague.
The Institute with its staff of 240 including 130 scientists and
with experience of 35 years in educating young scientists from emerging
countries offers up-to-date facilities for postgraduate training
in polymer science. The number of participants in each of the six
runs held so far varied between 5 and 13, depending on the funds
available. The Course lasts 10 months and comprises about 50 hours
of lectures in modern polymer science, experimental work on research
projects under the supervision of senior scientists of the Institute
and participation in all educational activities within the Institute.
The results of the research are published in international technical
journals. The cumulative results of the six runs of the Course were
at the end of 2001: 46 participants, 24 papers in international
journals published, 10 papers in press and 35 communications at
international meetings. A certificate of graduation is issued to
the participants. Follow-up shows that graduation from the Course
has been very helpful to professional promotion of the graduates
in their home countries. Co-operation with a number of them continues
through joint projects with their home laboratories. The Courses
are sponsored, mostly without financial assistance, by UNESCO.