TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION) — This past Thursday, professors from all round the United States paid a visit to Troy’s new Center for Materials and Manufacturing Sciences (CMMS).

The main purpose of the visit was to tackle the problem of plastic recycling.

“We are looking forward to some of the fantastic research that we have at this symposium today,” said Dr. Zhiyong Wang, Associate Professor of Chemistry. “We realize one of the biggest challenges in research, regarding plastic recycling, is sufficiently disposing of plastic waste. We wish to explore different areas in which we can hopefully make a dent in making in solving some of these problems.”

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Other topics included new advancements in technology. For example, Dr. Amanda Kennell, Assistant Professor in Chemistry and Physics Department, has created her very own electro spinning machine from scratch.

“This is called an electro spinning machine,” Kennell explained. “The best explanation is that it looks like you’re making cotton candy. There is a rod at the bottom of the spinning machine. You then run a high voltage through it to create a potential difference on a fluid that’s on top of a disc. Nano fibers are created from this fluid and you can can use this material for different applications.”

Bonus topics such as optimized heparin adsorption and the development of absorptive membranes for selective water treatment were also presented.