VT College of Science Magazine Spring 2009 | Page 6

M a g a z i n e 4 In one of his most recent areas of research, McGrath has been MENtoR to MANy working with the diffusion of water, a process known as osmosis. Three of the four walls in McGrath’s office contain floor-to-ceil- Seawater will diffuse across membranes in order to minimize ing shelves, and every square inch of those shelves contain dis- the difference in salt concentration as a step toward ensuring sertations and other publications of the students he has men- the world has a good supply of clean drinking water. tored over the years. One hundred and ten to be exact. “And “Chlorine compounds are used to disinfect 98 percent of the Issue No. 6 sprINg 2009 C o l l e g e o f S C i e n C e world’s water, and the current state-of-the-art membranes degrade rapidly,” McGrath said. With initial support from the U.S. those are just the ones in print,” he said proudly, as if showing off drawings done by his grandchildren. In more recent years, dissertations have moved from a print to an electronic format. Navy and now from the National Science Foundation (NSF), McGrath’s passion for polymer science has helped secure his Dow Water Solutions and ICTAS, McGrath and his colleagues title as teacher, mentor, and friend to hundreds of future chem- are able to make materials that are much better for a number ists. of water purification applications. “Jim is all about the success of his students,” DeSimone said. “He “Jim has successfully navigated what looks like to many on the is constantly behind the scenes advocating for them. Whether outside several independent careers,” said Joe DeSimone it is to get them into important posts in national professional (Ph.D. CHEM ’90), a former student of McGrath’s and now Chan- organizations, for national recognitions and awards, or simply cellor’s Eminent Professor of Chemistry at the University of counseling them on their science, he was, and still is, always North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH). McGrath is well known there for us.” in nanophase materials, of which he was on the forefront; he showed the world how to toughen composites and adhesives used in advance aerospace and automotive composites. Nano- DeSimone recalls group meetings when McGrath’s students would assemble once a week to discuss their work. phase materials have a grain size less than 100 nanometers. And, “It was a wonderful experience even though it was routinely as McGrath discovered, they have different mechanical and op- held on Saturday mornings!” he said. “In fact, we have tried to tical properties compared to the large-grained materials of the model our materials science program here at UNC-CH after the same composition. world-class program that Jim and his colleagues developed at “Throughout my career, I have sought out areas of fundamental Virginia Tech.” polymer research opportunities that I thought would be most applicable,” McGrath said. “I’ve tried to predict where society’s interests and needs would be and developed new materials applications accordingly.” DeSimone said McGrath “turned the fuel cell world upside down” with a new approach to membranes that were better than those that had been the gold standard material for the past 40 years. Most recently, he has turned his attention to water purification membranes. “Jim needs to live forever, as the world will be better for it!” DeSimone said. To date, McGrath has brought in more than $50 million in research funding, and his work has been supported by heavy hitters, such as Dow, Conoco Phillips, NSF, NASA, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Energy. PoLyMER SyMPoSiuM The Virginia Tech Polymer Symposium will be held in Blacksburg July 16-18, 2009. As a gathering of alumni and friends from around the world, the symposium will celebrate the heritage of polymer science at Virginia Tech and commemorate the contributions of its founders, professors James McGrath, Garth Wilkes, and Thomas Ward. For more information, contact Dean Webster at 701/231-8709 or [email protected].