Morgan Keynote Speaker for Mississippi Academy of Sciences’ 87th annual meeting in Biloxi Feb. 23-24
Mon, 02/20/2023 - 02:02pm | By: David Tisdale
Dr. Sarah Morgan, a professor and associate director in The University of Southern
Mississippi (USM) School of Polymer Science and Engineering, will be the keynote speaker
for the Dodgen Lecture at the Mississippi Academy of Sciences (MAS) when it hosts
its 87th annual meeting in Biloxi, Mississippi Feb. 23-24 at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Convention
Center.
A lifetime member of the MAS, Dr. Morgan holds the title of Bennett Distinguished Professor at USM. She joined the school’s faculty in 2002 after a 14-year career at GE Plastics in engineering thermoplastics, where she held technical and managerial positions at GE locations around the world. Her research is focused on morphology control in bionspired polymer systems, high performance polymers, and nanocomposites.
Dr. Morgan’s work has earned funding by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the U.S. Department of Defense, along with multiple industrial partners. She is also science director of the state-wide NSF Center for Emergent Molecular Optoelectronics and principal investigator (PI) of the multi-investigator Multifunctional Materials to address military engineering for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers research collaboration.
The Dodgen Lecture honors Dr. Charles L. Dodgen of the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Dr. Dodgen joined the MAS in 1959 and became executive officer in 1972, a post he held until his death in 1980.
“I am honored to be selected to present the Dodgen Lecture,” Dr. Morgan said. “The MAS annual meeting is the premier venue for faculty, students, and researchers from colleges and universities across the state to share research findings and develop new research collaborations. The Dodgen Lecture will allow me to share research in polymer-based biomaterials applications and to discuss career opportunities for graduates of our polymer science and engineering program.”
The MAS’s annual meeting includes the presentation of addresses, symposia, workshops, scientific papers, and exhibits of interest to its members. Research papers are presented in divisional meetings, which include agriculture and plant science; cellular, molecular and developmental biology; chemistry and chemical engineering; geology and geography; health sciences; history and philosophy of science; marine and atmospheric sciences; mathematics; computer science and statistics; microbiology and immunology; physics and engineering; psychology and behavioral neuroscience; science education; and zoology and entomology.
The MAS’s annual meeting includes the presentation of addresses, symposia, workshops, scientific papers, and exhibits of interest to its members, including those in association with the Mississippi IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence. Research papers are presented in divisional meetings, which include agriculture and plant science; cellular, molecular and developmental biology; chemistry and chemical engineering; geology and geography; health sciences; history and philosophy of science; marine and atmospheric sciences; mathematics; computer science and statistics; microbiology and immunology; physics and engineering; psychology and behavioral neuroscience; science education; and zoology and entomology.
Learn more about Dr. Morgan’s work at USM by visiting https://www.usm.edu/faculty-directory/profile.php?id=1935959; for more information about the Mississippi Academy of Sciences, visit https://msacad.org/.