Teaching Polymer Science in the Department of Polymers at the University of Concepcio´n, Chile: A Brief History

Polymers are part of our lives; scientists dedicated to polymer science design new materials thinking about more eco-friendly methodologies and satisfying people's needs. In most universities, polymer science is taught by academics associated with the traditional chemistry departments (organic, analytical, physical, and inorganic chemistry). In this article, we show how polymers are taught in a department specifically dedicated to this topic. We present the history of the Department of Polymers in the Faculty of Chemical Sciences at the University of Concepcion (the only ´ department of this type in Chile). Initially, the Department of Polymers offered a few undergraduate and graduate courses; now, polymer science courses at the University of Concepcion have become an integral part of the curriculum for seven ´ programs--pedagogy in chemistry, biochemistry, bioengineering, civil engineering in materials, chemical analysis, chemistry, and civil engineering in chemistry. We discuss the influence of this department in the curricular design of these seven programs at the University of Concepcion. We offer a detailed description of the polymer-based courses incorporated into the curriculum of some programs, and we discuss how the numbers of graduate and undergraduate theses involving polymer science have increased at the Faculty of Chemical Sciences since the creation of the Department of Polymers in 1974.