YPSILANTI, MI — Eastern Michigan University’s Coatings Research Institute has opened a new Polymer Physics Laboratory donated to the university by BP Amoco, and the institute announced that Sai Kumar has joined its staff to conduct research at the laboratory.

The laboratory is designed to facilitate research with multiphase polymeric materials in the form of thin films or coatings. The facility’s capabilities include image analysis that provides information on particle/domain size, shape, orientation and distribution in applications that include polymer blends, composites, and filled/reinforced plastics.