91快色

In the eyes of , there鈥檚 no such thing as a 鈥渄umb question.鈥�

In his nearly 15 years as a professor at the , his reaction to hearing students who are worried about asking a certain question has remained the same. 

鈥淭here鈥檚 only one stupid question and that鈥檚 the one you don鈥檛 ask and keep to yourself,鈥� says Sundararaj, PhD. 鈥淚 tell the student that everyone else learns from your question, and that they are also learning 鈥�&苍产蝉辫;and that鈥檚 what the whole education process is all about.鈥�

His own curiosity and willingness to ask questions has helped lead the professor to a decorated education and research career.

The recipient of numerous awards and recognitions, Sundararaj recently accepted the from the Chemical Institute of Canada at a ceremony in Winnipeg.

The award is presented to an individual who has made a distinguished contribution to macromolecular science and engineering. Sundararaj says it was a humbling experience to be recognized for his work in polymer materials.

The right combination

Ever since he was five, Sundararaj knew he wanted to be an engineer.

In university, his love evolved into the world of polymers, which he says encompasses many things include plastics, rubbers, elastomers, thermosets and more.

Sundararaj鈥檚 specialty is multi-phased polymer materials, which has led to research and development opportunities with companies like General Electric, Nova Chemicals and DuPont.

鈥淭here is so much potential to create new materials,鈥� Sundararaj says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of engineering required to make the materials and it鈥檚 very challenging as the math and science isn鈥檛 that simple.鈥�

He says different combinations of materials yield varying results when it comes to properties like weight, strength, stretchability and durability. Sundararaj鈥檚 goal is to create materials that are ductile and lightweight, and his curiosity is what allows him to keep trying new things every day.

Success brings more success

Sundararaj hopes this curiosity rubs off on his students.

A Teaching Leadership Award winner in 2019, he puts a lot of emphasis on active and experiential learning, as he believes those are the keys to students getting engaged in the learning process while grasping the concepts he鈥檚 teaching.

鈥淚 encourage them to ask a lot of questions and, when they do, that鈥檚 kind of how I can see that they鈥檙e learning,鈥� Sundararaj says. 

鈥淲e have to open up the opportunities for them to try and feel comfortable in the space that they鈥檙e in.鈥�

He says nothing gives him more job satisfaction than seeing students understand the concepts, then turning around and becoming successful in their own careers with the basics he taught them.

Reduce, reuse and recycle

While winning the Macromolecular Science and Engineering Award can be seen as a 鈥渓ifetime achievement鈥� recognition of sorts, Sundararaj says he is far from finished in his teaching and research work.

He has several projects underway, including a few on polymer nanotechnology as well as electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, but Sundararaj鈥檚 main passion at the moment is plastic circularity.

While governments at all levels have been pushing for an end to single-use plastics, Sundararaj says companies are now taking a keen interest and are excited about what the 91快色 is already doing in this field.

鈥淚t鈥檚 essentially trying to make plastics in a way that we don鈥檛 have waste plastics going out,鈥� he says. 鈥淎ny kind of plastic we make, we have to find a way to create it, use it and then bring it back and remake it so that we鈥檙e not creating all kinds of plastic waste everywhere.鈥�

Learn more about Sundararaj鈥檚 research .