September 22, 2020
On Innovation Day emerging industry leaders celebrate today’s innovations in the chemical industry and seek solutions for tomorrow’s challenges. By taking early-career scientists out of the lab and giving them broader access to their colleagues and to the historical and social context of their research, Innovation Day supports a 21st-century chemical enterprise that addresses society’s most pressing needs.
Schedule • Plenary Speaker/Moore Medalist • Sponsors • Steering Committee
Program Overview
Cohosted with the Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) since 2004, Innovation Day 2020 was held using a custom online platform. In its 17th year of highlighting breakthroughs and achievement in innovation, our program continues to attract leading speakers and participation from across all sectors of the chemical enterprise.
Activities began with the annual Warren G. Schlinger Symposium and an address from Wei Wang, the SCI 2020 Gordon E. Moore medalist. Next, experts offered stimulating presentations and discussions on topics covering energy production, digitization, and sustainability and green chemistry. These panel discussions were followed by poster sessions and virtual networking.
Schedule
1:00 p.m.–1:10 p.m. |
Welcome David A. Cole John Paro |
1:10 p.m.–2:00 p.m. |
The Warren G. Schlinger Symposium and Opening Plenary SCI Gordon E. Moore Medalist Wei Wang |
2:00 p.m.–2:10 p.m. |
Break |
2:10 p.m.–3:15 p.m. |
Breakout Panels
|
3:15 p.m.–3:30 p.m. |
Break |
3:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m. |
Poster Sessions |
4:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. |
Networking |
Warren G. Schlinger Symposium and Opening Plenary
Wei Wang
Research Associate I, PPG Industries
SCI Gordon E. Moore Medalist
weiwang_square.jpg

Courtesy of Wei Wang
Wei Wang started his career at PPG in 2010, working in the polymer synthesis, process innovation, and coating formulation groups. He is the co-inventor of several innovative technologies at PPG, including new solvent and water-based polymer dispersion technologies for automotive coatings; sound-dampening coatings with broader effective temperature ranges and 100% solids content; and a new polymer platform for low temperature, cure-based products with novel polymer functionality and structure.
In 2016, Wang worked closely with the PPG research and development team in Europe to develop a low-temperature cure coating (LTC), where the baking temperature was reduced from 140°C to 105°C. Successfully launched in 2017, the LTC technology was a finalist for the R&D 100 Award in 2018. He is currently focusing on developing novel polymer functionality and structure design for broader low-temperature cure applications.
Wang earned a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Zhejiang University in China and a PhD in chemical engineering from Queen’s University in Canada, where his main academic research focused on polymer reaction engineering. He has published 16 journal articles and holds 21 granted and pending US patents.
Sponsors
Premier Sponsors
Chemours
Hexion, Inc.
Trinseo
Presenting Sponsor
ExxonMobil Chemical
Major Sponsors
Dow
DuPont
W.R. Grace & Co.
Contributing Sponsors
Air Liquide
Eastman Chemical Company
Hallstar
LyondellBasell
Milliken & Co.
Westlake
Steering Committee
Daniel White
Director, Global I&D and Olefins R&D
Houston Technology Center
Lyondell Chemical Company
Steve Crawford
Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer
Eastman Chemical Company
Robert Harding
Senior Technology Advisor
W. R. Grace & Co.
Duncan Coffey
Information and Data Science Leader
Science & Innovation
DuPont
Robert Hu
President and Chief Technology Officer
Hallstar
Sanjeev K. Dey
Global R&D Director
Milliken & Co.
David Dean
R&D Director, Functional Polymers
Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics
Gregory Briner
NA R&D Technology Manager
Hexion, Inc.
Nicolas P. Coute
Americas Research & Operations Manager
ExxonMobil Chemical
Cohosted with the Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) since 2004, Innovation Day features the Warren G. Schlinger Symposium and the awarding of the SCI Gordon E. Moore Medal.
For more information, contact Resa Thomason at 215.873.8207 or send email to rthomason@sciencehistory.org.