HATTIESBURG, MS - The School of Polymers and High-Performance Materials at The University of Southern Mississippi announced that Dr. James Rawlins will be the plenary speaker for the 2014 Waterborne, High-Solids and Powder Coatings Symposium. Rawlins, an Associate Professor at the University of Southern Mississippi School of Polymers and High-Performance Materials, will give a presentation titled “The World of Surface Coatings is Centered Around the Glass Transition Temperature. But which one?”

Rawlins earned his B.S. in polymer science in 1993 and his Ph.D. in polymer science and engineering in 1999 from The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss). His professional career began as Technical Director with Highland International Inc., in Boone, NC, a protective coatings manufacturer. In 2000, he joined Bayer Corp. in Pittsburgh, PA, as a Senior Research Chemist and in 2002 was promoted to Technical Marketing Director for Europe in Leverkusen, Germany. Rawlins joined Southern Miss as an Assistant Professor of Polymer Science and Engineering in 2004 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2009. His research focuses on corrosion control; functional coatings; synthesis and characterization; and structure-property relationships for polymer matrices in surface coatings, composites and adhesives.

The symposium takes place February 24-28, 2014, in New Orleans. For additional information, visit http://www.waterbornesymposium.com/.