Vol. 17, No. 18	Feb. 5, 1998

Dean recognized for work in biomaterials

Stuart L. Cooper, H. Rodney Sharp Professor of Engineering and College of Engineering dean, recently received the International Award for Achievement in Biomaterials from the Japanese Society of Biomaterials.

The award ceremony took place in December in Osaka, Japan, where Cooper was cited for his research on the structure and properties of polyurethanes and the application of polyurethanes as biomaterials.

The award acknowledges Cooper's contributions to the development of biomaterials-research that has had a strong influence on Japanese biomaterials scientists. In particular, work on the biocompatibility of polyurethanes and basic studies on protein adsorption were highlighted by Society President Nobuo Nakabayashi. Also mentioned was Cooper's joint effort to initiate a new journal in 1987, with Teiji Tsuruta of the Science University of Tokyo and Charles Bamford, then at the University of Liverpool.

The resulting Journal of Biomaterials Science, Polymer Edition has been successful and well integrated into and used by the Japanese biomaterials community, Nakabayashi said.

While in Japan, Cooper presented three talks: "Functionalized Polyurethanes for Biomedical Applications," at the Japan Advanced Institute for Science and Technology in Kanazawa; "Solid State and Solution Properties of Ion Containing Polymers," at Kyushu University; and his award address "Cell Adhesion to Polyurethane Biomaterials Under Well Defined Flow Conditions," to the Japanese Society for Biomaterials.

Cooper has authored more than 300 publications, four patents and five books. His latest book, Polyurethanes in Medical Applications, with coauthors Nina Lamba and Kimberly Woodhouse, was published last month by CRC Press. He has advised a total of 51 doctoral students.

He graduated from the University of Wisconsin, where he served as a faculty member from 1967 to 1993. He currently supervises 10 doctoral students and two postdoctoral fellows. His previous awards include the U.S. Society For Biomaterials Clemson Award for Basic Research in 1987 and the Charles M.A. Stine Award, also in 1987.

Cooper is a fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the Society For Biomaterials, the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.