World-class research is being done in Hamilton. This city is competing successfully against cities around the world to obtain new intellectual capital, and it is winning. We are offering Canadians the opportunity to work and to study with the best in their fields, and that means they won't have to leave Canada to find or create interesting and challenging careers. Chairholder Dr. Harald Stover will carry out research on the structure of polymers, particularly those used in the microencapsulation of pheromones. Dr. Stover will train graduate students at McMaster in polymer research as well.
Pheromones are chemicals secreted by insects, and among other things they attract males to females.
The ability to develop and characterize new materials is quickly becoming important in the Canadian economy. The training of new polymer specialists is therefore essential to Canada's future. Although pheromones are relatively easy to reproduce in the lab and have been available for some time, they have been used in insect control with limited results because they biodegrade very quickly. However, early work and field trials by a 3M Canada team led by Dr. Kent Nielson, in collaboration with Dr. Stover, showed that microencapsulated pheromones can be released in a controlled way and provide effective pest control over a number of weeks. These microcapsules are half the diameter of a human hair and can be applied using ground-based and aerial spraying techniques.