Frank D. Blum is one of the Scientist in Okalahoma State University (OSU), Stillwater, USA. He had done B.S. in Chemistry, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, 1976, M.S. in Physical Chemistry, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL 1977 and Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 1981. He is a Polymer, Physical, Colloid, and Materials Chemistry specialistand interested in research of Dynamics of polymers and surface active species at interfaces, Polymer composites andnanocomposites, Polymer-solvent interactions and dynamics, Polymer characterization, Structure and Dynamics in surfactant systems, Friction materials, NMR spectroscopyas he mentioned to us. He started his career as Teaching Assistant, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL, 1976-1977, Research and Teaching Assistant, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 1977-1981, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 1981-1986, Associate Professor of Chemistry , University ofMissouri-Rolla, Rolla, MO, 1986-1990. Visiting Scientist, IBM Alm
aden Research Center, San Jose, CA, 1992, Senior Research Investigator, Materials Research Center, 1989-2010 (UMR), Research Investigator, 1986-89 (UMR), Adjunct Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 06-2009 (UMR). Professor of Chemistry, University of Missouri-Rolla, Rolla, MO, 1990-1993, Curators’ Professor of Chemistry, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO, 1994-2009, Visiting Professor, Physical Chemistry 1, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. Harrison I. Bartlett Chair, Professor and Chair of Chemistry, OSU, 1/10. Regents’ Professor, OSU, 7/11 as he further added to us. He achieve various awards from American Chemical Society (ACS), Research Scholar Award, 1983-84 (Drexel U.). Alcoa Foundation, Scientific Support Program Award, 1992. Exxon Education Foundation Award, 1994, 1997, Distinguished Alumni Award, Eastern Illinois University, 2001; Fellow of the American Chemical Society, 8/09.Harrison I. Bartlett Chair, OSU, 1/10, and Regents’ Professorship, OSU, 7/11. He visited Nepal last month to attain Kathmandu Symposium of Advanced Materials KaSAM, on May 9-12, meanwhile the Managing Director of RevoScience: Mr.Laxman Dangol sets exclusive interview with him

 Why did you come to Nepal?

My visit for Nepal has two reasons; one is for science for which I am highly interested and other is to learn about the university from which we get students for our graduate school for chemistry department. So, my main purpose was to visit some of professors and university over here. So I could have depth understanding where students come from. I also want to thanks professor and their respective department for they are willing to send their students to our university for PhD Program.

 What lesson you learn from this conference?

Well. I learned two different kinds of lesson, one kind of lesson I learned is somewhat about science that have been done. In some of science, I learned that somehow might be other people looked at the same kind of problem from different point of view because there are experts from Nepal, Germany, India, Singapore, France and only couple from USA. But I learned how some of different people look at the problem. The other thing learned about the people, a little bit culture of Nepal, which is very useful because when we try to understand people and work with them it is useful understand their situation, so we can be more effective in working with them.

 In your view, what type of research activities should we preferred in Nepal?

It is difficult for me to say, because in one hand Nepalese scientist are doing very good job, trying to us many of the natural products that are abundantly in Nepal. To make some kind of product, to use some of fibers like Bamboo in symposium today, all about bamboo which I think, Scientist Trephine to very useful. But I think also, Nepalese scientist also wants to be involved in research. Also, want to some research program where they are working in area, where the other people are in the world at the fore science. I think, difficult is, where Nepal doesn’t have so much money for science. I think, Nepal has to find small areas where they can have great equipment and instrumentation to do scientific study. I know that is not possible to do that broughtly have everything for every kind of discipline but I think may be small they need to break couple of areas, and then provide money to have some really good faculty for more infrastructure.

After completed this seminar, I will go to visit Tribhuvan University and Kathmandu University then I will speak what kind of thing are available. My own area is polymer and I know that would be good area, I think, Nepal Polymer institute is starting and there are number of people who are working in polymers both  from natural polymer like bamboo, to synthesis the polymer. So that that’s natural polymer are use in everyday life and i think that are where scientists can have impact worldwide.

 What kind of things should you expect from Tribhuvan University?

I am sure what I expect to see lot of friendly students who have some good teacher, they will have pretty smart, I also think that.

How can you say those Nepalese teachers are so good?
Oh !  “Because you have good students.”  In USA, in my institution, some of Nepalese students are very smart. So, I think, they must have good teachers.

 What kinds of things are going to propose at T. U.?

Well. I’m not sure but may be, they might be interest in synthesis to making polymers and they might be testing them in our University.

 Recently, I met your PhD students. What kind of research activities they had been doing in Oklahoma State University?

Well. I’ve two Nepali students in my group doing PhD under me. One of the students is Balika Khatiwada give talk about the “Heat Capacity composing Polymer Material” today, and she is doing wonderful job. Measuring the heat capacity of composing material helps to understand what could tell us about polymers when they observed on the solid substance.

In more than 30 years history, what kind of thing would you achieve?

You mean, big discovery!

Well! In many cases, doing science is just like as a building of house putting a brick at a time. So our cases, the work we do is just like putting some bricks for the house but, I think, some of thing we have been able to be sure how far the affect the surfaces go, and how far attachment to the surface of the facts the properties of Polymers. And for something which can say that, it may be only few nanometer from the surface where there is affect But other more like a hundred nanometer and it depends also on the kind of experiments that we do. And what we able to do, I don’t think people have able to do. We have able to do look at the interface in the polymer composite, not like as fiber glass where you can say what polymer glass is different than bulk polymer.

 Are you a Scientist or Researcher? How can you differentiate?

Hmm…, I’m a scientist. I think, Scientist is people, who are derived by the need to understand how things are worked. I don’t think that inventor is necessarily a scientist; one can do both invention and scientific work. But in my experiments what makes me a scientist is that I am very awesome have a strong desire to understand how thing work. It may be a scientific system. It may be how people build a road, it may be how big gears works some kind of machine, or it may be why composite material are strong but the real important thing that distinguish scientist is real wanting the understand how does it works.

 I think, you invest a lot of time in polymer science, what kinds of polymer are you going to design?Well. There are number  of people who are working  on things like Smart Cooling, may be, you can wear a shirt that might be a batter recharger, may be the clothes is cleaned itself, may be you can put a clothing on something, that clothing will prevents ice from forming machine. There is a lot of application like that for polymers. Or May be we will make light weight polymer composite which will be stronger and tougher than available so far.

 How would you choose Nepalese students for PhD?

Mixed every thing, Test score are important especially for TOFEL in English because we like them to teach too, and then later to the faculty member, their works are important. That’s over all.

For me, personally, when students worked with me, I like to work with the students who are smart, creative, hard working and independent. So that thing I prefer it. Sometimes I know from the class then sometime, just work too. A successful student will have good mixture of advisor and sometimes will give small project, see how they do?

In your view, Science is knowledge or labor.

Oh! It is combination of both.

How many international seminars have you attained before?

I don’t know how many talks that have given but I don’t know either myself. For my students and I gave more than 250 talks at the Scientific meetings.

 How many scientific publications have you publish so far? Which one is the best and valuable?

I don’t know. I am not worried about that so much. It was one of my papers, published in Scientific Journal of Chemical Society, titled Study Interesting and Composite of materials that is one I guess the paper I like the best. I’m not sure how much others have read that is not my interest either.

Through RevoScience, would you like to say something to Nepalese Students and people?

Well, I think sometimes, many people look around the world and they see that it looks like I just change money or work in tasks, or go to the business that I can make a lot of money, but really well best on making new kind of things. So, to advance the country to make a country grow less advance to more advance country. It really needs to be based on scientific equipment on advancement to the education. So my suggestion: to the Nepalese Students, If they are interested in science that the science is a great thing to study  and that hopefully the Nepalese Government and  Nepalese people will decide that science and engineering is the way to the prosperity.