Department of Materials and Textiles

Programs of the Department

Materials Major (BS)
Textile Science Major (BS)

Faculty and Fields of Interest

Paul Calvert (chairperson) materials science, polymer and ceramic structure/property relations, biomaterials, ink jet printing

Qinguo Fan textile chemistry, chemical analysis, wastewater treatment, color science, dye chemistry

Yong Ku Kim textile engineering, fiber/polymer physics, composite materials, polymer engineering, medical textiles

Kenneth Langley flock materials, microscopy, statistics, yarn processing, natural fibers

Samuel C Ugbolue polymer, fiber, and textile science, yarn manufacture, knitting and clothing engineering

Steven B Warner fiber formation and properties, material science, polymers, absorbency, anisotropic wicking, nonwoven technology, microscopy, thermal analysis, biomaterials

Materials are “stuff.” Metals, ceramics, glasses, plastics, and wood are familiar materials, but we should also pay attention to softer materials like cosmetics, food, our own tissues, and fabrics. Much of the challenge of the immediate future is to bring the soft human world and the hard artificial world closer. Textiles are so familiar as clothing, carpets, and draperies that we tend to forget what special combinations of softness and strength can be achieved by combining fibers. Fibrous structures are the basis for most animal and plant tissues, for the high performance composites that are steadily replacing metals and for many industrial cables, belts, and tires. In addition there are rapid developments in smart textiles with electronic functions and in soft electronics. As conventional labor-intensive textile manufacturing becomes a global enterprise, we can see an increasing focus here in Massachusetts on the development and design of new fibers, new materials, and new applications. The business is technology; but PhDs alone can’t run a company. The business needs scientists, engineers, quality control, marketing, management, and all forms of support, but with a technical edge of innovation.

Many traditional materials departments are predominantly devoted to hard materials, metals, ceramics, and glasses. Coming from textiles we have a special view of a world where things bend and fold rather than crack and break; and systems are tough like animals and birds rather than fragile like current automobiles and aircraft. As a result, this region and this department have something special to offer.

The key is for students to find for themselves a special combination of skills. The depart- ment offers many possibilities to its students, from opportunities for focused study to innovative research.

Through a special student exchange program with the University of Rhode Island, students may spend one or two semesters in the Department of Textiles, Fashion Merchandising, and Design. Possible coursework includes fashion retailing, fashion buying, textile marketing, textile history, fashion history, apparel design, apparel production, and clothing and human behavior.
Students enrolled in Materials and Textiles who have an interest in fashion, buying, or merchandising that extends beyond the course offerings at UMass Dartmouth are eligible to become “visiting students” at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Students are responsible for tuition and other costs assessed by the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Materials students can also take advantage of exchange opportunities with several universities in eastern and western Europe.
The Textile Sciences Building has approximately 15,000 square feet of laboratory space devoted to research and education, with equipment for turning out new materials into yarn from the raw material and the conversion of these yarns into new structures from wovens and knits to composites and kidneys.
Equipment is also available for treating small amounts of fibers, yarns, and fabrics both atmospherically and under pressure. A variety of chemical finishes can be applied to fabrics to produce various functional properties. Students gain experience with most wet finishing operations and evaluating performance properties during each processing stage.
Most of the research conducted by undergraduate and graduate students, in conjunction with faculty members, is in the area of materials science. The department has purchased about $700,000 in new equipment over the last seven years. UMass Dartmouth is a member of the National Textile Center and shares resources with seven other universities in the US who are working together to rebuild the textile industry into the future soft materials industry.

The Materials and Textiles Department awards a number of industry-sponsored scholarships every year, based on both need and academics. Textile programs qualify under the New England Regional Student Program to allow non-resident students from the other New England states to pay a reduced non-resident tuition.

Mission

The Department of Materials and Textiles:

Supplies appropriately educated and trained, quality graduates at the Bachelor of Science and Master of Science levels for graduate schools or leadership roles in the textile and allied industries,
Provides research and development capability necessary for sustained improvement and long term growth in the textile sector, and
Provides outreach programs with specialized expertise to disseminate knowledge and information, and to drive the solution of increasingly complex and textile-related problems.

We strive to stimulate regional as well as national industry in the fiber, textile, and associated fabricated product businesses to compete successfully in the global marketplace.