Brief History of the Department
The increasing activities in the petrochemical sector, the ready availability of cheap raw materials for polymer-based industries and the need to fill an existing vacuum in this area, especially in Anambra State and in the entire country, made it necessary for a Department of Polymer and Textile Engineering to be established in Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. Incidentally, during the restructuring of the former Faculty of Engineering and Technology (FET), Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, the department came into existence in the now Faculty of Engineering of the University.
The pioneer students numbering twenty-four (24) were admitted during the 2006/2007 academic session through JAMB and Pre-Science programme. This first batch of students graduated in the 2009/2010 academic year. The following has headed the department since its inception:
- Professor J. O. Ogbuagu 2006 – 2008
- Professor E. M. Katchy 2009 – January 18, 2011
- U. P. Ojukwu Jan. 18, 2011 – Sept. 15, 2014
- (Mrs.) C. M. Obele Sept. 15, 2014 – Sept. 26, 2016
- Dr. C. M. Ewulonu Sept. 26, 2016 – Oct. 03, 2017
- Dr. I. C. Chukwujike Oct. 03, 2017 – Date
Since the 2006/2007 academic session, the department has grown from strength to strength; it now boasts of student population of about 120 and academic staff strength of 14, technical staff strength of 7, and Secretarial Staff of 5.
Presently, the department offers only undergraduate Programme leading to the award of Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Polymer and Textile Engineering. It is a five-year programme for students admitted through UTME and a four-year programme for students admitted through Direct Entry. The department also has plan of commencing Post-graduate programmes in the near future.
The Department of Polymer and Textile Engineering of the Faculty of Engineering, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, has its main objective to meet the demand for polymer-based products through the training of experts in this area. The Department is concerned with the Science, Technology and Engineering of materials formed from large molecules. The programme is thus linked with two primary industries namely, textile and polymer/plastic processing industries. Textile industries convert fibres into yarns and fabrics which are used for curtains, carpets fabrics and other furnishings in our homes and in a lot of industrial applications. Polymer based industries produce such items as plastics, tyres, varnishes, resins, elastomers, printing inks, foams etc. These industries practically deal with the wide and ever expanding range of polymers and man-made fibres firmly based on science and engineering principles.