PINO 2026 Conference

I’m Riley Donahue, a graduate student at Case Western Reserve University and part of the organizing team for the Polymer Initiative of Northeast Ohio (PiNO) at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). PiNO is a one-day, student organized conference that focuses on bridging the gap between academia and industry by fostering direct connections between graduate students and polymer-focused companies! In past years, we’ve had about 150+ participants and around 17+ companies in attendance over the last few years.

During the conference, we hold a poster session to feature undergraduate and graduate student work from universities with polymer focused research, mock interviews with the attending companies, and other events (e.g. free headshots, research demonstrations, keynote speaker). The PiNO executive board is still working to finalize the event schedule, but you can follow updates at pinoconference.org

As the former mentee of a Purdue alum, I’d be delighted to have students and faculty from Purdue attend our upcoming PiNO Conference which will take place February 23, 2026. Registration for students and faculty is free, and we have some travel grants that students can apply for.