But despite the fact that these polyolefins - organic polymers that comprise extended chains of saturated carbon-carbon bonds - have been produced commercially since the 1930s, there is still a need for more versatile production processes. A chemist at the University of Houston has received a five-year, $626,300 National Science Foundation CAREER Award to develop new methods of producing polyolefins in an economical and sustainable way that also can be scaled up for industrial use.