Rogers Corp., a Connecticut-based company known for specialty materials, plans to contribute $100,000 to the Institute of Materials Science.

The donation will be made to The University of Connecticut Foundation over a period of several years, and is designated to assist in the purchase of laboratory research instrumentation for a proposed new addition to IMS.

The 15,000 foot addition will be constructed later this year, adjacent to the existing 50,000-square-foot IMS building at the corner of Hillside and North Eagleville Roads, and is part of the University's new "science neighborhood."

The science neighborhood is a cluster of buildings for various UConn programs, including biological sciences, physics, chemistry, pathobiology, engineering, mathematics, and materials science. The project is part of UConn 2000.

"We are pleased to support the University, and its materials science program," said Bruce G. Kosa, Rogers' vice president of technology.

Kosa said that Rogers Corp. has received considerable benefit from its 25-year relationship with IMS, fostering and sustaining many collaborative efforts over the years.

"Rogers has participated in industry programs at several leading universities, but few have been as responsive to our needs -- while maintaining academic excellence -- as the IMS program at UConn," he said.

IMS, with a research budget of more than $7 million a year and about 100 faculty from a variety of disciplines, has a national reputation for its work with polymers, metals, ceramics, their composites and biomaterials.

IMS has served as a partner to many growing and established Connecticut businesses, said Harris Marcus, director.

The equipment money will be used to assist in the purchase of research instrumentation, such as an advanced Transmission Electron Microscope facility to allow IMS to maintain a competitive position in advanced materials research and education.

"We are delighted to continue our 25-year partnership with Rogers Corporation, which has an international reputation for its core capabilities in advanced materials," said Marcus. "We are particularly pleased that this premier Connecticut corporation has provided the leadership gift in IMS's drive to upgrade the instrumental capabilities for these new facilities."

Rogers, with $221 million in combined sales in 1997, has its headquarters and central research facilities in Rogers, Conn., a village in Killingly. Four of the company's plants are located in eastern Connecticut. Other business units are in Illinois, Arizona, Belgium and Japan. Rogers makes specialty material products that derive from applied materials science.

Products include high-frequency laminate materials for wireless communication, flexible circuit laminates for disk drives, moldable composite materials for automotive components, and high-performance elastomer materials, used in everything from footwear insoles to satellite gaskets.

Rogers has two joint ventures that also derive their products and technology from applied materials science. The Arizona-based Durel Corp., Rogers' joint venture with 3M, is a leading manufacturer of electroluminescent lamps and inverters for cell phones, pagers, watches and automotive displays. Rogers INOAC Corp., a joint venture with INOAC Corp., manufactures high-performance elastomers in two plants in Japan.

The first installment of the Rogers gift was received this month by The UConn Foundation.