Thank you for attending the 12th National Graduate Research Polymer Conference in Akron, Ohio!
The 12th NGRPC was hosted by The University of Akron’s College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering, in Akron, OH, from June 19-22, 2016.
Congratulations to our Student Presentation Winners!
Oral Presentation Awards
(sponsored by the Wiley set of journals: Macromolecular journals, Journal of Polymer Science- Polymer Physics and Polymer Chemistry and the Journal of Applied Polymer Science)
Monday
- 1st Place: Blaine McCarthy
University of Colorado, Boulder
Novel Synthetic Strategies
“Organocatalyzed Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization for the Synthesis of Precise Polymer Architectures” - 2nd Place: Mingtao Chen
Virginia Polytechnic Institute
Responsive Polymers
“Urea-Containing ABA Triblock Copolymers from RAFT Polymerization: High Glass Transition Segments for Thermoplastic Elastomers” - 3rd Place: Dahlia Amato
University of Southern Mississippi
Biomaterials
“Thiol-Mediated Miniemulsion Polymerizations: A New Route to Antimicrobial Nanoparticles”
Tuesday
- 1st Place: Tao Wei
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Biomaterials
“Dynamic Covalent Assembly of Peptoid-based Ladder Oligomers and Its Registry Mechanism” - 2nd Place: Matthew Vincent
Virginia Polytechnic Institute
Soft Matter
“Determination of the Equilibrium Melting Temperature of Poly(ε-caprolactone) Through the Nonlinear Hoffman-Weeks Method with Melting Data Obtained by Ultrafast Differential Scanning Calorimetry” - 3rd Place: Ryan Hall
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Mechanical – Rheological Properties of Polymers and Composites
Failure of Tube Models to Predict the Linear Rheology of Star/Linear Blends
Poster Presentation Awards
(sponsored by ACS Publications: Biomacromolecules, Macromolecules and ACS Macroletters)
Monday
- 1st Place: Michael Washington
University of Pittsburgh
Biomaterials
“A comparative study on the in vitro and in vivo properties of sequenced controlled and random poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)s” - 2nd Place: Jeffrey Ethier
The Ohio State University
Soft Matter
“Chain dynamics and entanglements in model polymer nanocomposite melts” - 3rd Place: Kunyue Xing
University of Tennessee Knoxville
Mechanical – Rheological Properties of Polymers and Composites
“Impact of hydrogen bonding on dynamics of hydroxyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane”
Tuesday
- 1st Place: Nils Persson
Georgia Institute of Technology
Polymer Characterization
“Automated Image Analysis Quantifies Orientational Order in Polymer Nanofiber-based Thin Film Transistors” - 2nd Place: Zhibo Yuan
Georgia Institute of Technology
Polymer Characterization
“Molecular Design, Synthesis and Characterization of p- and n-Channel π-Conjugated Donor-Acceptor co-Polymers and Applications in Thin Film Devices” - 3rd Place: Zachary Zander
The University of Akron
Biomaterials
“Contact-Killing Antimicrobial Thermoplastic Polyurethanes for Catheter Applications”
Thank You Speakers!
- Dr. Eugene Chen, Colorado State University
“Renewable Materials Designed for Degradability and Recyclability: Towards Truly Sustainable Polymers“ - Dr. Stephen Z.D. Cheng, The University of Akron
“Precisely Functionalized Molecular Nanoparticles are Unique Elements for Macromolecular Science: From “Nanoatoms” to Giant Molecules” - Dr. Ali Khademhosseini, Harvard Medical School
“Nano- and Microfabricated Hydrogels for Regenerative Engineering” - Dr. Kristi Kiick, University of Delaware
“Biopolymer Conjugates for the Production of Responsive Biomaterials” - Dr. Jeffrey G. Linhardt, Verily Life Sciences (An Alphabet Company)
(formerly Google Life Sciences)
“Utilizing 50 years of Research to Develop Smart Contact Lenses”
The University of Akron’s College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering is recognized as being a top program in research and education for all areas of polymers. The program is the largest (~34 faculty, ~300 graduate students and postdocs) and broadest in the U.S., dating from 1910. Its traditional strengths in new polymer synthesis and their manufacturing processes which compound, shape, and assemble polymer products, have been complemented in the past two decades by computational simulations, morphological, surface and optical characterization, as well as a number of added specializations, such as nanotechnology, biomaterials, and photonics. College faculty members have generated over 160 active patents and have licensed technologies that have been commercialized worldwide.