THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON www.uakron.edu DEPARTMENT OF POLYMER ENGINEERING www.poly-eng.uakron.edu 1 Connect with DPE » Department of Polymer Engineering Summer 2012 Alumni Focus » Fred Shockey BY CHERYL SLUSARCZYK Today the chairman and CEO of WinSell, Inc., Fred Shockey credits the entire faculty of the Department of Polymer Engineering for his development. At The University of Akron, he earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1993, and an M.S. in Polymer Engineering in 1996. Honored to receive a scholarship for his entire master’s program, Shockey fondly reflects on such classes as continuum mechanics, twin-screw extrusion and electromagnetics, taught by Drs. Joseph Padovan, James White and Thein Kyu, respectively. Born and raised in Green, near Akron, Shockey’s family throughout the years had worked for B.F. Goodrich, Goodyear, General Tire and Firestone. Being around his father, grandfather and their friends, conversations were frequently about the rubber industry and thus a natural basis for his career interests. “Polymers have been in our blood for 110 years in Akron,” he says. Shockey began his career at Newell Rubbermaid as a process engineer. He later worked for Advanced Elastomer Systems as a senior marketing technical service representative before forming his own company, IURINC in 1995, which provided color solutions to processing environments and applications. The creation of the WinVantage Process™ led Shockey to launch a new corporate identity in 2009, as Winsell, Inc., a distributor of color concentrates, engineering plastics, masterbatches, color compounds, and resin regrind for plastics and related industries. As noted on the company’s website, www.winsellinc.com, “This new identity expresses his objective of partnering with customers to ‘find ways to win’ by streamlining processes, mining new veins of business, and growing these into unique value offerings that allow customers to retain and expand revenues.” Aside from his professional success, Shockey takes great pride in his roles as husband, father and Eagle Scout. He and his wife, Carol, are busy parenting eight active children from their home in Bath, Ohio, and he places high value on dedicating time to spiritual development and political expressions via his blog www.fredshockey.com. A positive and enthusiastic role model, Shockey offers this advice to current students, “Do the work now, build a powerful network and live a balanced life.” “I value my education as a treasure in my life,” Shockey adds. “I marvel at the fact that I was able to attend on scholarship, write a complex thesis and enjoy the benefits of a prestigious degree for 16 years. I am deeply grateful for my teachers and friends in the Department of Polymer Engineering at The University of Akron.” “Do you know what this is? » See page 10 for answer.”
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Connect with DPE » Department of Polymer Engineering S u m m e r 2 0 1 2
A l u m n i F o c u s
» Fred Shockey BY CHERYL SLUSARCZYK Today the chairman and CEO of WinSell, Inc., Fred Shockey credits the entire faculty of the Department of Polymer Engineering for his development. At The University of Akron, he earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1993, and an M.S. in Polymer Engineering in 1996. Honored to receive a scholarship for his entire master’s program, Shockey fondly reflects on such classes as continuum mechanics, twin-screw extrusion and electromagnetics, taught by Drs. Joseph Padovan, James White and Thein Kyu, respectively.
Born and raised in Green, near Akron, Shockey’s family throughout the years had worked for B.F. Goodrich, Goodyear, General Tire and Firestone. Being around his father, grandfather and their friends, conversations were frequently about the rubber industry and thus a natural basis for his career interests. “Polymers have been in our blood for 110 years in Akron,” he says.
Shockey began his career at Newell Rubbermaid as a process engineer. He later worked for Advanced Elastomer Systems as a senior marketing technical
service representative before forming his own company, IURINC in 1995, which provided color solutions to processing environments and applications.
The creation of the WinVantage Process™ led Shockey to launch a new corporate identity in 2009, as Winsell, Inc., a distributor of color concentrates, engineering plastics, masterbatches, color compounds, and resin regrind for plastics and related industries. As noted on the company’s website, www.winsellinc.com, “This new identity expresses his objective of partnering with customers to ‘find ways to win’ by streamlining processes, mining new veins of business, and growing these into unique value offerings that allow customers to retain and expand revenues.”
Aside from his professional success, Shockey takes great pride in his roles as husband, father and Eagle Scout. He and his wife, Carol, are busy parenting eight active children from their home in Bath, Ohio, and he places high value on dedicating time to spiritual development and political expressions via his blog www.fredshockey.com.
A positive and enthusiastic role model, Shockey offers this advice to current students, “Do the work now, build a powerful network and live a balanced life.”
“I value my education as a treasure in my life,” Shockey adds. “I marvel at the fact that I was able to attend on scholarship, write a complex thesis and enjoy the benefits of a prestigious degree for 16 years. I am deeply grateful for my teachers and friends in the Department of Polymer Engineering at The University of Akron.”
“Do you know what this is? »See page 10 for answer.”
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» Message from the ChairBY BOB WEISS
As we enjoy the summer of 2012, all is well with the Department of Polymer Engineering. This spring, we numbered 15 faculty and 107 graduate students. The Chinese 3+2 program (three years at their home institution plus two at UA) that I wrote about in the Winter 2011-12 newsletter has finished its first academic year. The 22 students in the program took all of our core courses and completed their B.S degrees, which will be conferred from their home institution. That work included a bachelor’s thesis, which each defended in front of a faculty committee. During their second year here, they will work to earn their M.S. degree. Dr. Kevin Cavicchi has traveled to China several times to interview applicants for the second year of the program. A new 3+2 class will be here in August to begin the 2012-13 academic year.
The compostion of our faculty has changed quite a bit in the past 10 years, and research has expanded dramatically. Strong research programs in functional polymers, thin polymer films, surfaces and interfaces, computational methods and simulation, flexible electronics, and photovoltaics now complement our traditional strengths of polymer processing and coatings technology. In recent years, DPE has had the highest research expenditures per faculty in the college.
High on our priorities for the next term is to update the curriculum and the Ph.D. exams. We are considering a revised four-course core curriculum that would be completed in a student’s first semester. The Ph.D. exams would then take place in January, following the first term. We hope that this streamlined process will allow students to concentrate on their doctoral research earlier in their tenure.
As for the faculty, Dr. Chang Dae “Paul” Han is retiring this year after a productive career of almost 50 years in industry and academia — the last 19 spent at UA. But don’t expect to find him playing shuffleboard at the retirement home. He will become an emeritus professor and he plans to stay active. He already has a visiting scientist from South Korea working with him this summer, so we are expecting more of the excellent research for which he is well known. Dr. Han joins Drs. Alan Gent, Rudy Scavuzzo
» Dr. Bob Weiss
and Nobuyuki Nakajima as emeritus professors of the department. Actually, Dr. Nakajima can still be found mulling over literature and writing papers in his office in the Polymer Engineering Academic Center.
The novel research of Dr. Avraam Isayev on tire devulcanization was featured on the Western Reserve PBS television show, “This With That,” which aired Feb. 28. The following link will take you to the broadcast. Dr. Isayev’s segment begins at 17:30 minutes into the show.http://www.neotropolis.org/this-with-that.htm
Finally, Dr. Hendrik Heinz surprised all of us by getting married on April 14. We learned about it as he was enroute to Chemnitz, Germany, where the wedding was held. We got our revenge with a surprise party for him when he returned to Akron. His bride is Özge Kasli, who is completing a Ph.D. in Material Science and Engineering at Sabanci University in Istanbul, Turkey.
As I noted in the last newsletter, we have embarked on an alumni fundraising initiative. We appreciate the contributions that we have received to date, and we hope that each of you will consider contributing to the Alumni Fund. This money will be used to develop fellowships for graduate students and alumni activities such as receptions at national meetings and the Distinguished Alumni Award. Please see the form on the last page of this newsletter. As always, all gifts are appreciated.
Catching up at the American Chemical Society Spring National Meeting held in March in San Diego were alumni (center) Dr. Hatice Duran from TOBB Economy and Technology University, Ankara, Turkey; flanked by Dr. Andrew Guenthner (left) and Dr. Greg Yandek (right), both from the U.S. Air Force Research Lab, Edwards Air Force Base, California.
» ACS Spring National Meeting
» Mark Your Calendar 2012 » Aug. 19-23 American Chemical Society Fall National Meeting Philadelphia, Pa.
» Oct. 28- American Institute of Chemical Nov. 2 Engineers Annual Meeting Pittsburgh, Pa.
» Nov. 8-10 Society of Women Engineers Annual Conference Houston, Texas » Nov. 9-15 American Society of Mechanical Engineers International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition Houston, Texas
» Nov. 14-18 Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Annual Conference Ft. Worth, Texas
» Nov. 25-30 Materials Research Society Fall Meeting Boston, Mass.
2013 » Mar 18-22 American Physical Society March Meeting Baltimore, Md.
» Mar. 27-31 National Society of Black Engineers Annual Convention Indianapolis, Ind.
» April 1-5 Materials Research Society Spring Meeting San Francisco, Calif.
» April 7-11 American Chemical Society Spring National Meeting New Orleans, La.
» April 22-24 Society of Plastics Engineers Annual Technical Meeting Cincinnati, Ohio
» April 23 Alumni Reception at SPE Annual Meeting 6-7:30 p.m. Location TBA
Editor Sarah Thorley
Connect With DPE Published by the Department of Polymer Engineering at The University of Akron for DPE alumni, students, faculty, contract professionals, staff and friends.
F a c u l t y P r o f i l e
» Assistant Professor David SimmonsBY BOB WEISS
Our newest faculty member is Dr. David Simmons. Originally from Miami, Fla., his early research endeavors include a high school internship at a University of Miami cardiovascular engineering laboratory and several internships at biomedical engineering startups engaging in polymer synthesis and biomedical device design.
Those experiences clearly influenced his career ambitions — Simmons earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering at the University of Florida. At UF, he developed computer models for thin film instability and breakup and worked on a student team developing better nylon carpet fiber processing methods for an industrial partner.
Simmons’ Ph.D. work was done in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Texas, Austin, where he worked with Dr. Isaac Sanchez on the solution thermodynamics of stimuli responsive polymers. Prior to joining UA, Simmons spent two years as a National Research Council postdoctoral fellow, working with Dr. Jack Douglas in the Polymers Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Md. His research there involved the glass formation in protein-preserving sugars.
NIST has proven to be a terrific source of talent for us as Simmons brings to four the number of recent alums now on the faculty of the College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering. (The others are Drs. Alamgir Karim and Bryan Vogt in DPE and Matt Becker in DPS.)
In January 2012, Simmons began his academic career at UA as an assistant professor. His areas of interest range from fundamental materials engineering, where he is working toward computationally guided design of polymer additives, to biomedical engineering, where he is studying how to tune the dynamics and mechanical behavior of the lipid bilayers that surround our cells to energy, where his group is developing new design principles for the synthesis of materials for use in polymer-based solar cells. Simmons’ computational research program leverages new insights into the physics of glass formation to advance the rational design of polymers and other advanced soft materials.
On the personal side, Simmons has competed in two triathlons, trained in Aikido for five years, and created and edited Wikipedia articles, cumulatively receiving more than 60,000 page views in a typical month. Simmons lives in nearby Tallmadge with his wife, Carey, and 18-month-old son, Noah, who keeps them both very, very busy.
Dr. David Simmons »
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Dr. Santosh Bawiskar
Dr. Santosh Bawiskar (M.S. 1992 / Ph.D. 1997)Is a research scientist at Dow Elastomers in Freeport, Texas.
Dr. Yuanmei Cao (Ph.D. 2012)Accepted a position as a chemist in the Electronic Chemicals Laboratory at Dynaloy, LLC, a subsidiary of Eastman Chemical Company, in Indianapolis, Ind.
Umberto Catignani
Umberto Catignani (M.S. 1996)Co-presented a keynote session on the latest developments in monitoring and control of the injection molding process at the Society of Plastics Engineers Annual Technical Meeting in April in Orlando, Fla. Catignani is president of Orbital Plastics Consulting, Inc., in Atlanta, Ga. His co-presenter was Susan Montgomery, president of Priamus Systems Technologies, LLC, in Brunswick, Ohio.
A W A R D S
» “And the Winner is...” Alumni, Faculty and Student News, Awards & Grants
Steve and Nadzrina Ahmad Lewis
Dr. Nadzrinahamin Ahmad Nazir (Ph.D. 2011)Married Steve Lewis on Feb. 18, in Shah Alam, Malaysia. Ahmad Nazir is senior research officer with Kementerian Perusahaan Perladangan dan Komoditi, Malaysia.
Along with Drs. Thein Kyu, Namil Kim, Wilder Iglesias and Antal Jakli, published “Conductive Behavior in Relation to Domain Morphology and Phase Diagram of Nafion/poly(vinylidene-co-trifluoroethylene) Blends” in Polymer, 53 (1), Jan. 5, 2012: 196-204.
In November 2011, Ahmad Nazir, along with co-authors Drs. Thein Kyu, Matthew Espe, Hiruto Kudo, Tadatomi Nishikubo, Mami Nosaka, and Anna Reinsel, published “Incorporation of Hyperbranched Supramolecules into Nafion Ionic Domains via Impregnation and In-Situ Photopolymerization” in Polymers, 3 (4), Dec. 2011: 2018-2038.
Elif and Ozgur Seydibeyoglu
Dr. Elif Alyamac (Ph.D. 2009)Married Dr. Ozgur Seydibeyoglu on Feb. 4, in Istanbul, Turkey. Alyamac is an R&D engineer with Arcelik A.S., in Istanbul.
A L U M N I
» Ying Shi and
Rostyslav Dolog
» LaunchTown CompetitionA finalist in the recent LaunchTown™ Entrepreneurship Competition was the student company, DSC Dynamics. Comprised of members Rostyslav Dolog and Ying Shi of Polymer Engineering, and undergraduate Sunandini Chopra from the Mechanical Polymer Engineering program, the team developed biodegradable sutures that have a shape memory and respond to body heat by contracting, providing more certainty to surgical sutures. LaunchTown™ is a best-ideas competition based on student presentations of business plans for innovative technology startup companies.
DSC Dynamics competed against other student-led companies from UA, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland State University, Kent State University, and Youngstown State University.
Dr. Neel Chandrasekaran
Dr. Neelakandan Chandrasekaran (Ph.D. 2010)Selected as a global recipient of the Circle ofTechnical Excellence and Innovation (CTE&I) Award in the Personal Care Division at 3M Corporation in St. Paul, Minn. The award recognizes exceptional technical contributions that lead to business growth. Additionally, in his position as senior product development engineer, he has received two 3M research grants.
In September 2011, Chandrasekaran filed his second U.S. patent for “Polymer Composition and Dialysis Membrane Formed From the Polymer Composition.”
Dr. Charles “Chuck” Extrand
Dr. Charles Extrand (Ph.D. 1990)Promoted to director of R&D at Entegrisin Chaska, Minn.
Dr. Atanas Gagov (Ph.D. 2007)Accepted a new position as technical programmanager with Apple, Inc., in Cupertino, Calif.
Dr. Taner Dirama
Dr. Taner Dirama (M.S. 2002 / Ph.D. Polymer Science, 2005)Promoted to senior scientist at Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dirama received the company’s 2011 Chief Technology Office Pathfinder Award, Packaging Modeling & Simulation, in recognition of his exceptional innovative leadership.
» Celebrating Alumni Success A farewell luncheon was held on December 13, 2011, to celebrate the promotion and relocation of Dr. Michael Gintert.Now Lead Engineer on the Compound Development Team of the Global Materials Science Department, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company relocated Gintert from Akron to the company’s European headquarters in Luxembourg. Pictured above (L-R) are Sarah Thorley, Dr. Sadhan Jana, Dr. Byoung-Jo Lee (standing), Dr. Michael Gintert, and Dr. Ling Du.Drs. Lee and Du are not only Goodyear colleagues of Gintert, but also fellow alumni of Dr. Jana’s research group.
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Jiao Guo holding baby Cindy, Nadia, and Zhiyi Yang.
Dr. Jiao Guo (Ph.D. 2010)Dr. Zhiyi Yang (Ph.D. 2007)Announce the birth of their second child, Cynthia “Cindy,” born Nov. 21, 2011. She joins big sister, Nadia, 6. Yang is an R&D chemist with Advanced Polymer Products in Avon, Ohio.
Dr. Sergey Lapshin
Dr. Sergey Lapshin (Ph.D. 2006)Accepted a position as sales and business development manager for Porocel Industries in Luxembourg.
Rujul Mehta (left) holding son Rushab and wife, Mayuri, holding daughter, Eira.
Dr. Rujul Mehta (Ph.D. 2003)Along with wife, Mayuri, welcomed the birth of twins on Feb. 2 — daughter, Eira, and son, Rushab. Mehta is an associate scientist at Dow Chemical Company in Freeport, Texas.
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Dr. Ratan Mishra (Ph.D. 2012)In June, began a postdoctoral research
fellowship in the Institute of Building Materials at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich), Switzerland.
Phani Nagaraj (M.S. 2003)Promoted to business manager at Chemtura Corporation in Middlebury, Conn.
Dr. Ahmet Nebioglu (Ph.D. 2006)Accepted a new position as R&D manager, Coatings and Oligomers, at Dymax Corporation in Torrington, Conn.
Dr. Shane Parnell (Ph.D. 2002)Invented a material technology that resulted in the commercialization of two new Callaway golf ball products, Hex Black Tour and Hex Chrome. They use a proprietary thermoplastic polyurethane material in the covers that improves durability, weatherability, distance and cost. Parnell is materials manager with Callaway Golf Company in Carlsbad, Calif.
Prasit and Tithinun Rattanaplome hold triplets (L-R) Parinda, Payuda and Prapassorn.
Dr. Tithinun Puatrakul Rattanaplome (Ph.D. 2000)Along with husband, Prasit, welcomed the birth of triplet girls – Parinda, Payuda and Prapassorn on Sept. 28, 2010. Rattanaplome is an assistant professor and head of the Rubber and Polymer Technology unit in the Department of Engineering and Agro-Industry at Maejo University, Thailand.
A W A R D S ( C O N T I N U E D )
» DPE Alumni Work With Local High SchoolLed by alumni Dr. Andrew Guenthner and Dr. Gregory Yandek, both from the U.S. Air Force Research Lab, Edwards Air Force Base, the Mojave Desert Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) helped local high school teacher, Carolyn Cardellio, and high school senior, Ankit Vij, found the first ACS ChemClub at Highland High School in Palmdale, Calif.
With a micro-grant from ACS the club hosted an event on the arsenic contamination of ground water in southern California. High school students had the opportunity to help test new, affordable technologies for detecting and removing arsenic from both water and fruit juices. Other event participants were the local ACS section, Chemists Without Borders and Southern California Edison.
The results of this effort were presented at the SciMix poster session at the Spring ACS meeting held in March in San Diego. The five authors of the poster are pictured above. From left to right are Ankit Vij, senior at Highland High School; Dr. Andrew Guenthner from the ACS Mojave Desert Section; Dr. Steve Chambreau of Chemists Without Borders; Harpreet Cheema from Southern California Edison; and Carolyn Cardellio, teacher at Highland High School.
Amrutheswar Puttarudraiah (M.S. 2003)Accepted a new position as technical service & product development specialist with ConocoPhillips in Linden, N.J.
Dr. Jason Randall (PhD. 2010)Along with wife, Amy, welcomed the birth of their daughter, Paige Ellen, on Dec. 7, 2011. Randall is a chemist I, rheology and interface science, at AkzoNobel Packaging Coatings in Strongsville, Ohio.
Dr. Pankaj Rathi (Ph.D. 2009)Promoted to R&D manager at Vibrynt, Inc., in Redwood City, Calif. The medical device company develops therapies for obesity treatment. Rathi works on the implantable part of the device and supports activities related to research, development, manufacturing and clinical support.
Dr. Sayantan Roy
Dr. Sayantan Roy (Ph.D. 2011)Accepted a position as RDD scientist, Advanced Polymers, at Baker Hughes, Inc., in Houston, Texas.
Roy, along with co-authors, Drs. Jie Feng, Sadhan Jana, Vincenzo Scionti and Chrys Wesdemiotis, published “Self-assembled Structure Formation from Interactions between Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsequioxane and Sorbitol in Preparation of Polymer Compounds” in Polymer, 53 (8), April 3, 2012: 1711-1724.
Along with Drs. Sadhan Jana, Zahi Kakish and Byoung-Jo Lee, published “Exploiting POSS-Sorbitol Interactions: Issues of Reinforcement of Isotactic Polypropylene Spun Fibers” in Macromolecules, 45 (5), Mar. 13, 2012: 2420-2433.
Dr. Madhusudan Sau (Ph.D. 2003)Promoted to chief research manager for Hydroprocessing Research and Development at Indian Oil Corp., Ltd., India.
Dr. Lin Song (Ph.D. 2010)Is a chemist with Nitto Denko in Kansas City, Mo.
Prabhu Soundarrajan with wife, Jayashree, and baby Arjun.
Prabhu Soundarrajan (M.S. 2003)Along with wife, Jayashree, welcomed son,Arjun Sundar Prabhu, on May 5, 2011. Soundarrajan was recently promoted to business unit manager at LumaSense Technologies in Santa Clara, Calif. He also serves as director of the Chemical and Petrochemical Division of the International Society of Automation (ISA).
Brijesh Sujan (M.S. 2005)Along with wife, Meenal, welcomed their daughter, Riana, on Jan. 28. Sujan serves as product design and process development manager with Sujan Barre Thomas Anti-Vibration Systems Pvt., Ltd., in India.
Parimal “Perry” Vadhar (M.S. 1985)Elected chair of the Thermoplastic Materials and Foams (TPM&F) Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers for 2011-13. Vadhar is a research scientist at the Sealed Air Corporation in Duncan, S.C.
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Dr. Nitin Vaidya (Ph.D. 1999)Is a non-metallics materials specialist at Shell Oil Company in Houston, Texas.
Dr. Yingsheng Xing (Ph.D. 2011)Is a a postdoctoral researcher at The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio.
A L U M N I – I N M E M O R Y
Ravishankar Viswanathan (M.S. 1994)Passed away in January at the age of 45, in Chennai, India. A graduate of Dr. Avraam Isayev’s group, Viswanathan is survived by his wife and and two young sons.
F A C U L T Y
Dr. Miko CakmakMay 2012 – Awarded $113,491 in continued funding from Lockheed Martin for “Nano-Reinforced Low Permeability Polymer Films and Matrices.” This brings Cakmak’s total award to $223,945.
May 2012 – Received a no-cost extension from Kent Displays, Inc., for “Electronically Changeable Color Skins for Consumer Electronics.”
November 2011 – As co-PI to Dr. Mark Soucek, received $1 million from the Ohio Department of Development along with another $1 million in matching monies for “High Power Density Powder Coating System for Infrastructure.”
March 2011 – Awarded $60,000 in continuing funding from NASA for “Flexible Aerogel Film Manufacturing.” This brings Cakmak’s total award to $120,000.
Dr. Kevin Cavicchi
Dr. Kevin CavicchiMay 2012 – Received tenure and was promoted to associate professor of polymer engineering, effective Aug. 27, 2012.
May 2012 – Along with co-PI, Dr. Carin Helfer of the Akron Global Polymer Academy, was awarded $390,921 from the National Science Foundation for “Research Experience for Teachers (RET) in Engineering and Computer Science Site: Engineering of Polymeric Films and Interfaces.”
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A W A R D S ( C O N T I N U E D )
Hendrik and Özge Heinz
Dr. Hendrik HeinzDr. Hendrik Heinz and Özge Kasli were married on April 14 in Chemnitz, Germany. He is originally from Chemnitz while Özge is a native of Izmir, Turkey. She will receive a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering at Sabanci University, Istanbul, Turkey, later this year. He recently received tenure and was promoted to associate professor of polymer engineering, effective Aug. 27. August 2012 – Received $83,000 in continued funding from the National Science Foundation for “CAREER: Unraveling Molecular Mechanisms of Biomineralization.” This brings Heinz’ total award to $264,000.
March 2012 – Organized the symposium, “Self-assembled Nanostructures of Biopolymers, Organic Conductors, and Inorganics” for the PSME and COMP divisions of the American Chemical Society during the Spring National Meeting held March 25-29, in San Diego, Calif.
January 2012 – Received an additional $20,000 from Sika Technology for “Molecular Modeling for Construction Chemicals.” This brings Heinz’ total award to $195,867.
Dr. Avraam IsayevApril 2012 – Published a second edition of“Rheology: Concepts, Methods, and Applications,” ChemTec Publishing, Toronto. Isayev co-authored the text with Dr. Alexander Ya. Malkin, Academy of Sciences, Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis, Moscow.
March 2012 – Received $17,700 from the U.S. Army Natick for “Ultrasonic Mixing of Thermoplastic with Nanoclay.”
February 2012 - The novel research of Dr. Isayev on tire devulcanization was featured on the Western Reserve PBS television show, “This With That,” which aired on Feb. 28. This link will take you to the broadcast. Isayev’s segment begins at 17:30 minutes into the show.http://www.neotropolis.org/this-with-that.htm
February 2012 – As co-PI to Dr. Celal Batur of mechanical engineering, received $48,852 from the National Science Foundation for “I/UCRC Phase I: Center for Tire Research.” Other co-PI’s are Drs. Erol Sancaktar, Judit Puskas of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and Shing-Chung “Josh” Wong of mechanical engineering. This is the first-year administrative funding for the total $255,000, five-year NSF budget at UA. Virginia Tech is also a partner with a separate budget.
Dr. Sadhan JanaMay 2012 – Received $351,575 from the National Science Foundation for “Netshape Gradient Aerogel Articles Reinforced by Hybrid Molecules and Polymers.”
April 2012 – Awarded $239,160 from the Triangle Tire Company, Ltd., for “Materials Solutions for Improving Rolling Resistance Without Compromising Crack Resistance and Wet Skid Resistance.” The research involves four different projects with Dr. Jana and co-investigators Drs. Gary Hamed, Li Jia and Coleen Pugh, all from the Department of Polymer Science.
March 2012 – Received $697 from Poly One in addition to $2,493 previously received in January 2012 for a Community Industrial Assistantship for doctoral student, Yannan Duan.
February 2012 – Received $21,456 from PolyOne for a community industrial assistantship for doctoral student, Rafael Benavides-Gonzalez.
November 2011 – Awarded $126,968 from The University of Akron Research Foundation for “Dispersion of Micro- and Nano-Silicon Particles in Host Polymeric Fluids for Picatinny ARDEC, U.S. Army.” His work received a no-cost extension in January.
» Delphi Innovation Competition
» Receiving second place in the Delphi Innovation Competition were teammates, from left, Zhaoqian Liu, Hua Liu, Xiang Yu, and ZheHui Li. Held on April 17 at Delphi Packard in Warren, Ohio, this year’s competition involved the design and implementation of a method to align the charging pad of any vehicle with a charging pad on the ground. The students were mentored by Dr. Bob Weiss of polymer engineering and Dr. Baomei Zhao of the School of Family and Consumer Sciences. Hua Liu and ZheHui Li are in polymer engineering, and Zhaoqian Liu and Xiang Yu are in chemical and biomolecular engineering.
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Dr. Erol SancaktarApril 2012 – Received
$67,500 from the Triangle Tire Company, Ltd. for “UV Laser Treatment of Tire Reinforcing (Cord Belt Fabric) Fibers for Improved Adhesion to Rubber.”
February 2012 – As co-PI to Dr. Celal Batur of mechanical engineering, received $48,852 from the National Science Foundation for “I/UCRC Phase I: Center for Tire Research.” Other co-PI’s are Drs. Avraam Isayev, Judit Puskas of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and Shing-Chung “Josh” Wong of mechanical engineering. This is the first-year administrative funding for the total $255,000, five-year NSF budget at UA. Virginia Tech is also a partner with a separate budget.
December 2011 – Awarded $35,028 from Milgard Manufacturing for “Alternate Materials Systems to Replace Styrene Based Fiberglass and PVC in the Alternative and Innovative Materials Systems.”
» 2012 NAGAP Conference The annual conference for the National
Association of Graduate Admissions
Professionals was held in Austin, Texas,
in April. NAGAP is the only professional
organization devoted exclusively to
individuals working in areas of graduate
recruitment, admissions and enrollment
management. The conference offers
attendees various opportunities to network,
attend and present educational sessions,
and socialize with colleagues from across
the country and several foreign countries.
In conjunction with the conference, NAGAP
hosted a graduate fair at the nearby
University of Texas, Austin campus.
Those attending the welcome reception were
asked to wear their school apparel or colors.
Reuniting with colleague Vilma Mueller of Caldwell
College in New Jersey, at left, are Melissa
Bowman of polymer science, and Sarah Thorley
and Cheryl Slusarczyk of DPE.
Dr. Alamgir KarimJune 2012 – Awarded $100,000 in continuing monies from the National Science Foundation for “Collaborative Research: Fundamentals of Block Copolymer Ordering During Cold Zone Annealing.” This brings Karim’s total award to $300,000.
June 2012 – Received $25,000 from Promerus for a community industrial assistantship for doctoral student, Arzu Hayirlioglu.
May 2012 – Awarded $100,000 from the Lubrizol Corporation for “Development of High-Throughput Composition (HTC) Gradient Thermoplastic Polyurethane Films.”
February 2012 – Inducted as a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science during a ceremony in Vancouver, British Columbia. The honor recognizes AAAS members whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished as Fellow.
Dr. Thein KyuJuly 2012 – Awarded $160,000 from the National Science Foundation for “Free Standing Flexible Lithium-Ion Polymer Electrolyte Membranes Formed by Photopolymerization.”
February 2012 – Received $13,012 in continued funding from Kent Displays for a community industrial assistantship for doctoral student, Mauricio Echeverri.
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Dr. Mark SoucekApril 2012 – Received $67,180 from the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network (MAGNET) for “Coatings for the Interior of Fuel Tanks.”
January 2012 – Along with co-PI, Dr. Coleen Pugh of Polymer Science, received $49,009 from Premix, Inc. for “SBIR Phase I: Composites Based on High Bio-Content, Low Toxicity, Green Matrix Resins.”
November 2011 – Along with co-PI, Dr. Miko Cakmak, awarded $1 million by the Ohio Department of Development along withanother $1 million in matching monies for “High Power Density Powder Coating System for Infrastructure.”
November 2011 – Received $85,000 from the Euclid Chemical Company for “Synthesis and Evaluation of New Polycarboxylate Admixtures.”
Dr. Robert WeissNovember 2011 – Awarded $14,850 from The University of Akron Research Foundation for “ARDEC Picatinny Arsenal – Polymer Cased Ammunition.”
S T A F F
Cheryl SlusarczykSelected in September 2011 to serve on UA’sUniversity Council. The newly created body ischarged with oversight of shared governance campus wide. University Council has an executive committee and nine standing committees. Slusarczyk serves on the executive committee.
S T U D E N T S
Diya BandyopadhyayReceived an Outstanding Graduate Student Research Award at UA’s Student Innovation Symposium on April 12 for her research on the effect of functional nanoparticles on the stability of multi-component polymer thin films. Bandyopadhyay is completing a Ph.D. with Dr. Alamgir Karim.
Rafael Benevides-GonzalezWon a Best Poster Presentation Award during UA’s Student Innovation Symposium on April 12. Benevides-Gonzales and co-researchers, Patrick Morley, Joseph Fortunato and Kranthi Kumar Mamidisetty, presented on “Coordinated Dispensing of Multi-component Polymeric Liquids Using Commercial Syringe Pumps for Nanofiber Manufacturing.”
Brian Wright proposes to Amy Blake.
Amy BlakeAt the finish line of the Disney Princess 2012 Half Marathon race, Brian Wright proposed to doctoral student, Amy Blake. A fairy tale ending to a fairy tale race held in February at Disney World in Orlando, Fla. The couple plans a spring 2013 wedding. Blake is completing a Ph.D. with Dr. Miko Cakmak.
Emmanuel PitiaEmmanuel Pitia and Sudrarat “Au” Sumritivanicha were married on April 11 in Akron. Pitia is completing a Ph.D. with Dr. Bob Weiss.
A W A R D S ( C O N T I N U E D )
We Want to Hear From You!Alumni, we would like to hear from you — new jobs, new degrees, new family announcements. We welcome your news, photos and any other items you would like to share with your fellow alums! Please direct updates to:
Sarah A. ThorleyCoordinator of Academic ProgramsDepartment of Polymer EngineeringThe University of AkronE-mail: [email protected]
Join me on LinkedIn!
» Courtesy of M.S. student
Dan Hunsicker and his
advisor, Dr. David Simmons,
this image depicts a simple
simulation of a two-component
semicrystalline material
that can teach some basic
lessons about glass formation
in semicrystalline polymers.
The particles are colored
by the degree of orientational
ordering of their immediate
environment, with blue
denoting order and red
denoting disorder.
» ANTEC 2012
11
Maurice Wadley, Ph.D.
“Synthesis and Morphology Characterizationof Polydimethylsiloxane-containing Block Co-polymers”
Adviser: Dr. Kevin Cavicchi
SPRING 2012
Yuanmei Cao, Ph.D.
“Antireflective Polyimide-based Films”
Adviser: Dr. Mark Soucek
I-Ta Chang, Ph.D.
“Excimer Laser Ablation of Polymer-Clay Nanocomposites”
Adviser: Dr. Erol Sancaktar
Yannan Duan, Ph.D.
“Fundamental Studies on Polymer and Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Nanoparticles Reinforced Silica Aerogels”
Adviser: Dr. Sadhan Jana
Travis Getzie, Ph.D.
“Magneto-Optical and Rheological Behaviors of Oil-based Ferrofluids and Magnetorheological Fluids”
Adviser: Dr. Chang Dae Han
Kshitij Jha, Ph.D.
“Polarization and Self-Assembly at Metal-Organic Interfaces: Models and Molecular-level Processes”
Adviser: Dr. Hendrik Heinz
Ratan Mishra, Ph.D.
“Simulation of Interfaces in Construction Materials: Tricalcium Silicate, Gypsum and Organic Modifiers”
Adviser: Dr. Hendrik Heinz
FALL 2011
Angela Beltran Osuna, M.S.
“Evaluation of Antifouling Materials Based on Silica Gels”
Adviser: Dr. Sadhan Jana
Steven Kalan, M.S.
“Surface Modification of Silicon Through Thermal Annealing and Rinsing of Solvent Cast Polystyrene Films”
Adviser: Dr. Kevin Cavicchi
Yuqing Liu, Ph.D.
“Synthesis and Characterization of Well-defined, Amphiphilic, Ionic Copolymers”
Adviser: Dr. Kevin Cavicchi
Sayantan Roy, Ph.D.
“Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane-Sorbitol Non-Covalent Interactions: Effects on the Reinforcement of Isotactic Polypropylene Spun Fibers”
Adviser: Dr. Sadhan Jana
» Recent Polymer Engineering Graduates
» Enjoying the Alumni Reception during ANTEC were
(L-R) Nicole Brostowitz, Sarah Thorley, Isil Nugay, and Amy Blake.
» (L-R) Alumni attendees included Dr. Ravishankar
Ayyer, Lehigh Technologies; Dr. Doe Kim, Samyang
Corporation; Dr. Jushik “Jay” Yun, Schlumberger;
and Dr. Chang Hoon Song, PolyOne Corporation.
» (L-R) Posing for a picture are Dr. Orawan Taikum,
Evonik Degussa; Luba Isayev; Dr. Avraam Isayev;
and Dr. Pasaree Laokijcharoen, National Metals &
Materials Technology Center, Thailand.
12
» Polymer Engineering Student Organization (PESO) BY BRIAN LIPOWSKI
During the Spring semester, PESO focused on
helping soon-to-be graduates make decisions
about what to do after leaving school by hosting
both a panel discussion about potential career
paths and a resume-writing workshop during
spring semester. A number of members also
attended the Society of Plastics Engineers Akron
section meeting in January, which provided an
opportunity to network with local professionals.
Over the academic year, PESO arranged social
activities to help students bond outside of work
hours. The activities included playing pool and
bowling at the Student Union, hosting the annual
holiday potluck dinner, ice skating at Lock 3 in
downtown Akron and movie nights. We
celebrated the end of the academic year with
a picnic at scenic Gorge Metro Park in nearby
Cuyahoga Falls.
We’re pleased to report that PESO was
recognized as an Outstanding Student Chapter
for 2011 during the SPE Annual Technical
Meeting in April in Orlando, Fla. We would
like to thank department members for their
continued support and for attending our events.
To keep up with all of the PESO activities and
to see photos from previous events, please
visit the PESO website at
http://uakron.orgsync.com/org/peso.
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