December 2007
Seated: Kendra Erk, Kevin Henderson, Andy Schoch, Yan Sun, Rafael Bras
Standing: Marc Palmeri, Katie Otim, Garret Denolf, David Brass, Ken Shull, Michelle Seitz, Daniel Carvajal, Wa Yuan
Current Graduate Students
Current Undergraduate Students
Ethan Abernathy - Mechanical properties of silica gels
Past Visiting Scientists and Postdocs
Anny Flory- Adhesion and Mechanical
Deformation of Thin Polymer Films (April, 2005 - October, 2007; Joint with Prof.
Brinson)
Oct. 2007- Dow Chemical Company
Miriam Kunze - Contact mechanics studies with the quartz
crystal microbalance (Diploma thesis student of Prof. Diethelm
Johannsmann, Clausthal University of Technology)
2005- Ph.D. Program, University of Muenster
Chi-Yang Chao - Model bioadhesive molecules (Oct., 2003
- Dec., 2004)
2005-2006 Materials research laboratory, Industrial technology research
institute, Taiwan
2006- National Taiwan University, Assistant Professor
Ph.D. Alumni
Aleta Hagman "Studies of Nanoparticle Marker Motion in Ultra-Thin Polymer Films with
X-ray Standing Waves," August,
2007.
Chau-Jean Lin "Deformation and Fracture of Crosslinked
Polymer Gels," August, 2007.
Sept., 2007 - ESPCI (Paris), Postdoctoral Research Associate
Murat Guvendiren "Adhesion in Hydrogels and Model Glassy Polymers," June,
2007.
July, 2007 - University of Pennsylvania, Department of Materials Science and Engineering,
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Michelle (Lefebvre) Nunalee (joint with Prof.
Olvera) - "Effects of Sequence Distribution and Specific Interactions
on the Ordering and Interfacial Behavior of Copolymers," May, 2006.
mnunalee at gmail dot com
September, 2006 - : Duke University, Department of Biomedical Engineering,
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Nelson Nunalee - "Contact Mechanics Studies of Polymer
Gels with the Quartz Crystal Microbalance," June, 2005
nunalee at gmail dotcom
Spring, 2006: Lecture, Triton College; Lecturer, Northwestern University department
of MS&E
September, 2006 - :Duke University, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering and Materials
Science, Postdoctoral Associate
Rachel McSwain - "Contact Mechanics Studies of Polymer Thin
Film Adhesion," June, 2005
rlmcs at mindspring dot com
2005 - DuPont, Wilmington, D
Rebecca Webber - "The Role of Elasticity in the Wetting
and Adhesion of Soft Materials," May, 2004
Rebecca.Webber at espci dot fr
2004 - 2006 ESPCI, Paris, France, Postdoctoral Associate
2006 - AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowship, Office of Economic and
Development Affairs, US Department of State
Rodney Guico "Studies of the Mobility and Organization
of Gold Nanoparticles in Polymeric Ultrathin Films by X-ray Scattering and Fluorescence,"
August, 2003
rodney.guico at gmail dot com
2003-2006 Brown University, Postdoctoral Associate
Elizabeth Fabbroni Martin "Mechanical and Physical
Properties of Nanostructured Polymer Films," Janurary, 2003.
effgrad at yahoo dot com
2003 - Intel
Pete Drzal "The Origins of Mechanical Strength and
Elasticity of Acrylic Block Copolymer Melts and Gels," August, 2002.
p-drzal at northwestern dot edu
2002- 2003: Northwestern University, Postdoctoral Associate
2003- 2005: NIST, Building and Fire Materials Division
2005- :PPG, Pittsburgh, PA
Al Crosby "Deformation and Failure of Thin Viscoelastic
Adhesives," July, 2000.
alfred_crosby at yahoo dot com
2000- NIST, Polymers Division, Gaithersburg, MD (National Research Council
Postdoctoral Fellow).
2002- Assistant Professor, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering,
University of Massachusetts.
Cynthia Mowery Flanigan "Adhesive and Structural Properties
of Thermoreversible Polyacrylate Gels," September, 1999.
cflanigan at yahoo dot com
2000- Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MI
Wan-Lin Chen "Hydrophilic Surface Coatings from Acrylic
Block Copolymers," March 1999
wan-lin.chen at lamrc dot com
1999-2000 Novartis, Greensboro, NC.
2000- Lam Research (Semiconductor Equipment Manufacturer), Fremont, CA
Doug Cole "Dynamic Properties of a Poly(tert-butyl acrylate)/Gold
Nanocomposite System," March, 1998
douglascole at mediaone dot net
1998-2000 McKinsey and Co., Dallas TX.
2000- Seagate Technology, Minneapolis, MN
Shaun Ahn "Interfacial and Bulk Contributions to Elastomer
Adhesion: Studies with Model Acrylic Polymers," August, 1997
d.ahn at dowcorning dot com
1997- Dow Corning Corp., Midland, MI.
M.S. Alumni
Rajkumar Boya - Interfacial properties of PEO-containing
diblock copolymers.
raj.boya at boschrexroth-us dot com
2004 - Bosch Rexroth Corporation
Manny Bahamon "Thermoreversible Gels for Particle Removal,"
August, 2000.
Bahamonm at Beltone dot com
2000 - Belltone Electronics, Chicago, IL.
Steve Vandercar "The Properties of Thermal Transfer Supplies
and their Influence on Image Quality," December, 1999
Steve.Vandercar at rrd dot com
2000- R.R. Donnelly, Downers Grove, IL.
Kathryn Messner "Formation and Mechanical Testing of Adhesive
Junctions between Fibers," June, 1999,
k.messner at hscpoly dot com
1999- Hemlock Semiconductor, Midland, MI.
Malinda Tupper "Phase Transitions and Mechanical Properties
of Ethylene-Bisstearamide," June, 1997.
1997- MIT, Dep't of MS&E (grad school).
B.S. Alumni (senior project students)
- Zhiyong Poon - QCM studies of the swelling behavior of thin hydrogel
films.
- Peter Barar - Adhesion of surface modified elastomers at elevated
temperatures.
- Yen Thai - "Relaxation Behavior of Thermoreversible PMMA-PnBA-PMMA
Gels by Mechanical Testing and Thermal Analysis," March, 2006.
- Chris Horst - "Adhesion Study of a Silicone Pressure Sensitive
Adhesive," June, 2004.
- Wendy Cheng - "Interfacial Adhesion," June, 2004, to Procter
and Gamble
- Pong Leung - "Dewetting and Crystallization of Thin Polymer
Films," June, 2004
- Alison Markowitz - "Adhesive transfer of thin films," March,
2004, to Medtronic.
- Wendy Chan - "Thermoreversible gel processing of colloidal crystals,"
June, 2002, to U. Illinois (grad School).
- Christina Scharer - "Electrostriction of thermoreversible composite
Gels," March, 2002.
- Mauro Castellani (Diploma thesis via exchange program with ETH -
Zurich) - Electrical Characterization of Carbon Black/Polyethylene Nanocomposites,
October, 2001.
- Ie Uttayarat - "Mechanical and electrical response of electrically
conducting adhesives," June, 2001, to U. Penn (grad School)
- Dave Penake - "Sensing stress and strain in wood-fiber composite
structures," June, 2001, to Intel.
- Katrina Certeza "Elevated Temperature Testing Using the JKR
Method," March, 2001, to Intel.
- Nathan Bouxsein "Probing Surface Chemistry with Gelatin Hydrogels,"
June, 2000, to U.C. Santa Barbara (grad school).
- Melissa Zubris "Adhesion of PDMS Lenses," June, 2000, to Georgia
Tech (grad school).
- Liz Cheang "Adhesive Properties of Metal-Coated Polymer Layers,"
June, 1999, to DeLoitte Consulting, Chicago.
- Manishi Desai "Adhesion Studies with a Quartz Crystal Microbalance,"
June, 1999, to Indiana University Medical School.
- Dan Relles "Characterization of a Bioadhesive Gel," June, 1999.
- Rodney Guico "Elastic and Adhesive Properties of Silicone Elastomers,"
June, 1998, to Northwestern U. Dep't of MS&E (grad school).
- Mary Cheang "Adhesive Properties of Biological Gels," December, 1997,
to Timminco Metals, Buffalo Grove, IL.
- Becky Schwind "Regrind vs. Virgin Material: Characterizing the Effects
of Injection Molding on the Structure and Properties of Thermoplastic Polymers,"
June, 1997, to Saturn Corp., Tennessee.
- Nathan Lockwood "Application of JKR Adhesion Theory to an Ethylene-Acrylic
Polymer and Elastomer," June, 1997, to U. Minnesota, Dep't of Chem. Eng. and
Mat. Sci. (grad school).
- Jason Schleuter "Characterization of Loading and Unloading in Adhesive
Transfer Tapes," June, 1996, to ZS (consulting firm in Evanston).
- Mike Massing June, 1996, to U. Illinois, Dep't of MS&E (grad
school).
- Joe Maher "A Study of the Effects of Surface Roughness on Adhesion
Employing the JKR Technique" June 1996, to Law School.
- Yot Boontongkong "Alignment of Liquid Crystals on Polymer Surfaces,"
June, 1995, to MIT Dep't of MS&E (grad school).
- Chris Gray "The Effect of Thin Film Thickness on Rolling Friction,"
June, 1995.
Other Visitors, Lab Members
- Briitany McGowan "Interfacial Tension Measurements of Oil/Water Interfaces
in the Presence of Copolymers" Summer, 2007 (REU student), to Rose-Hulman Institute
of Technology for senior year in biomedical engineering.
- Darcy Mack "Enacapsulation and Release of Drugs from Triblock Copolymer Gels"
Summer, 2007 (Research Experience for Teachers Program), teacher at Pasadena
City College.