Polymer Science Podcast

Episode 33: Dr. Boran ”Bo” Ma discusses computational modeling in polymers, comedy in science, and living in Hattiesburg

Dr. Boran “Bo” Ma established the Ma Research Lab in January 2023 in the School of Polymer Science and Engineering at the University of Southern Mississippi. Prior to joining the SPSE, Dr. Bo was a postdoctoral associate at Duke University. She received her PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Northwestern University in 2019 and her BEng in Materials Science and Engineering from Harbin Institute of Technology in 2014. Now the Ma Research Lab focuses on multiscale computational modeling  and simulation of polymeric material systems for energy and sustainability applications.
 
Ma Research Lab webpage: https://www.maresearchlab.com/
 

Episode 32: Gregory Parisi tells us more about adaptable Fog water collection using switchable electrospun fibers

Today we are talking to Gregory Parisi about harvesting water in variable humidity conditions studying specifically the wetting properties of electrospun polymer materials. Gregory is a PhD student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and worked as a Fulbright fellow at the AGH-UST Faculty of Metals Engineering and Industrial Computer Science in Poland with Urszula Stachewicz, a previous guest on our show.
 
Please see the link below to the study group that he joined in Poland:
http://www.tem.agh.edu.pl/main_new/index.php/en/41-pracownicy/38-dr-eng-urszula-stachewicz
 
Hope you enjoy this episode!
 
Alicia
 

Episode 31: Adam Hecht from Dive Design on 3D printing prosthesis for dogs and more

In this episode we talk to Adam Hecht, Co-Founder, Designer and Director of Additive Manufacturing at DiveDesign. He tells us more about what goes into running a 3D company and all the products that they are currently making. He also have some amazing collaborations and interesting projects, from turning trash from the ocean into furniture to helping disabled ducks, dogs and even a Elephant!
 
Hope you enjoy the conversation!
 
Here are the links mentioned in the show:
https://www.divedesignco.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-hecht-b55959104/
https://www.instagram.com/divedesignco/?hl=en
 
Let us know what you think of this episode and share if you enjoyed it!

Episode 30: Dr Aurelien Forget speaks about a wonderful new Free Radical Polymerization game that is for everyone

In this episode we listen to Dr Aurelien Forget talk about his work and research interests. He also shares details about a fun and educative card game that he developed called Macromolecular Games: A Free Radical Polymerization Card Game. This card game is made for anyone that wish to understand polymerization and can even be customized with you own logo or tag that you would like displayed on the cards (great for companies and Universities).
The aim of this game is to form polymer chains with the higher molecular weight. Only terminated polymer chains are counted.
​The set is composed of two card decks each with 55 cards. The decks contain four monomers, four special cards: copolymer, termination, SFRP and CTA. It can be played competitively with friends, colleagues or family (with no Polymer Science Background)!
Learn more by visiting this links:
https://instagram.com/macromoleculargames?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
https://www.forgetlab.com/dr-aurelien-forget-1
 
You also a get a special 10% discount code for your support to this podcast:
https://macromolecular-games.myshopify.com/discount/polymersciencepodcast10?redirect=%2Fproducts%2Ffree-radical-polymerization-card-game
 
We would love to know what you think about the game, so please leave a comment if you have played it! And share this episode if you like it!

Episode 29: Dr. Tristan Clemons discusses soft-matter therapeutics, peptide synthesis, and field hockey

Dr. Tristan Clemons is an Assistant Professor at the University of Southern Mississippi. Dr. Clemons established his lab at USM in 2021 and quickly started exciting research in Soft Matter Science. The Clemons group is multidisciplinary in nature, firmly embedded at the intersection of chemistry, biology, and engineering. His research efforts are aimed at the interface of synthetic and biological molecular self-assembly to provide new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of disease and injury.
 
Clemons Lab Webpage: https://www.clemonslab.com/
 
“Proapoptotic Peptide Brush Polymer Nanoparticles via Photoinitiated Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly”
Link (please contact us via email if you don’t have access to this paper):
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/anie.202006385
 
 
Any questions or comments for the Polymer Podcast crew? Please feel free to reach out to us!
PolymerSciencePodcast@gmail.com

Episode 28: Dr. Katrina Knauer discusses the restructuring of plastic recycling

Dr. Katrina Knauer is the Chief Technology Officer of the BOTTLE Consortium at the National Renewable Energy Laboratories near Denver, Colorado. BOTTLE (Bio-Optimized Technologies to keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment) is a U.S. Department of Energy multi-organization consortium focused on developing new chemical upcycling strategies for today's plastics and redesigning tomorrow's plastics to be recyclable-by-design.
 
Publications related to PHA discussion with Dr. Knauer:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ange.201916415
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.macromol.0c02110
 
All BOTTLE publications:
https://www.bottle.org/publications.html
 
Any comments or questions? Please reach out to us!
PolymerSciencePodcast@gmail.com

Episode 27: Dr. Barney Grubbs discusses the significance of depolymerizable polymers in sustainable materials

Dr. Barney Grubbs discusses with Jacob the importance of controllably degradable polymers and their significance in improving material sustainability. Dr. Grubbs also talks about his academic journey, taking us all around the United States as he shares his exciting research!
The Grubbs research group investigates questions addressing the common ground shared by polymer, organic, and materials chemistry. Guided by physics, theory, and engineering, they design, synthesize, and characterize polymer materials. 
Any questions for Alicia and Jacob? They would love for you to reach out! Contact them at: PolymerSciencePodcast@gmail.com
Grubbs Research Group: https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/chemistry/faculty/_faculty-profiles/grubbs-barney
Link to paper* (Amine-Catalyzed Chain Polymerization of Ethyl Glyoxylate from Alcohol and Thiol Initiators): https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsmacrolett.0c00865
*If you cannot access the linked journal article, contact Dr. Grubbs via email to politely ask for a copy of the paper -->robert.grubbs@stonybrook.edu

Episode 26: Talking to Ingmar Van Hengel about digital health, 3D implants and skin printing

Ingmar Van Hengel is a PhD candidate at Delft University in Biomedical Engineering. He also has a mind for business when he created his first startup company called SkinPrint for the treatment of burn wounds using bioprinting to develop skin using the patient's cells and biocompatible natural polymer materials. He then shifted his focus to developing multifunctional 3D implants for orthopedic patients that are longer lasting and can combat bacterial infections. He has continued to grow his expertise in the Digital health field and was a business analyst for PatchAI, which develops intelligent digital health engagement solutions for decentralized clinical studies. He is now working with Alira Health in gathering data and doing research that can contribute greatly to the overall health of the society.
 
https://alirahealth.com/
https://www.patchai.io/news/author/ingmar-van-hengel
 
Some more links:
Short movie about Skinprint: https://youtu.be/2C3aFV8V8k4
Publication skin printing: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20417314221088513
PhD research on 3D printed orthopedic implants: https://www.materialstoday.com/metals-alloys/news/new-titanium-implants-could-last-a-lifetime/
Short movie about digital health (Patchai): https://youtu.be/hQ9up3nGytk
 

Episode 25: Dr. Brooks Abel, University of California Berkeley, Polymer Recycling

Dr. Brooks Abel is an assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeley, where the Abel group conducts research at the interfaces of polymer organic chemistry, catalysis, and materials science. Dr. Brooks and his group pursue application-driven polymer chemistry, where the desired chemical identity, physical properties, and end-use of the polymer materials are used to guide the development of new polymerization methods. They also follow a methodology approach to discovering new polymerization reactions to push the field of polymer chemistry towards previously unobtainable control over polymer microstructure, architecture, and functionality. 
Including the incredible research Dr. Abel has performed throughout his career, this episode focuses on new methods and materials designed to improve the recyclability of plastic materials. Tune in now to learn more!
Video reference of plastic being broken down into its starting ingredients: https://youtu.be/e_195DD-r2k

Episode 24: Talking to Dr Megan Coates and Dr Laura Frazier about SNC and TaikiUSA nanofiber-based beauty line

Today we are talking to Dr Laura Frazier, Chief Scientist of TaikiUSA, and Dr Megan Coates, R&D manager at the Stellenbosch Nanofiber Company, about their collaboration and creation of Bōshi Beauty nanofiber-based product line.
Stellenbosch Nanofiber Company has been developing nanofiber-based products, including advanced wound dressings, tissue engineering scaffolds and cosmetic products. TaikiUSA is a global leader in skincare and makeup tools.
Megan received her PhD in Chemistry at the Rhodes University in South Africa and have been working at the SNC for over 8 years as Research and Development manager. Laura received her PhD in Chemistry at the University of Akron in the USA and have worked as Director at the SNS Nanofiber Technology company, an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Malone University, a program leader at Owens Corning and now as chief scientist at TaikiUSA.
www.taikibeauty.com
 www.sncfibers.com