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Connect with DPE
» Department of Polymer Engineering
W i n t e r
2012-13
» Alumni Day 2012
THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON
www.uakron.edu
DEPARTMENT OF POLYMER ENGINEERING
www.poly-eng.uakron.edu
Colorful mums of the season and welcome banners
greeted polymer engineering alumni back to UA on
the sunny, fall afternoon of Oct. 5. The special day
marked the first joint Alumni Day for the Department
of Polymer Engineering and the Department of
Polymer Science. The event was attended not
only by alumni, but also by members of industry
and the community, as well as UA faculty, contract
professionals, staff and current students.
A continental breakfast and registration in the
Goodyear Polymer Center was followed by a morning
symposium dedicated to Polymer Science. Speakers
included Dr. Christopher Macosko from the University
of Minnesota, Dr. Benjamin Hsiao of Stony Brook
University, Dr. Christopher Li of Drexel University,
and the Polymer Science Outstanding Alumni Award
recipient, Dr. Rong-Ming Ho from the National Tsing
Hua University in Taiwan.
An awards luncheon followed that honored Dr. Ho and
this year’s Polymer Engineering Distinguished Alumni
Award recipient, Dr. James “Jim” Scobbo, Global
» Dr. James Scobbo
receives the 2012
Polymer Engineering
Distinguished Alumni
Award presented by
department chair,
Dr. Bob Weiss.
Analytical Technology Leader for SABIC’s Innovative
Plastics business in Mount Vernon, Ind. Scobbo leads a
team of more than 200 technologists in the Americas,
Europe, and Pacific regions who are responsible for solving
business and technical problems by leveraging chemical
and physical characterization technologies. He also leads
the Analytical Community of Excellence across all of
SABIC, which brings together characterization experts
across every SABIC strategic business unit.
Over his 23-year career with the company, Scobbo has
held roles with increasing responsibility across a breadth
of functional areas and product lines. He has numerous
publications and patents, has taught short courses
around the world, and has authored/coauthored two
book chapters. Scobbo received a B.S. in chemical engineering (1984),
M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in polymer engineering (1986 and
1989 under Dr. Nobuyuki Nakajima), as well as an M.S. in
physics (1989), all from The University of Akron. In 1992 he
also completed an M.B.A. from Union College.
» Dr. James Scobbo (R) with his former advisor and Alumni Day speaker, Dr. Nobuyuki Nakajima.
Story continued
page 2
1
» Message from the Chair
BY BOB WEISS
» Alumni Day 2012 (continued)
The new academic year is well underway, and already it is an exciting time for the
Department of Polymer Engineering, as we welcome two new faculty members
to the department: Dr. Younjin Min and Dr. Nicole Zacharia. Dr. Min, who joined
the department in December, received her Ph.D. from the University of California
at Santa Barbara and completed a postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Paula
Hammond at MIT. Dr. Zacharia did her graduate work at MIT and is currently an
assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Texas A&M. She will move to
Akron for the beginning of the fall 2013 semester.
After the luncheon, attendees traveled to the Polymer
Engineering Academic Center for an afternoon symposium
devoted to Polymer Engineering. Speakers, in addition
to Dr. Scobbo, were Dr. Chanjoong Kim from Kent State
University, Dr. Donald Meltzer of Lubrizol Advanced
Materials, and Professor Emeritus, Dr. Nobuyuki Nakajima.
Both Drs. Bob Weiss and Thein Kyu served as moderators
for the afternoon.
A special thank you goes out to members of the Polymer
Engineering Student Organization (PESO), including Stuti
Rajgarhia and Ryan Lang, who not only staffed a table of
PESO items for sale as a fundraiser, but who also graciously
helped out with audio-visual and hospitality needs during
the symposium. Particular credit goes to Hari Mangalara,
who gave up an entire afternoon to serve as photographer
of the event. All photos of Alumni Day in this newsletter are
courtesy of Hari.
» Presenter, Dr. Donald Meltzer from Lubrizol Advanced At the conclusion of a beautiful autumn day at UA, it was
wonderful to have welcomed alumni and friends back to
the College, to learn from different researchers, renew and
strengthen friendships, and make new contacts. We look
forward to hosting alumni and friends on campus again in
the future!
Materials, is recognized by Dr. Bob Weiss during the awards luncheon.
During the last year, department faculty have spent considerable time and
effort to revise our core curriculum and the Ph.D. qualifying exam. This is largely
in response to the significant change in faculty backgrounds and expertise,
but also to allow us to be more competitive in the diverse field of polymer
engineering. New emphases in polymer physics now complement our core
expertise in polymer engineering. We now enjoy strengths in polymer surfaces
and interfaces, photovoltaics, flexible electronics and functional materials, in
addition to polymer processing and reaction engineering. The new curriculum
consists of four core courses that will all be given in the graduate student’s first
semester. The Ph.D. qualifying exam will be given immediately following the first
semester, so that the students can more quickly get involved with their research.
This curriculum will go into effect during the fall 2013 semester.
While the department remains in very good shape, the poor economic climate
in Ohio, and in the country in general, has had some effect on us. The University
is facing severe monetary shortfalls, and that has trickled down to the College
and the departments, resulting in considerable belt-tightening for all of us. Still,
the department is healthy, the research programs are continuing to grow, and
students are finding jobs. We are expanding the student awards to give more
recognition to the hard work and innovation of our graduate students. We are
also increasing our effort to recruit domestically while the 3 + 2 China program
is continuing, and our graduate student population has now reached 127 total
students.
I sincerely hope that the past year has been kind to you and your family.
We would love to hear from you regarding your activities and achievements.
» Guests socialize in the atrium during the mid-afternoon » Speaker, Dr. Chanjoong Kim, from the Liquid Crystal
2
Institute at Kent State University, makes a point during
his presentation.
refreshment break.
Dr. Bob Weiss speaks during the
Alumni Day luncheon. »
» Mark Your Calendar
2013
» Mar 18-22
American Physical Society
(APS) March Meeting
Baltimore, Md.
» Mar. 27-31
National Society of Black
Engineers (NSBE) Annual
Convention
Indianapolis, Ind.
» April 1-5
Materials Research Society
(MRS) Spring Meeting
San Francisco, Calif.
» April 7-11
American Chemical Society (ACS) Spring National Meeting
New Orleans, La.
» April 22-24 Society of Plastics Engineers
(SPE) Annual Technical Meeting
(ANTEC)
Cincinnati, Ohio
» April 23
Alumni Reception at ANTEC
6-7:30 p.m. Location TBA
» Sept. 8-12
American Chemical Society
(ACS) Fall National Meeting
Indianapolis, Ind.
» Oct. 24-26
» Oct. 30-Nov. 3
Society of Women Engineers
(SWE) Annual Conference
Baltimore, Md.
» Nov. 3-8
American Institute of Chemical
Engineers (AIChE) Annual
Meeting
San Francisco, Calif.
» Nov. 15-21
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) International
Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition
San Diego, Calif.
» Dec. 1-6
Materials Research Society
(MRS) Fall Meeting
Boston, Mass.
Society of Hispanic
Professional Engineers (SHPE)
Annual Conference
Indianapolis, Ind.
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.
3
Dr. Sergey Lapshin
(Ph.D. 2006)
Received an Executive
M.B.A. from Vlerick
Business School in
August 2012.
AWARDS
» “And the Winner is...” Alumni, Faculty and Student News, Awards & Grants
A L U M N I
Dr. Elif Alyamac (Ph.D. 2009)
Accepted a position as R&D Manager with
Akdeniz Kimya in Izmir, Turkey.
Dr. Vyacheslav Birman (Ph.D. 1999)
In September 2012, Birman received his 20th
U.S. Patent, US 8,261,686, “Flood Illuminated
Cluster with Telltales.” He has also authored
10 Soviet Union patents in the area of precise,
contact-free measurements, as well as four
European and four Japanese patents in
the fields of display, gauges, and pointers
illumination. Birman serves as a lighting
technology expert for Continental Automotive
in Auburn Hills, Mich.
Dr. Antonio Carrillo (Ph.D. 2008)
Is now a project scientist for the Corporate
Research and Engineering division of the
Kimberly-Clark Corporation in Neenah, Wis.
Dr. Johanna Baena with daughter, Josephine,
and son, Jeronimo.
Dr. Johanna Baena (Ph.D. 2006)
Is now Group Leader for the Manufacturing
Sustaining Engineering Group at Abbott
Vascular in Murrieta, Calif.
Dr. I-Ta Chang (Ph.D. 2012)
Married Chia-Ju Chou on July 22, 2012, in Tainan
City, Taiwan. Chang is a Tech Module Developer
with the College of Polymer Science and Polymer
Engineering at The University of Akron.
Dr. Taner Dirama (M.S. 2002 / Ph.D. Polymer
Science, 2005)
Received an M.B.A. from The Ohio State
University in May 2012. Dirama is a senior
scientist with Kellogg’s in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Dr. Yannan Duan (Ph.D. 2012)
Accepted a position as Senior R&D Engineer
with PolyOne Corporation in Avon Lake, Ohio.
Dr. Travis Getzie (Ph.D. 2012)
Accepted a position as Senior Product
Development Engineer with Nexans Electronics
Cable in Elm City, N.C.
4
Mikey Benes (M.S. 2002)
Along with wife, Grace, welcomed the birth of
their daughter, Pavlina Kaya, on May 15, 2012.
Benes is a research scientist with Baker
Hughes in The Woodlands, Texas.
Dr. Alexei Melnikov (Ph.D. 2010)
Relocated to Houston, Texas, to become
Materials Technology Manager for Fenner
Advanced Sealing Technologies.
Meagan Hill Marko with husband Jon, and
daughters Miri and Marley.
Meagan Hill Marko (M.S. 2005)
Along with husband, Jon, welcomed the birth
of their second daughter, Miri Lynn, on June 30,
2012. Hill Marko is Senior Materials Engineer at
Cascade Engineering in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Dr. Sachin Jain (M.S. 2000 / Ph.D.
Eindhoven University of Technology, 2005)
Is now working as R&T Manager for DSM India
in Pune.
Dr. Diya Bandyopadhyay (Ph.D. 2012)
Accepted a position as a research scientist with
BASF in Wyandotte, Mich.
Mikey
and Grace
Benes with
daughter,
Pavlina.
Evgenia & Sergey Lapshin
Dinghuei “Rick” Fong (M.S. 2005)
Is now Manager of Elastomers for Robertson
Fuel Systems in Tempe, Ariz.
In addition, Baena received two awards
from Abbott Vascular: The 2011 Culture of
Improvement Award for authoring a white
paper on UV stabilization and degradation of
polymers; and the Q2 President’s Award for
support Baena provided to Puerto Rico and
Costa Rica divisions on extrusion-related issues
and projects.
Adam Beers (M.S. 1999)
Is now Product Manager, Fabric Care, Latin
America and Caribbean, with Electrolux Major
Appliances in Miami, Fla.
Married Evgenia
Tikhonova on June 30,
2012, in Arlon, Belgium.
Lapshin is Manager
for Sales and Business
Development at Porocel
Industries in Rodange,
Luxembourg.
Swati Deshpande (M.S. 2000 / M.B.A. New
Jersey’s Science & Technology University)
Is now Failure Analysis Engineer with PNY
Technologies in Parsippany, New Jersey.
Dr. Kent Miller (Ph.D. 2012)
Accepted a position as Platform Research
Scientist with Celanese in Florence, Ky.
Phani Nagaraj (M.S. 2003)
Along with wife, Sandhya, welcomed the birth
of their son, Vedanth, on July 9, 2012. Nagaraj
serves as Business Manager at Chemtura
Corporation in Middlebury, Conn.
Dr. Ho-Sung “Edward” Park (Ph.D. 1990)
Relocated to Menlo Park, Calif., to become
Senior Product Development Engineer with
Pentair Thermal Management.
Dr. Kshitij Jha (Ph.D. 2012)
Accepted a post-doc position with Dr. Mesfin
Tsige in the Department of Polymer Science,
The University of Akron.
Dr. Jae Whan Cho
Dr. Jae Whan Cho (Ph.D. 1998)
Samsung Total Petrochemicals Principal
Research Engineer, Dr. Jae Whan Cho, who
developed high purity EVA resin for
photovoltaic encapsulant and TPO
nanocomposites for Hyundai automobile
parts, was honored with an Engineer of the
Month Award in November 2012 by the
Ministry of Education, Science and Technology,
and the Korea Industrial Technology Association.
Cho, who won in the category for big-sized
businesses, was given the award for his
contributions in greatly improving
product technology.
Dr. Pratyush Dayal (Ph.D. 2007)
Accepted a position as Assistant Professor of
Chemical Engineering at the Indian Institute of
Technology in Gandhinagar, India.
Sunil Gowrishankar is awarded the four bars
signifying his promotion to Captain at the
conclusion of an early morning flight.
Sunil Gowrishankar (M.S. 1999)
After serving only four years as First Officer/
Co-Pilot, was promoted to Captain of a
Boeing 757 with DHL/Blue Dart India.
Ramprasad Halthore (M.S. 1999)
Is now Principal Engineer with Amgen in
Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Dr. Peter Han (M.S. 1990 / Ph.D. 1995)
Relocated to The Woodlands, Texas, to accept
a position with Nexeo Solutions.
Fang “Frank” He (M.S. 1997)
Promoted to Senior Research Associate at
Clopay Plastic Products in Mason, Ohio.
Chaitanya Pratiwada (M.S. 2012)
Is in the Technology Leadership Development
Program at Avery Dennison in Mentor, Ohio.
Christopher Rottmayer (M.S. 2004)
Accepted a position as process engineer with
PolyOne Corporation in Avon Lake, Ohio.
Dr. Haifeng Shan (Ph.D. 2006)
Relocated to Dudley, Mass., as a polymer
engineer with Essilor of America.
Dr. Murthy Simhambhatla
(M.S. 1990 / Ph.D. 1994)
Named President of Abbott Medical Optics and
Senior Vice President, Abbott Laboratories, in
Santa Ana, Calif.
Prabhu Soundarrajan (M.S. 2003)
Joined RAE Systems, Inc., in San Jose, Calif., as
Global Director of Applications and Solutions.
Dr. Prashant Joshi (Ph.D. 1999)
Is now Staff Fellow in the Center for Devices
and Radiological Health, U.S. Food and Drug
Administration, in Silver Spring, Md. In addition,
he continues to head his own business on waste
to biofuels, Yallamma Energy & Fuels, also
located in Silver Spring.
Sumeet Kumar (M.S. 1998 / M.B.A.
Indiana University, 2005)
Presented “Innovations in Water Soluble
Delivery Systems” during the IHS Specialty
Plastic Films (SPF) Annual World Symposium on
Performance Films held in Dusseldorf, Germany,
June 2012. Kumar is Senior Manager, Technical
Marketing, at MonoSol, LLC, in Portage, Ind.
His current research is on Vivos™ — edible,
water-soluble films that are used to make
pre-portioned pouches designed for use in
hot or cold water, which conveniently deliver
food products.
Dr. Emmanuel Pitia (Ph.D. 2012)
Accepted a position as senior scientist with the
Lord Corporation in Erie, Pa.
Michael Stadler (M.S. 2004)
Promoted to R&D Technical Manager at CCL
Label in Völkermarkt, Austria.
Kalpesh Patel
Kalpesh Patel (M.S. 1994 / M.B.A.
Wright State University, 2010)
Promoted to Senior Marketing and
Product Manager at PolyOne Corporation,
Avon Lake, Ohio.
5
AWARDS
Rajesh Varma (M.S. 1997 / M.B.A. Illinois
Institute of Technology, 2001)
Is now Director of Market and Technology
Development at Delphon Industries in
Hayward, Calif.
F A C U L T Y
Dr. Miko Cakmak
October 2012 — Received $40,000 from NASA
Glenn Research Center for “Flexible Aerogel
Film Manufacturing.”
September 2012 — Awarded $84,000 in
continued funding from Kent Displays for
“Electronically Changeable Color Skins for
Consumer Electronics.” For this same project,
Cakmak received a no-cost extension from
the Ohio Board of Regents Research Incentive
Match in June 2012 and again in September
2012. This brings Cakmak’s total award
to $534,000.
Dr. Maurice Wadley
Dr. Maurice Wadley (Ph.D. 2011)
Accepted a position as Materials Engineering
Consultant with DuPont in Wilmington, Del.
Dr. Xiaojiang Wang (Ph.D. 2012)
Accepted a post-doc position with Dr. Mark
Soucek in UA’s Department of Polymer
Engineering.
Dr. Xueyuan Wang (Ph.D. 2012)
Is now Upstream Research Scientist at
Tredegar Film Products in Richmond, Va.
Dr. Yingsheng “Ian” Xing (Ph.D. 2011)
Accepted a position as Senior Development
Engineer with Schaeffler Technologies.
Dr. Yeo-O Youn (Ph.D. 2004)
Is now working in the R&D Center for LG Display
in Paju, South Korea.
Dr. Weibin Zha (Ph.D. 2006)
Is now Principal Scientist with Halliburton in
Houston, Texas.
Dr. Jianguo Zhou (Ph.D. 2007)
Joined Chemtura Corporation in Morgantown,
W.Va., as Senior Polymer Engineer.
Dr. Xixian “Sean” Zhou (Ph.D. 1998)
Is now Senior R&D Manager with Loparex in
Willowbrook, Ill.
6
Dr. Alamgir Karim
November 2012 — Received a continuing
Community Industrial Assistantship from
Promerus for doctoral student Arzu Hayirlioglu.
( C O N T I N U E D )
Dr. Kevin Cavicchi
Summer 2012 — Cavicchi, along with
Dr. Carin Helfer, Assistant Director of Science
Education Outreach for the Akron Global
Polymer Academy (AGPA), were co-PI’s on a
$390,921 National Science Foundation Research
Experience for Teachers (RET) program. Eleven
local high school teachers worked with several
UA professors over the summer to conduct
polymer engineering research and take their
discoveries back to their classrooms.
June 2012 — Received $8,750 in supplemental
funding from the National Science Foundation
for “Supramolecular Assembly of Low Molecular
Mass Organogelators.” This brings Cavicchi’s
total award to $263,750.
Dr. Hendrik Heinz
October 2012 — Awarded $77,340 from
Universal Energy Systems for “Understanding
and Designing Biotic-Abiotic Interactions Using
Computational Models.”
October 2012 — As Co-PI to Dr. Matthew
Espe and Dr. David Modarelli, both from UA’s
Department of Chemistry, was awarded $62,500
from the Centro de Investigación en Materiales
Avanzados in Mexico for “Organic and Hybrid
Organic Solid-State Photovoltaic Materials and
Devices.”
On September 25, 2012, Heinz and wife Özge
welcomed the birth of their son, Leonard
Ege Heinz.
June 2012 — Selected by the Mineralogical
Society of Great Britain and Ireland to receive
a 2013 Max Hey Medal. The award recognizes
existing and ongoing research of excellence
carried out by young workers within the fields
of mineralogy, crystallography, petrology or
geochemistry. Heinz will deliver a plenary
lecture at the flagship meeting of the
Mineralogical Society (“Minerals for Life”) in
Edinburgh, UK, June 17-19, 2013, after which he
will be presented with the medal.
Dr. Avraam Isayev
December 2012 — Awarded the 2012 James
L. White Innovation Award of the Polymer
Processing Society (PPS). The award is given
in recognition of innovative development in
the field of polymer processing technologies
with recent commercial impact. It aims to
recognize originality, innovation and creativity
in the science and technology of processing
polymers and polymeric products. Dr. Isayev
was presented the award during the 28th
international PPS conference held in Pattaya,
Thailand, Dec.11-15, 2012.
October 2012 — As Co-PI to Dr. Mark Soucek,
received a $122,502 award from the United
Soybean Board for “Soya-Based Reactive
Materials for Tires and Other Elastomers.”
October 2012 — Featured in a University
Focus article on recycling devulcanized rubber,
“Breakdown Service,” written by Keith Read
for the October 2012 issue of Tire Technology
International. The article may be viewed online
at: http://tiretechnologyinternational.com/
magazine_archive.php
October 2012 — As Co-PI to Dr. Celal Batur of
Mechanical Engineering, received $55,000 from
the National Science Foundation for “I/UCRC
Phase I: Center for Tire Research.” Other CoPI’s are Dr. Erol Sancaktar, Dr. Judit Puskas of
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and
Dr. Shing-Chung “Josh” Wong of Mechanical
Engineering. Virginia Tech is also a partner with
a separate budget.
October 2012 — Awarded $100,000 from the
American Chemical Society, Petroleum Research
Fund for “Oil Water Separations from Zone
Annealed Block Copolymer Films.”
October 2012 — Awarded $50,000 by Howard
University for “Feasibility Study to Evaluate
Candidate Materials of Nanofilled Block
Copolymers for Use in Ultra High Density Pulsed
Power Capacitors.”
August 2012 — Received $318,611 from
the U.S. Department of Energy for “In Situ
Neutron Scattering Determination of 3D PhaseMorphology Correlations in Fullerene-Block
Copolymers Systems.” This brings Karim’s total
award to $881,066.
July 2012 — Appointed as the Section Chair
of the Physics Evaluation Group of the Natural
Sciences and Engineering Research Council of
Canada (NSERC) for a one-year term ending
June 30, 2013. As Chair, he will coordinate the
comprehensive evaluations and deliberations of
the numerous proposals received by NSERC for
soft matter and polymers.
July 2012 — Received a no-cost extension from
the Lubrizol Corporation for “Development of
High-Throughput Composition (HTC) Gradient
Thermoplastic Polyurethane Films.”
September 2012 — Received $30,000 from
NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C., to
fund a Fellowship for doctoral student Andrew
Shinko.
July 2012 — Awarded $15,152 from Lubrizol
Advanced Materials for a Community Industrial
Assistantship for doctoral student Xiao Wang.
June 2012 — Joined the editorial board of the
Journal of Engineering.
May 2012 — Awarded $111,011 from Honda
R&D Americas, Inc., for “Predictive Modeling for
Rate-Dependent Toughened-Adhesive Behavior
During Impact on Column Crush and T-Section
Specimens.” Dr. Wieslaw Binienda from UA’s
Department of Civil Engineering serves as Co-PI
on the research.
Dr. Bryan Vogt
August 2012 — Awarded $221,455 from the
National Science Foundation for “Collaborative
Research: High Surface Area Mesoporous
Carbons for Facile Biofuel Recovery from Dilute
Aqueous Solution.”
June 2012 — Received $85,626 in continued
funding from the National Science Foundation
for “CAREER: Fundamental Reaction-Diffusion
Processes in the Formation of Mesoporous
Films Using Vaporized Precursors.” This brings
Vogt’s total award to $299,989.
S T A F F
Dr. David Simmons
December 2012 — Simmons’ latest paper,
along with Marcus T. Cicerone, Qin Zhong,
Madhusudan Tyagi, and Jack F. Douglas, was
featured on the cover of the December 7, 2012,
edition of Soft Matter. “Generalized Localization
Model of Relaxation in Glass-forming Liquids.”
Soft Matter, 8, No. 45 (2012): 11455-11461. It
can be found online at http://pubs.rsc.org/en/
Content/ArticleLanding/2012/SM/C2SM26694F.
Dr. Mark Soucek
October 2012 — Awarded $122,502 from the
United Soybean Board for “Soya-Based Reactive
Materials for Tires and Other Elastomers.”
Soucek serves as Principal Investigator and Dr.
Avraam Isayev as Co-PI on the award.
October 2012 — Received $85,000 from Euclid
Chemical Company for “Synthesis and Evaluation
of New Polycarboxylate Admixtures.” This brings
Soucek’s total award to $170,000.
July 2012 — Received $33,250 from The
University of Akron Research Foundation for
“Continuous Ultrasonic In Situ Copolymerization
of Rubber Blends Suitable in Tire Applications.”
Dr. Sadhan Jana
November 2012 — Joined the editorial board of
the Journal of Plastic and Polymer Technology.
October 2012 — Assumed the role of associate
editor of Polymer Engineering & Science after
reorganization of the editorial team.
Dr. Erol Sancaktar
October 2012 — As Co-PI to Dr. Celal Batur of
Mechanical Engineering, received $55,000 from
the National Science Foundation for “I/UCRC
Phase I: Center for Tire Research.” Other CoPI’s are Dr. Avraam Isayev, Dr. Judit Puskas of
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and
Dr. Shing-Chung “Josh” Wong of Mechanical
Engineering. Virginia Tech is also a partner with
a separate budget.
Megan Hampshire
Megan Hampshire
Was appointed in May 2012 to serve on
The University of Akron Staff Employees
Advisory Committee (SEAC) by UA President
Dr. Luis Proenza. Hampshire is completing a
master’s degree in school counseling.
October 2012 — Received $25,125 from
Lubrizol Advanced Materials for a Community
Industrial Assistantship for doctoral student
Tongzhai Gao.
October 2012 — Awarded $55,000 from
Delphi Automotive Systems for “Wire-End
Corrosion Resistance.”
Dr. Thein Kyu
Dr. Thein Kyu
October 2012 — Awarded $67,000 from the
Ohio Soybean Council for “Antioxidant Activity
of Genistein Phytochemical for Thermal and UVStabilization of Biodegradable Polymers.”
September 2012 — Received $7,688 by
Kent Displays, Inc., for a Community Industrial
Assistantship for doctoral student Mauricio
Echeverri.
July 2012 — Received a no-cost extension from
the Ohio Soybean Council for “Soya-Based
Reactive Diluents.”
July 2012 — Awarded $244,672 from Sappi Fine
Paper North American for “Self-Welding Calcium
Carbonate.”
June 2012 — Received $216,750 from MesoCoat,
Inc., for “High Power Density Powder Coating
System.”
Cheryl Slusarczyk
Cheryl Slusarczyk
Was elected to serve a second term as
president of The University of Akron Staff
Employees Advisory Committee (SEAC) in
June 2012. Slusarczyk is working on her master’s
degree in teaching and training technical
professionals (MSTTTP).
Dr. Younjin Min
December 2012 — Joined the Department of
Polymer Engineering as Assistant Professor.
7
AWARDS
Andrew Shinko
Married Elizabeth Sabella on October 6, 2012, in Minerva, Ohio.
Best men included recent 2012 DPE alums Dr. Kent Miller and
Dr. Travis Getzie. Shinko is completing his doctorate with
Dr. Sadhan Jana.
( C O N T I N U E D )
Willis Lecorchick
Received a John R. Mann
Memorial Scholarship for Fall
2012. The scholarship is awarded
to a U.S. student who received an
undergraduate degree at UA and
who intends to pursue graduate
work in polymer engineering.
Lecorchick is a first-year doctoral
student with Dr. Kevin Cavicchi.
ST U D E N TS
Kushal Bahl
Awarded a Victor Montenyohl
Scholarship for Fall 2012. The
scholarship is awarded to a
doctoral student studying in the
field of rubber chemistry. Bahl
was nominated for the award by
his advisor, Dr. Sadhan Jana.
Willis Lecorchick
Andrew and Elizabeth Shinko
Kushal Bahl
Mauricio Echeverri
Selected as the polymer
engineering student recipient
of the 2012 Frank N. Kelley
Graduate Student Award.
Echeverri is completing a
doctorate with Dr. Thein Kyu.
Along with Kevin G. Yager, Brian Berry, Ho-Cheol Kim, and
Alamgir Karim, Singh co-authored “Dynamic Thermal Field
Induced Gradient Soft-Shear for Highly Oriented Block
Copolymer Thin Films.” ACS Nano, Oct. 24, 2012 (Web).
Sepideh Niknezhad
Awarded an Excellence in
Engineering Plastics Award from
Ticona. Niknezhad is a doctoral
student studying with
Dr. Sadhan Jana.
Sepideh Niknezhad
Gurpreet Singh
Was chosen as The University of
Akron recipient of the 2012-13
Eastman Chemical Fellowship,
which recognizes a student’s
academic and research success.
The fellowship will provide a
$5,000 award to Singh and a
trip with his advisor, Dr. Alamgir
Karim, to visit the Eastman facility
in Kingsport, Tenn., and give a
presentation on their research.
Along with Kevin G. Yager, Detlef-M. Smilgies, Manish M.
Kulkarni, David G. Bucknall, and Alamgir Karim, Singh coauthored “Tuning Molecular Relaxation for Vertical Orientation
in Cylindrical Block Copolymer Films via Sharp Dynamic Zone
Annealing.” Macromolecules, 2012, 45 (17), pp. 7107-7117.
Xiao Wang with her winning poster at AIChE.
Xiao Wang
Won for her poster on “Mechanical and Electrical Properties of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes / Syndiotactic Polystyrene Composite
Aerogels” during the annual AIChE meeting held in October 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pa. She will receive a year’s online subscription to Soft
Matter. Wang is a doctoral student with Dr. Sadhan Jana.
Mauricio Echeverri
Fateme Emami
Received an NSF-sponsored
fellowship to attend the
Foundations of Molecular
Modeling and Simulation
(FOMMS) 2012 conference held
in Mt. Hood, Ore., July 22-26, 2012.
Emami is a doctoral student with
Dr. Hendrik Heinz.
Hadi Ramezani-Dakhel
Awarded an Excellence in
Engineering Plastics Award from
Ticona. Ramezani-Dakhel is a
doctoral student with
Dr. Hendrik Heinz.
Hadi Ramezani-Dakhel
» Bayer Lectureship
Dr. C. Grant Willson, Professor of Chemistry and Rashid
Engineering Regents Chair in the Department of Chemical
Engineering at the University of Texas, Austin, delivered the
2012 Bayer Lectureship on October 11 and 12, 2012.
Dr. Willson presented seminars on “Microelectronic Devices:
A View of the Future” and “Chemistry for High Resolution
Imaging Technology.” Shown to the right, Dr. Willson receives
the Bayer Award. From L-R: Dr. Bob Weiss, Dr. Paul Nowatzki
of Bayer MaterialScience, Willson, and Dr. Tao Yu, also
of Bayer.
Fateme Emami
8
9
» Society of Plastics Engineers Symposium to Honor
Professor Avraam Isayev
» Southern Hospitalityin Houston
BY SADHAN C. JANA
At times one would wonder why a colleague is so low-profile despite making
prolific, significant contributions in several areas of polymer engineering and
receiving the highest academic rank (distinguished professor) from
The University of Akron. One such colleague is Professor Avraam Isayev,
who recently celebrated his landmark 70th birthday and is still going strong
in research, teaching and mentoring graduate students and several junior
colleagues.
During the annual meeting of the Society of Women Engineers
(SWE) in Houston, Sarah Thorley from the Department
of Polymer Engineering and Melissa Bowman from the
Department of Polymer Science hosted a dinner for Houston
area alumni. Held Nov. 7, 2012, at the charming Guadalajara
Hacienda, the get-together was a lively evening of good food,
conversation and friendship. It was wonderful to catch up with
alumni and learn about their lives in the Houston area (and
the traffic horror stories!). It was also interesting to hear their
answers when asked what they missed most about Akron —
color changes of the leaves, sledding, and student organization
involvement were just a few of the answers. This was the second
“on-the-road” alumni reunion that Thorley and Bowman have
hosted in conjunction with their student recruitment efforts at
national engineering and science conventions.
Dr. Isayev has made numerous contributions to archival literature on polymer
processing, rheology and rubber materials. He co-authored two editions of one
monograph, edited or co-edited seven books and issued 25 patents. He has also
published 230 articles in refereed journals, 30 chapters in books and seven papers
in encyclopedias, as well as supervised 40 Ph.D. and 36 M.S. students. Despite all
this, he maintains a low profile, is congenial with his colleagues, and takes great
interest in the well-being of the department.
Dr. Isayev received the James L. White Innovation Award from the Polymer
Processing Society at its annual meeting in Pattaya, Thailand, in December
2012 for his innovative work on polymer processing by ultrasound. The award is
named after the late Professor James L. White, who along with Isayev and a few
other colleagues founded the Department of Polymer Engineering. His career
at the University has not come full circle yet. We see in him many future years of
productive research, teaching and mentoring of graduate students.
A fellow of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE), Dr. Isayev has served on
the board of the Engineering Properties and Structure Division (EPSDIV), and
has served as a technical program chair. In view of his contributions to polymer engineering, SPE has assigned a special session in his
honor under EPSDIV at the SPE Annual Technical Conference (ANTEC) in Cincinnati, Ohio, April 22-24, 2013. The symposium will host
six internationally renowned speakers from various parts of the world, including (alphabetically) Dr. Eric Baer from Case Western Reserve
University, Dr. Miko Cakmak from UA, Dr. Mahesh Gupta from Michigan Tech, Dr. David Kazmer from UMass Lowell, Dr. Musa Kamal from
McGill University (Canada), and Dr. Petr Saha from Thomas Bata University (Zlin, Czech Republic). Our intent is to schedule the symposium
in the afternoon of April 23, prior to the Department of Polymer Engineering Alumni Reception.
» Attending the Houston dinner
were alumni (L-R): Dr. Andy
Nathan, GSE Systems
(2008, DPS); Dr. Rujul Mehta, Dow Chemical Company
(2003, DPE); Dr. Liehui Ge, Rice University (2011, DPS);
Dr. Sayantan Roy,
Baker Hughes (2011, DPE);
and Dr. Oansuk “Oscar” Chung,
ExxonMobil (1998, DPE).
We invite Dr. Isayev’s current and former students, colleagues and friends to join us at the symposium and later at the alumni reception to
enjoy his company and possibly some Russian jokes. Happy birthday to Dr. Isayev — we will celebrate it at your symposium!
» Courtesy of Associate 10
Professor, Dr. Bryan Vogt, this
image depicts a wrinkled
structure that results from
differences in local
polymerization rates to
yield mechanical mismatches
using surface segregation of a
photocatalyst in monomer.
In this case, furfuryl alcohol,
a renewable monomer, is
polymerized by triflic acid when the acid catalyst is
formed by photolysis of
triphenylsulfonium triflate.
The wrinkle structure can be
tuned by catalyst concentration,
temperature and thickness of
the coating. These wrinkled
structures enable tunable
wetting and adhesion to
the surface.
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. Thorley
Coordinator of Academic Programs
Department of Polymer Engineering
The University of Akron
E-mail: sarah3@uakron.edu
» Houston extended its southern
hospitality to all attendees of the
SWE conference, which had a
record-breaking attendance of more
than 6,000, including a contingency
of both undergraduate and
graduate students from
The University of Akron. Stopping
by the UA booth were polymer
engineering doctoral students
(L-R) Arzu Hayirlioglu, Isil Nugay
and Gamze Bas.
Join me on LinkedIn!
11
» In Memoriam – Dr. Alan Gent
BY KENT MARSDEN
Dr. Alan Neville Gent, the Dr. Harold A. Morton Professor Emeritus of Polymer Physics
and Polymer Engineering, died peacefully at home on September 20, 2012, at the age
of 84. A native of Leicester, England, Gent joined the faculty at The University of Akron
in 1961 and spent the next half century as a pioneer in his field. Internationally known,
Gent was widely regarded as the foremost expert on the fracture mechanics of rubber
and plastics. His research yielded significant contributions to the world’s understanding
of the physics of adhesion and the fracture of rubbery, crystalline and glassy polymers.
Gent’s work had the potential of impacting nearly every rubber or plastic product
developed today.
Respected and admired by his
colleagues and students, Gent never
relinquished a desire to contribute to his field, and he remained active with the University
and the College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering until his passing. In honor
of his international recognition and his service to The University of Akron, the Board of
Trustees of the University voted unanimously to change the name of the Ohio Research
Scholar Professor at The University of Akron to henceforth be named the “Alan N. Gent
Ohio Research Scholar Professor of Polymers.”
He is survived by his extended family, including his wife, Ginger Lee; former wife,
Jean Gent; three sons, Martin, Michael, and Andrew; 15 grandchildren and several
great-grandchildren.
» Recent Polymer Engineering Graduates
SUMMER 2012
Ali Ammar, M.S.
“The Morphology and Mechanical Properties of Polysulfone/Polyimide
Nanocomposite Films”
Advisor: Dr. Alamgir Karim
Diya Bandyopadhyay, Ph.D.
“Controlling Polymer Thin Film Instabilities via Tuning of Polymer-Substrate
Interactions and Suppression of Capillary Waves”
Advisor: Dr. Alamgir Karim
Li Feng, Ph.D.
“Investigation of the Relationships between the Thermodynamic Phase
Behavior and Gelation Behavior of a Series of Tripodal Trisamide Compounds”
Advisor: Dr. Kevin Cavicchi
Kent Miller, Ph.D.
“Production of Poly(lactic acid) Biodegradable Films and the Introduction of a
Novel Initiation Method for Free Radical Polymerization via Magnetic Fields”
Advisor: Dr. Mark Soucek
Emmanuel Pitia, Ph.D.
“Composite Proton Exchange Membrane Based on Sulfonated
Organic Nanoparticles”
Advisor: Dr. Bob Weiss
Chaitanya Pratiwada, M.S.
“High Fidelity Detection of Defects in Polymer Films Using
Surface-Modified Nanoparticles”
Advisor: Dr. Alamgir Karim
Xiaojiang Wang, Ph.D.
“Polyester Based Hybrid Organic Coatings”
Advisor: Dr. Mark Soucek
Xueyuan Wang, Ph.D.
“Control and Characterization of Textured, Hydrophobic Ionomer Surfaces”
Advisor: Dr. Bob Weiss
12
» Dr. Bob Weiss Receives
Honorary Doctorate
Prof. Robert Weiss, the
Hezzleton E. Simmons
Professor of Polymer
Engineering and Chair of
the Department of Polymer
Engineering, was conferred
an honorary doctorate by
Brno University of Technology,
Czech Republic, on October
15, 2012. The award was
bestowed upon Weiss for his
outstanding achievements in
science and engineering.
Located in Central
Europe, Brno University
of Technology is one
of the Czech Republic’s
leading research and
teaching institutions. Weiss
was invited to speak at
the ceremony and give
a presentation to the
University’s Department
of Chemistry.
» Weiss (center) is shown with Prof. Hans
of Technische Universität Dresden.
The University of Akron is an Equal Education
and Employment Institution © 2013
by The University of Akron / PS-1212-31899