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2/9/17 – Professor Ellen Arruda elected to National Academy of Engineering
Macro Professor Ellen Arruda was one of three Michigan faculty recently elected as a new member of the National Academy of Engineering. One of the highest honors given to engineers in the U.S., Professor Arruda was selected for “pioneering research in polymer and tissue mechanics and their application in innovative commercial products”.
1/17/17 – Midori Maeda named runner-up in ‘The Search for Hidden Figures’ contest
Recent Master’s graduate Midori Maeda was named one of 10 runners-up in a national contest that aimed to recognize emerging female visionaries in STEM fields. Midori was selected from a pool of over 7,000 applicants and will receive a $10,000 research fellowship in addition to membership in the New York Academy of Sciences. Midori was the 2016 winner of the Frank E. Filisko Award and expects to being Ph.D. studies next fall.
1/6/17 – Apoorv Shanker wins MRS Silver Graduate Student Award
Apoorv Shanker (Kim Group) was named a winner of the MRS Silver Graduate Student Award at the Fall 2016 MRS meeting. Apoorv’s presentation was titled “Molecular Engineering of Polymers to Realize High Thermal Conductivity in Amorphous Systems”.
1/5/17 – Cancer diagnostic startup co-founded by Macro alum Seungpyo Hong raises $2.9M
Capio Biosciences aims to commercialize a device that could help cancer researchers capture greater numbers of circulating tumor cells (CTCs), which are a valuable indicator of how a cancer (and treatment) is progressing. Dr. Hong recently joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, having previously been at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
10/27/16 – Two Macro students on winning team for P&G Innovations in 3D Printing Challenge
Macro students Abhishek Dhyani and Ying Liu, both members of the Fall 2016 Macro Ph.D. cohort, were members of the winning team of the P&G Innovations in 3D Printing Challenge. Other team members included Dr. Kazem Ardakani (Chemistry), Mohsen Taheri (MechE), and Derick White (Chemistry). The team’s proposal for a new approach to additive manufacturing is now being considered for up to $150,000 in support from the U-M/P&G Materials Innovation Collaboration.
10/5/16 – U-M battery startup Elegus Technologies forms $1.5M joint venture
Elegus Technologies, co-founded in 2014 by Macro Ph.D. candidate Siu On Tung, has formed a $1.5M partnership with manufacturing companies XALT Energy and Energy Power Systems. Siu On is an inventor of the battery separator technology that Elegus has commercialized, utilizing aramid nanofiber based separators to create safer high-energy and power lithium0ion batteries.
Takayama lab develops ‘kidney on a chip’ – 5/20/2016
The lab of Macro Professor Shuichi Takayama has created a ‘kidney on a chip’ device that can mimic how medicine flows through the kidney. The device has the potential to lead to more precise drug dosing as it can closely replicate the environment inside the kidney.
Professor Ellen Arruda developing a shock-absorbing football helmet – 3/29/2016
The lab of Macro Professor Ellen Arruda and the Mitigatium project team has worked to develop a shock-absorbing football helmet that provides better head protection than current technology. The material aims to protect heads against force and impulse rather than just the peak force that can be endured. The project is funded in part by the NFL, Under Armour, and GE.
Ph.D. Student Leanna Foster wins College of Engineering Distinguished Leadership Award – 2/15/2016
Leanna Foster, a second year Macro Ph.D. student working in the lab of Professor Kenichi Kuroda, was selected as a recipient of the 2015-16 Distinguished Leadership Award from the College of Engineering. The award, which is open to all undergraduate and graduate engineering students, recognizes outstanding leadership and service to the College, University, and community. Leanna currently serves as President of the ACS POLY/PMSE student chapter and has been involved with recruitment and outreach efforts.
Professors Kim and Kotov receive 2015-16 College of Engineering Faculty Awards – 1/18/2016
Macro Professors Jinsang Kim and Nicholas Kotov were announced as the recipients of two prestigious College of Engineering Faculty Awards. Professor Kim was selected as the winner of the Monroe-Brown Foundation Research Excellence Award, and Professor Kotov received the Rexford E. Hall Innovation Excellence Award.
Mayaterials and Professor Laine receive 2015 Michigan Green Chemistry Governor’s Award – 11/5/2015
Mayaterials, a company founded in 2003 by Professor Richard Laine, is the winner of the 2015 Michigan Green Chemistry Governor’s Award. Professor Laine is the CEO and CTO of Mayaterials, which was recognized for their work in developing a new process to generate liquid silica from bio and industrial waste. The new process “eliminates all high temperature steps, CO2 production, and uses Ag-waste or diatomaceous earth as sustainable, green starting materials”. A full press release is available here.
Carnegie Mellon Professor of Chemistry and Director of the Center for Macromolecular Engineering Krzysztof Matyjaszewski was selected as the 2015 winner of the Charles G. Overberger International Prize for Excellence in Polymer Chemistry. Professor Matyjaszewski has led a distinguished career as a polymer chemist and is widely known for his discovery of atom radical transfer polymerization (ATRP).
Professor Mark Banaszak Holl named new Macro Director – 9/1/2015
Mark Banaszak Holl, a Professor of Chemistry and Macromolecular Science & Engineering was recently appointed by the College of Engineering as the new Macro Director. Professor Laine’s tenure as director ends after nine transformative years, in which Macro more than doubled in size and developed several new international partnerships. We thank Professor Laine for his tireless commitment to improving the program and making a difference in the lives of our students!
Self-healing material could plug life-threatening holes in spacecraft – 8/26/2015
Macro PhD student Scott Zavada and Professor Timothy Scott are collaborators on a project that developed a new form of self-healing material which utilizes oxygen-mediated polymerization to quickly seal holes.
Director Laine named a 2015 ACS Fellow – 7/13/2015
Congratulations to Director Laine on receiving this honor to recognize his achievements and contributions to science and the ACS community! He will be honored with the other fellows at the upcoming ACS National Meeting in Boston.
“Heartbeat on a chip” could improve pharmaceutical tests – 6/15/2015
The lab of Macro Professor Shuichi Takayama has developed a gravity-powered chip that can mimic a human heartbeat outside the body.
Gold Award for Jihyeon Yeom – 4/10/2015
Graduate student Jihyeon Yeom was selected to receive Graduate Student Gold Award from the Materials Research Society.
Ultra-small block M’s lead to big ideas in drug delivery – 2/25/2015
Macro Professors Anish Tuteja and Geeta Mehta, along with graduate student Sai Pradeep Reddy Kobaku, have developed a new nanoparticle manufacturing process that has implications for drug delivery and targeting.
Development of ‘Bulletproof’ battery – 1/27/2015
Macro graduate student Siu On Tung and Professor Nicholas Kotov are part of a team who has developed a kevlar membrane for safer, thinner, lithium rechargeable batteries.
