Wednesday, October 20, 2021
1:45 PM Meeting opens
1:55 PM – 2:00 PM Introductions by Jinsang Kim and Abdon Pena-Francesch
2:00 PM – 2:45 PM Sci Comm Workshop
Join biologist and scientific illustrator, Dr. Caroline Hu, Harvard University, to learn how to communicate science through engaging visual media.
2:30 PM – 3:15 PM International Student Immigration Workshop
Join the University of Michigan Assistant Directors of International Student and Scholar Services, and the Assistant Director of Faculty and Staff Immigration Services for a presentation and Q&A session on “what comes after graduation” for international students.
Panelists: Scott Manley, University of Michigan and David Muusz, University of Michigan
3:00 PM – 3:45 PM Academic Career Panel
Learn from representatives from various academic career tracks, including R1 faculty, PUI (primarily undergraduate institute) faculty, and a national lab representative about their positions and what led them there.
Panelists: Dr. Edmund Palermo (RPI), Dr. Scott Zavada (NASA), and Dr. Brittany Nelson-Cheeseman (University of St. Thomas)
3:45 PM – 4:30 PM Non-Traditional Career Panel
Meet University of Michigan alum to learn about alternative careers to academia and industry, including representatives who work in museum conservation, policy, and government.
Panelists: Dr. Chris Avery (NCA), Dr. Matthew Clarke (Smithsonian), and Dr. Laura Povlich (NIH)
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM Industry Research and Development Career Panel
Hear industry representatives talk about campus hires, demystifying getting a job, and hear from a recruiter’s perspective.
Panelists: Seyyed Salili (Wacker), Jeff Ting (3M), Jinghang Wu (BASF), Shaun Ahn (Dow), and Adam J. Crowe (PPG)
5:30 PM – 6:00 PM Wellness Workshop
Join University of Michigan Wolverine Wellness, Janet Jansen, for a workshop to learn about how to balance graduate school life to find well-being.
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM Social Hour
Meet fellow polymer graduate students and chat in Gathertown! Great opportunity to check out the space ahead of the poster sessions on Thursday!
Thursday, October 21, 2021 Schedule
8:30 – 8:45 Check-in
8:45 – 9:00 Opening Jinsang Kim and Abdon Pena-Francesch, University of Michigan
9:00 – 9:40 Professor Xuanhe Zhao, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Magnetic Soft Robots (Hosted by: Abdon Pena-Francesch)
9:40 – 10:20 Professor Greg Tew, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Chemically Rich Macromolecules Inspired by Natural Proteins (Hosted by: Zhan Chen)
10:20 – 10:30 Break
10:30 – 11:00 Adam Crowe, PPG
Improving Manufacturing Efficiencies and Safety for Lithium-Ion Batteries (Hosted by: Zhan Chen)
11:00 – 11:20 Jinghang Wu, BASF
Development of BASF’s new energy absorbing Polyurethane foam powering the Xenith LOOP-Top Rated Head Gear (Hosted by: Jennie Paik )
11:20 – 11:40 Shaun Ahn, Dow
From Adhesives to 3D Printing: Applications of Room Temperature Alkylborane Radical Polymerization (Hosted by: Cecilia Kinane)
11:40 – 1:20 PPG Poster Session (Hosted by Jenni Paik)
1:20 – 1:30 Break
1:30 – 1:50 Jeff Ting, 3M
Advances in Materials Informatis for Industrial Applications in Chemistry, Materials Science, and Engineering (Hosted by: Anthony Berardi)
1:50 – 2:10 Seyyed Salili, Wacker
The Role of Advanced Data Analytics in the Polymer Industry’s R&D and Manufacturing (Hosted by: Shuqing Zhang)
2:10 – 2:30 Chris Cooper, Student Talk
(Hosted by: Cecilia Kinane)
2:30 – 2:40 Break
2:40 – 3:20 Professor Jovan Kamcev, University of Michigan
Multifunctional Ion-Exchange Membranes for Simultaneous Water Desalination and Selective Solute Recovery (Hosted by: Abdon Pena-Francesch)
3:20 – 4:00 Professor Jeremiah Johnson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (host: Anthony)
Clipping bonds in plastics and gels: what can we learn by breaking down “infinite” molecules?
(Hosted by: Anthony Berardi)
4:00 – 4:40 Prof. Zhenan Bao, Stanford, Overberger Award Seminar
Skin-Inspired Organic Electronics (Hosted by: Jinsang Kim)
4:40 – 5:00 Closing & Awards Presentation
(Hosted by: Jinsang Kim and Abdon Pena-Francesch)