Research Projects

You will be given the opportunity to indicate your first, second and third choice, and we will try to match you as best as possible based on your interests.  

The 2023 Smart REU projects and mentors include:

• Dr. Guoqiang Li (Mechanical Engineering)
  Title: “Data-enabled Discovery of Smart Polymers for 4D Printing of Composite Structures”
  Research tasks: Design of thermoset shape memory polymers through machine learning; grid stiffened composite panel design and optimization; 4D printing and testing of grid stiffened composite panels with CNT/CNF alignment capability
• Dr. Donghui Zhang (Chemistry)
  Title: “Synthesis and Characterization of Mechanically Strong, Remoldable and Recyclable Polyaminal Thermosets”
  Research tasks: Design, synthesis and characterization of molecular building blocks for the polyaminal thermosets; Synthesis and characterization of the polyaminal thermosets by condensation polymerization; Characterization of the dynamic, mechanical and thermomechanical properties of the polyaminal thermosets; Investigation of efficient recycling of the polyaminal thermosets
• Dr. Fatima Rivas (Chemistry)
  Title: “Natural product-based polymer materials”
  Research tasks: Purification and drying organic solvent and reagents by distillation in an inert and moisture-free atmosphere, running chemical reactions and performing multi-step synthesis without isolation of intermediates, isolation of product by crystallization and chromatography, Schlenk line solvent removal  
• Dr. Genevieve Palardy (Mechanical Engineering)
  Title: “Self-sensing and self-heating nanocomposite films for structural health monitoring and repair of thermoplastic composite joints”
  Research tasks: Manufacturing and characterization of nanocomposite films; In-situ monitoring of welding process; Effect of multifunctional films on composite joints strength; Self-sensing of nanocomposite films and welded joints under different types of loads; Repair of welded joints through self-heating
• Dr. Brendan Harmon (Landscape Architecture)
  Title: “Robotically Printing Landscapes”
  Research tasks: Research and test biopolymers for 3D printing soil with seed; Use a collaborative robot to run a series of 3D printed soil experiments
• Dr. John Pojman (Chemistry)
  Title: “Cure-on Demand Composites with Frontal Radical-Induced Cationic Polymerization”
  Research tasks: Front propagation velocity as a function of composition of all the components and measure the mechanical and thermal properties of the products produced; Polymers based on bio resourced per frontal polymerization
• Dr. Gerald Schneider (Chemistry)
  Title: “Hierarchically structured nanocomposite polymers”
  Research tasks: Hierarchically structured nanomaterials, based on polymers, synthesized and assembled; materials characterization, including microscopy, electron microscopy, mechanical testing and dielectric spectroscopy
• Dr. Ope Owoyele (Mechanical Engineering)
  Title: “Machine learning and Multi-Physics simulations for melt pool control in additive manufacturing of polymer composites”
  Research tasks: Multi-Physics simulations to understand melt pool formation, dynamics, and solidification; Algorithms for optimal control of melt-pool dynamics and final part quality; Reduced-order modeling and optimization to understand and mitigate the formation of manufacturing defects in polymer composites; Prediction and understanding of process-structure-property relationships using machine learning