The National Academy of Inventors this week named Todd Emrick, polymer science and engineering, a fellow of the academy, which seeks to recognize the fellows’ “prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society.”
Emphasizing the synthesis of new materials in his research laboratory over the past 13 years, Emrick has developed new polymer surfactants, self-healing polymers, nanoparticles and nanoparticle capsules, membrane technology for water desalination and purification, polymeric flame-retardants and new materials for drug delivery.
Chances are good that when medical device manufacturers offer a wearable biosensing patch that will allow a nurse to monitor a patient’s blood sugar or insulin level remotely, for example, it was designed and the prototype built by polymer scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst led by Jim Watkins.
Watkins, who directs the National Science Foundation’s Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing (CHM) at UMass Amherst, says its research has helped to establish that such devices are feasible, and projects beginning this month at the new Center for Personalized Health Monitoring (CPHM) should soon lead to prototypes being developed and tested for commercialization.
Sankaran "Thai" Thayumanavan's research spans a broad realm from cancer therapy using novel drug delivery vehicles to generating organic solar-cell materials. His research is most innovative in its design of new and often unorthodox molecules and materials that result in breakthroughs in important areas. One recent such example is Thayumanavan's work in developing fundamentally new molecular design algorithms for nanomaterials that predictably respond to subtle variations in their environment.
Thayumanavan is further renowned for his ability to arrive at practical molecular systems to solve important problems, such as polymer nanogels that are capable of delivering both proteins and small hydrophobic molecules to targeted cells and sub-cellular compartments. His stature in his field is attested to by the extraordinary number of presentations he has been invited to make at international conferences.
Professor Vincent M. Rotello, professor of chemistry at UMass Amherst and CHM Participant, has been named the next editor-in-chief of the ACS journal Bioconjugate Chemistry. He will begin his editorship in January 2014 succeeding the founding editor-in-chief, Claude F. Meares of the University of California, Davis.
The National Academy of Sciences has awarded a three-year, $271,930 grant to Chemistry professor Vincent Rotello to develop, test and deploy new, sensitive, reliable and affordable inkjet-printed, nanoparticle-based test strips for detecting disease-causing bacteria in drinking water, with researchers at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) in Pakistan.
Professor Maria Santore of Polymer Science and Engineering has been elected to Fellowship in the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science). Maria was recognized for her contributions to science and technology on February 16, 2013 during the AAAS Annual Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts.
Flexible electronics encompass a broad range of technologies impacting emerging applications that have generated significant interest due to the potential commercial opportunities, which in turn has driven research and development in materials, devices, and scaled manufacturing methodologies. A range of materials encompassing organic, inorganic, and composite nanomaterials will enable a range of new consumer products including flexible displays, LED lighting, solar photovoltaics, integrated circuits and data storage. The NSF Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing (CHM) at UMass Amherst, with support from the FlexTech Alliance and the NNN, recently held a one-day Symposium on Materials and Processes for Flexible Devices and Electronics in conjunction with the Center for UMass-Industry Research in Polymers’ (CUMIRP) Spring Polymer Event on May 16, 2013.
Professor Jim Watkins has been elected a 2012 APS Fellow (American Physical Society) by the Division of Polymer Physics for his pioneering efforts in manipulating polymers to develop technologically functional nanoscopic materials. Jim will be recognized at the upcoming APS March Meeting.
UMass Amherst polymer scientists Kenneth Carter and James Watkins, collaborating with team leader Francesco Fornasiero of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), recently received a five-year $1.8 million grant to design ways to manufacture the new material as part of a $13 million project funded by the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency. It’s estimated that the new uniforms could be deployed in the field in less than 10 years.
Alfred J. Crosby, an investigator in the CHM from Polymer Science and Engineering, has been promoted to full Professor effective September 1, 2012. Al's research interests include the mechanics of hierarchical structures, polymer adhesion, biomimetic materials design, responsive surfaces and materials, elastic instabilities; deformation and fracture of thin films, polymer patterning; nanocomposites and combinatorial methods.
As a participant in the CHM, he is collaborating with Professor Ken Carter to develop new methods to overcome existing challenges in the use of nanoimprinting patterning on flexible substrates in a roll-to-roll configuration. In addition, Al has collaborated with Professor Todd Emrick to develop a robust, scalable process for manufacturing assemblies that can be integrated into flow-coating to assemble periodic polymer and/or nanoparticle line patterns with controlled dimensions.
Assistant Professor Alejandro Briseño received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) from President Barack Obama in a ceremony at the White House on July 23rd. Briseño was cited for "outstanding research accomplishments in areas of organic semiconductor nanoelectronics and molecular crystals and breakthroughs in the fundamental understanding of organic interfacial crystallization." Alex is one of only 96 scientists and engineers this year to receive the PECASE award which is the highest honor bestowed by the United States Government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers.
Gregory M. Grason, assistant professor of Polymer Science and Engineering is among 126 researchers in the United States and Canada to be awarded prestigious Sloan Research Fellowships by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Jeffrey Morse, managing director of the National Nanomanufacturing Network at the campus's NSF Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing, was recently named one of the 25 "Most Influential Nanotechnology Leaders" by the NanoBusiness Commercialization Association.
Professor Mark T. Tuominen, co-Director of the CHM, has recently (November 2011) been named a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) for his contributions to nanoscale science and technology.
AMHERST, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Amherst has received a five-year, $20 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support a national research center on nanomanufacturing. The grant will fund the university’s Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing (CHM).
A signature CHM effort is focused on roll-to-roll nanoscale processing of flexible electronics and high technology devices such as solar cells, cell phone displays, batteries and sensors. Roll-to-roll processing is similar to how photographic film moves through a camera from one spindle to another or how newspapers are printed, but with chemical and physical processing in between.
On March 30, 2011 the Navy announced that Alejandro Briseno will receive an ONR Young Investigator award for "compelling research with the potential to deliver game-changing naval science and technology".
Chemist Sankaran "Thai" Thayumanavan has been elected by his peers to be a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in recognition of his contributions to supramolecular polymer chemistry, in particular the development of new self-assembling amphiphilic systems used in biological sensing.
This award, sponsored by ExxonMobil Chemical, is to recognize and encourage outstanding scientific contributions and innovations in the field of elastomers by younger scientists, technologists and engineers.
In a national vote by more than 7,500 members, Richard Vachet, Chemistry, was elected to a two-year term on the board of directors of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS). The organization represents academic, industrial and government laboratories and is the world’s largest society for mass spectrometry and allied topics.
At the recent UMass Honors program on Founder’s Day, April 29, 2010, several CHM participants received awards or were honored for their achievements in the past year.
Leading nanotechnology researcher Mark Tuominen this week provided expert advice to Congress on where and how federal spending can better bolster nanomanufacturing.
Professor Vincent Rotello's research is in the news with an article on a cancer identification method using nanoparticle sensors that can distinguish between metastatic and non-metastatic cells.
Professor Mihri Ozkan of the University of California Riverside, a research collaborator in the Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing, received the Young Investigator Medal of the Society of Engineering Science on June 26, 2009 in ceremonies at Virginia Tech University. This honor is bestowed upon a young researcher in his/her ascendancy whose work has already had an impact in Engineering Science.
Professor Jim Watkins, Co-Director of the CHM, has been awarded the Conti Fellowship for his outstanding record of research and scholarship. He was recognized at the UMass Annual Awards Dinner on May 12, 2009.
Professor Vincent Rotello of the UMass Chemistry department has recently been named Associate Editor for the highly regarded international Journal of Materials Chemistry starting January 1, 2009.
Sankaran "Thai" Thayumanavan's research spans a broad realm from cancer therapy using novel drug delivery vehicles to generating organic solar-cell materials. His research is most innovative in its design of new and often unorthodox molecules and materials that result in breakthroughs in important areas. One recent such example is Thayumanavan's work in developing fundamentally new molecular design algorithms for nanomaterials that predictably respond to subtle variations in their environment.
Professor Vincent M. Rotello, professor of chemistry at UMass Amherst and CHM Participant, has been named the next editor-in-chief of the ACS journal Bioconjugate Chemistry. He will begin his editorship in January 2014 succeeding the founding editor-in-chief, Claude F. Meares of the University of California, Davis.
The National Academy of Sciences has awarded a three-year, $271,930 grant to Chemistry professor Vincent Rotello to develop, test and deploy new, sensitive, reliable and affordable inkjet-printed, nanoparticle-based test strips for detecting disease-causing bacteria in drinking water, with researchers at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) in Pakistan.
Professor Maria Santore of Polymer Science and Engineering has been elected to Fellowship in the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science). Maria was recognized for her contributions to science and technology on February 16, 2013 during the AAAS Annual Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts.
Professor Jim Watkins has been elected a 2012 APS Fellow (American Physical Society) by the Division of Polymer Physics for his pioneering efforts in manipulating polymers to develop technologically functional nanoscopic materials. Jim will be recognized at the upcoming APS March Meeting.
Alfred J. Crosby, an investigator in the CHM from Polymer Science and Engineering, has been promoted to full Professor effective September 1, 2012. Al's research interests include the mechanics of hierarchical structures, polymer adhesion, biomimetic materials design, responsive surfaces and materials, elastic instabilities; deformation and fracture of thin films, polymer patterning; nanocomposites and combinatorial methods. 
Assistant Professor Alejandro Briseño received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) from President Barack Obama in a ceremony at the White House on July 23rd. Briseño was cited for "outstanding research accomplishments in areas of organic semiconductor nanoelectronics and molecular crystals and breakthroughs in the fundamental understanding of organic interfacial crystallization." Alex is one of only 96 scientists and engineers this year to receive the PECASE award which is the highest honor bestowed by the United States Government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers.
Gregory M. Grason, assistant professor of Polymer Science and Engineering is among 126 researchers in the United States and Canada to be awarded prestigious Sloan Research Fellowships by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. 
Jeffrey Morse, managing director of the National Nanomanufacturing Network at the campus's NSF Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing, was recently named one of the 25 "Most Influential Nanotechnology Leaders" by the NanoBusiness Commercialization Association. 
Professor Mark T. Tuominen, co-Director of the CHM, has recently (November 2011) been named a 
On March 30, 2011 the Navy announced that 
Chemist Sankaran "Thai" Thayumanavan has been elected by his peers to be a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in recognition of his contributions to supramolecular polymer chemistry, in particular the development of new self-assembling amphiphilic systems used in biological sensing. 
This award, sponsored by ExxonMobil Chemical, is to recognize and encourage outstanding scientific contributions and innovations in the field of elastomers by younger scientists, technologists and engineers. 
In a national vote by more than 7,500 members, Richard Vachet, Chemistry, was elected to a two-year term on the board of directors of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS). The organization represents academic, industrial and government laboratories and is the world’s largest society for mass spectrometry and allied topics. 
Professor Vincent Rotello's research is in the news with an article on a cancer identification method using nanoparticle sensors that can distinguish between metastatic and non-metastatic cells.
Professor Mihri Ozkan of the University of California Riverside, a research collaborator in the Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing, received the 
Professor Jim Watkins, Co-Director of the CHM, has been awarded the Conti Fellowship for his outstanding record of research and scholarship. He was recognized at the UMass Annual Awards Dinner on May 12, 2009.
