College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering at The University of Akron
ALUMNI E-NEWS | Spring 2016
uakron.edu/cpspe
From the Dean
World-class polymer research is being done at the College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering. Students from The University of Akron are engaging, shaping and fueling the innovation economy right here and now. Along with the College of Engineering, we recently had the opportunity to host co-authors Antoine van Agtmael and Fred Bakker for a discussion of their new book "The Smartest Places on Earth: Why Rustbelts Are the Emerging Hotspots of Global Innovation." The book tells the compelling story of how rustbelts cities like Akron are being transformed into brainbelts by sharing brainpower and developing a new branch of the economy. Our programs continue to develop the talent and research pipeline necessary for advanced manufacturing to grow in Akron and Northeast Ohio. We know it to be true that you cannot discuss polymers without mentioning Akron, UA and the College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering. I encourage you, our valued alumni, to find time to read this book that reflects the pride of your alma mater and looks forward to the future of our College and polymers in Akron. 
Atlantic Magazine Excerpt
Alumni Spotlight
Polymer Science Alumnus Wins Young Scientist Award from Science Academy Society in Turkey
Dr. Bülent Akgün, PhD Polymer Science 2007, currently an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul, Turkey, has been recognized with a 2016 Young Scientists Program (BAGEP) Award by the Science Academy Society in Turkey. Akgün was one of 48 awardees this year.  The Science Academy remarks that the intent of the award "is to recognize and reward the most brilliant and promising young academics with a prestigious grant which will help them further their studies." After six years as a postdoctoral researcher and instrument scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Dr. Akgün accepted his current position at Boğaziçi University where he teaches and performs research in the effect of chain architecture on polymer interdiffusion, the surface dynamics of tethered polymers, lipid-protein interactions, and phase separations in polymer blend thin films.
From the College ~ A message from our Chairs
Greetings to all alumni of the Department of Polymer Engineering from your second home. We hope you are doing exceedingly well in your career. Let me share some updates from your home department on campus. You may be aware that Dr. A.I. Leonov, Dr. C.D. Han, and Dr. A. Isayev retired in the last two years. It is impossible to fill their shoes, however we are currently looking to hire two faculty members at the assistant/associate professor level with expertise in rheology and in processing. The research landscape has taken yet another transformation with recent additions of research areas on batteries, photovoltaics, and devices, layer-by-layer assembly, aerogels and mesoporous materials, and molecular modeling accounting for large external funding. Graduate student enrollment is at an all time high at 149. Your Polymer Engineering family in Akron wishes you and your family well. We hope you plan to join us in October for Alumni Day 2016.
~ Sadhan C. Jana, PhD
 
Dear alumni, as Chair of the Department of Polymer Science, I am excited to have this new forum to communicate with you, our valued alumni. I encourage you to reach out with any suggestions on how we can best communicate with you in the future or if you have news to share. The spring semester is off to an excellent start and we have had some notable faculty and student accomplishments. To name a few, Assistant Professor Yu Zhu won an NSF CAREER Award for his study of new types of conjugate polymers and graduate student Dharamdeep Jain in Professor Ali Dhinojwala'a group won the Alan Gent Distinguished Student Paper Award for best presentation at this year's Adhesion Society Annual Meeting. As a department, we are looking forward to graduation and the continued success of our students after they have graduated and joined the ranks of alumni. I invite each of you to visit the campus this summer to see what has changed since you were last here. ~ Coleen Pugh, PhD
Faculty Spotlight
Dr. Andrey V. Dobrynin, the Alan N. Gent Ohio Research Scholar Professor of Polymer Science, joined the College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering faculty in July 2015. The former Program Director for the Condensed Matter and Material Theory Program in the Division of Materials Research at The National Science Foundation holds a Master's degree in Chemical Physics, a PhD in Polymer Physics from the Moscow Institute of Physics Technology. Read more about why he chose to join CPSPE and what he hopes to achieve in the Department of Polymer Science.

Tell us about a faculty member you would like see in the spotlight by emailing us here.
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Student Spotlight
Danielle Grolman, PhD student in the Department of Polymer Engineering, earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. As a member of our Polymer Engineering Student Organization and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, she shares what makes a PhD exciting and challenging and why she chose The University of Akron's Department of Polymer Engineering. 
Tell us about a student you would like to have in the spotlight by emailing us here.
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Calling all CPSPE Alumni! 
Would you like to be featured in our next edition of CPSPE Alumni e-News? Tell us what's new! We'd love to hear what you've been up to, and with your permission, will share your news with your fellow CPSPE alumni. Please direct photos and questions to
cpspe-alumni@uakron.edu or call (330) 972-6493.
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The University of Akron
Akron, OH | 44325 US
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