Thesis: Structure and Property Control and Crystallite Influence on Segmental Dynamics in Hydrogenated Polynorbornene, advised by Dr. Richard A. Register- Investigated how polymer synthesis and saturation conditions alter the chain structure of hydrogenated ROMP polynorbornenes and quantified the resulting structure-property relationships- Utilized polymer blending techniques to tune and optimize polymer behavior- Developed and optimized experimental protocols involving polymer synthesis, polymer processing, and fluorescence spectroscopy to study segmental dynamics at specific regions in a polymer’s morphology- Mentored undergraduates (8 months) and REU students (9 weeks) in studying and understanding polymerization kinetics, crystallization kinetics, and polymer structure-property relationships

- Analyzed the thermal conductance of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic solid-liquid interfaces via time-domain thermoreflectance- Developed heuristics and automated quality analyses of biofilms and also surface interactions between polymeric thin films and various saline solutions using ImageJ and a combination of MATLAB and Python

- Assembled various mock-ups for testing related to nuclear power plant processes at both laboratory and pilot scale- Performed calculations and laboratory work related to crud erosion and stress-corrosion cracking in various alloy tubing

- Measured critical micelle concentrations of synthesized nanoparticles- Coordinated with synthesis group in order to produce results