Researched material formulations and structures to optimize mechanical properties of gecko-like dry adhesives. Developed a standard operating procedure to commercialize a highly consistent and high-quality product to be used on robotic gripping applications in industrial automation. Materials Research & Innovation:•Executed a full factorial DOE relating gecko adhesion and endurance on a variety of surfaces to elastomer type, nanoparticle type/addition amount, and microstructure shape•Improved adhesion and endurance by 165%•Interacted with customers to gain feedback to influence design such as endurance lifetime, optimal size and shape, and material properties to cope with surface roughnessProcess & Product Development:•Designed, created and implemented mechanical unit that improved quality yield of gecko-like dry adhesives from 60% to 95%, doubled production rate, and improved adhesion•Development of QA tests to accurately determine part release for manufacturability•Responsible for materials and process sourcing, including silicone/polyurethane elastomers, nanoparticles, and micro/macro level manufacturing•Development of standard operation procedures for the high-volume production of gecko-like dry adhesives •Conducted failure analysis on cure inhibited silicone Research and development of materials formulations and the structure of composite elastomer tactile sensors that possessed high sensitivity, high repeatability, and minimal hysteresis for a research-based grant to be utilized in robotic gripping applications as well as wearable pressure mapping.•Execution of a full factorial DOE to find the optimal thickness and shore hardness as well as maximizing sensitivity with the least amount of conductive additives •Rapid prototyping of product iterations to design a highly competitive tactile sensor that is versatile in application yet low cost to manufacture compared to the current industry

- Understand modern technology through research and play-testing in order to best match a customer’s playing style with racquets, strings, and tensions- Customize racquet by updating strings, balance, and grip size/shape

- Researched and developed pathways to efficiently synthesize glycopolymers through RAFT polymerization- Employed standard organic chemistry techniques to ensure purity of synthesized products including column chromatography, precipitation, and extractions- Characterized glycomonomers and glycopolymers by NMR analysis, Mass Spec analysis, and Size Exclusion Chromatography (GPC)- Designed and performed experiments to measure the hydrolysis of glycopolymers

Advisor: Dr. Gisela Buschle-Diller * Synthesized highly crosslinked pectin biopolymer beads through ionotropic gelation* Modified and improved existing techniques for encapsulating materials within polymer beads* Performed experiments measuring the stability of polymer beads and release of L-Tryptophan in gastrointestinal conditions through the use of UV-Vis instrumentation

Advisor: Dr. Maria Auad * Accurately measured and prepared chemical solutions to be used in organic synthesis * Crosslinked biopolymer fibers through the wet-spinning of sodium alginate and Chitosan solutions* Conducted mechanical analysis on fibers using a dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) instrumentation as well as thermal analysis with a differential scanning calorimetry instrument (DSC)* Created, tested, and analyzed combinations of chemical contents to determine the highest quality and performance of various fibers * Assisted lead graduate student in designing and planning experiments from start to finish Publications: P. Marshall, et al. Preparation of Alginate-chitosan Fibers with Potential Biomedical Applications. Carbohydrate Polymers (2015)