Graduate Research Assistant: Characterization of nanomechanical property gradients of polymers via AFM-nanoindentationInvestigating the effect of gas exposure on fluorescence properties of polymer thin filmsLab Manager August 2020-May 2021, August 2023-August 2024: Test safety features of laboratory weekly, manage research group purchasing, orient new lab members to the group and our facilities, serve as liasion between building facilities managment and research group members.

Polymer Materials EngineeringPerformed polymer characterizations using wide array of standard methods (all product lines)Developed methods for specific polymer system characterization (all product lines)Performed chemical resistance testing on polymer films for use in new product line (Apple VisionPro)Redesigned and implemented new fixture for environmental stress cracking resistanceInvestigated product space for PFAS free alternatives for FR anti-drip additives for thermoplastics (all product lines)

• Evaluated material constituents for spacecraft componentso Designed and prototyped printed circuit board-based force sensitive resistors for use in space on satellite systems• Designed spring pin connector assembly for satellite communications via Gigabit Etherneto Selected spring pins and designing interposer layout for making secure, repeatable, electrical connections in vacuum environment • Synthesized and prepared catalyst for rocket monopropellanto Impregnated powdered alumina with iridium chloride to serve as catalyst for hydrogen peroxide rocket monopropellant• Translated satellite station building algorithm from MATLAB code to Python code• Wrote software user guide for proprietary satellite station building software

Project: Transient Electronic Materials • Collaborated with PhD candidate and faculty member to fabricate transient electronic materials• Prepared thin films and dog-bone specimens of transient polymers and transient carbon composites for testing• Conducted differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) experiments on samples of transient polymer to probe glass transition temperatureo Investigated effect of various plasticizers and plasticizer loadings on viscoelastic propertiesProject: Spontaneous Patterning via. Frontal Polymerization E.M. Lloyd, E.C. Feinberg, Y. Gao, S.R. Peterson, B. Soman, J. Hemmer, L.M. Dean, Q. Wu, P.H. Geubelle, N.R. Sottos, J.S. Moore, "Spontaneous Patterning during Frontal Polymerization", ACS Central Science 2021 • Collaborated with PhD candidate and faculty member to study pattern formation in polymerization processeso Quantified kinetics of thermal bleaching in polymerization process by ultraviolet visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis)• Prepared various resin samples for experimentation with proficiency in differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)• Prepared various resin samples with varying melting point suppressant loading and probed thermal properties such as glass transition temperature and heat of reaction by use of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)

• E. Goli, S.R. Peterson, P.H. Geubelle, “Instabilities driven by frontal polymerization in thermosetting polymers and composites”, Composites Part B, 2020Project: Modeling Thermal Instabilities Driven by Frontal Polymerization in Thermosetting Polymers and Composites• Collaborated with PhD candidate and faculty member to study pattern formation in polymerization process through computational analysiso Varied initial temperature, initial degree of cure, and fiber volume fraction in simulation to define a manufacturing design space• Conducted finite element analysis of frontal polymerization using Multiphysics Object Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE)• Wrote post processing algorithm in MATLAB• Presented research at the 16th Pan-American Congress of Applied Mechanics Conference (PACAM XVI)• Presented research at the 2019 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMECE 2019)o Awarded Best Computational Approach in the Track 16-1 NSF Student Research Poster Competition

• Constructed and updated Women in Engineering website• Spoke with prospective students about Engineering at Illinois

Provided daily child care and English lessons to native Spanish boy