Polymer Science Podcast

Episode 39: Dr. Yoan Simon talks about the grad school experience, professorship, and adaptive polymer networks 31.03.2026 1t 1min

Welcome back everyone! Please enjoy this jovial interview with Dr. Yoan Simon, Associate Professor of Polymer Science with the Biodesign Center for Sustainable Macromolecular Materials and Manufacturing at Arizona State University. Do you have any questions, comments, or feedback for the show? Please reach out to us at PolymerSciencePodcast@gmail.com #Polymers #PolymerScience #Engineering #USM #ASU #Vitrimer #UpConversion #TTA #Mechanochemistry #Chemistry

Episode 38: Talking to Julia K Wright about textiles, weaving and using the loom 10.10.2024 39min

Today we listen to Julia Wright, who is a fascinating and unique guest to have on our show! In this episode we learn all about the Loom and what goes into the art of weaving. She is a contemporary textile artist and engineer currently based in Ithaca, NY while working in the biomedical textile engineering field. She received her Bachelors in Fine Arts for Textiles with a focus on weaving from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2016 and is currently giving artist talks, demonstrations, and doing exhibitions with her wonderful woven art. https://amadeusmag.com/blog/julia-wright-weaving-cosidered-work/ https://www.julia--wright.com/ Hope you enjoy!

Episode 37: Dr. Frank Leibfarth discusses polymer recycling and PFAS filtratrion 24.06.2024 1t 4min

In this interview from November 2022, Dr. Frank Leibfarth discusses the exciting research coming from his group. Dr. Leibfarth cultivated a passion for organic synthetic polymer chemistry, and utilizes his many talents and excellent leadership to guide his group toward the production of sustainable polymer materials. Papers discussed in this interview: "Diversification of Aliphatic C-H Bonds in Small Molecules and Polyolefins through Radical Chain Transfer" For those interested in learning more, please reach out to us at PolymerSciencePodcast@gmail.com

Episode 36: Dr. Kevin Wyss discusses Flash-Joule Heating, Polymer Upcycling, and Life-Cycle Assessment 05.05.2024 56min

We are back! Again! Much has changed since I've last been able to post an episode, but the wonders of polymer science continue propagating! In this interview we hear from Dr. Kevin Wyss, who earned his PhD during August of 2023 from Rice University. Dr. Wyss has since taken his incredible talents with him to Schlumberger, advancing the frontier of sustainable materials. Tune in to the show to learn more about polymer upcycling, graphene generation through flash-joule heating, and the significance of life-cycle assessment when generating novel materials. Do you have any questions, comments, or feedback for the show? Please reach out to us at PolymerSciencePodcast@gmail.com

Episode 35: Talking to Joe Mwakiremba about upcycling flip-flops from beaches in Kenya 16.03.2024 29min

In this episode, we listen to Joe Mwakiremba, a hardworking and passionate sales representative for Ocean Sole in Kenya, talk about how they are upcycling trashed flip-flop while simultaneously cleaning up the environment and creating stable jobs for many people. Check out these links to YouTube and watch these flip-flops being turned into amazing sculptures! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK-BHZs7GxE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZV9J62Z2Vk If you want to support this project for your business or simply have a uniquely stunning art piece in your home, check out this link to their website: https://oceansole.com/pages/our-impact You can find Joe via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemama/ Hope you enjoy the episode!

Episode 34: Dr Mapula Razwinani talks about plant-based bandages with medicinal features 11.12.2023 34min

Today I spoke to Dr Mapula about patents, polymers in wound healing treatment, medicinal plants and empowering women in science particularly in Africa. She is a warm, kind and self driven biomedical researcher and entrepreneur with comprehensive accomplishment in clinical research and tissue engineering. Please check her page on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-mapula-razwinani-17ba6655/ And see her award as L’Oréal-UNESCO FWIS South Africa National Young Talent 2023: https://www.dut.ac.za/duts-dr-mapula-razwinani-recognised-as-one-of-the-phenomenal-women-scientists/ UNSECO: https://www.unesco.org/en/prizes/women-science You can read more about her work here: https://www.scitcentral.com/article.php?journal=55&article=1218&article_title=The%20Effects%20of%20Pleurostylia%20capensis%20Crude%20Extracts%20on%20the%20Chondrogenic%20Differentiation%20of%20Porcine%20Adipose-Derived%20Mesenchymal%20Stem%20Cells

Episode 33: Dr. Boran ”Bo” Ma discusses computational modeling in polymers, comedy in science, and living in Hattiesburg 06.09.2023 1t 7min

Dr. Boran “Bo” Ma established the Ma Research Lab in January 2023 in the School of Polymer Science and Engineering at the University of Southern Mississippi. Prior to joining the SPSE, Dr. Bo was a postdoctoral associate at Duke University. She received her PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Northwestern University in 2019 and her BEng in Materials Science and Engineering from Harbin Institute of Technology in 2014. Now the Ma Research Lab focuses on multiscale computational modeling and simulation of polymeric material systems for energy and sustainability applications. Ma Research Lab webpage: https://www.maresearchlab.com/

Episode 32: Gregory Parisi tells us more about adaptable Fog water collection using switchable electrospun fibers 17.07.2023 27min

Today we are talking to Gregory Parisi about harvesting water in variable humidity conditions studying specifically the wetting properties of electrospun polymer materials. Gregory is a PhD student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and worked as a Fulbright fellow at the AGH-UST Faculty of Metals Engineering and Industrial Computer Science in Poland with Urszula Stachewicz, a previous guest on our show. Please see the link below to the study group that he joined in Poland: http://www.tem.agh.edu.pl/main_new/index.php/en/41-pracownicy/38-dr-eng-urszula-stachewicz Hope you enjoy this episode! Alicia

Episode 31: Adam Hecht from Dive Design on 3D printing prosthesis for dogs and more 11.06.2023 30min

In this episode we talk to Adam Hecht, Co-Founder, Designer and Director of Additive Manufacturing at DiveDesign. He tells us more about what goes into running a 3D company and all the products that they are currently making. He also have some amazing collaborations and interesting projects, from turning trash from the ocean into furniture to helping disabled ducks, dogs and even a Elephant! Hope you enjoy the conversation! Here are the links mentioned in the show: https://www.divedesignco.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-hecht-b55959104/ https://www.instagram.com/divedesignco/?hl=en Let us know what you think of this episode and share if you enjoyed it!

Episode 30: Dr Aurelien Forget speaks about a wonderful new Free Radical Polymerization game that is for everyone 06.04.2023 22min

In this episode we listen to Dr Aurelien Forget talk about his work and research interests. He also shares details about a fun and educative card game that he developed called Macromolecular Games: A Free Radical Polymerization Card Game. This card game is made for anyone that wish to understand polymerization and can even be customized with you own logo or tag that you would like displayed on the cards (great for companies and Universities). The aim of this game is to form polymer chains with the higher molecular weight. Only terminated polymer chains are counted. The set is composed of two card decks each with 55 cards. The decks contain four monomers, four special cards: copolymer, termination, SFRP and CTA. It can be played competitively with friends, colleagues or family (with no Polymer Science Background)! Learn more by visiting this links: https://instagram.com/macromoleculargames?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= https://www.forgetlab.com/dr-aurelien-forget-1 You also a get a special 10% discount code for your support to this podcast: https://macromolecular-games.myshopify.com/discount/polymersciencepodcast10?redirect=%2Fproducts%2Ffree-radical-polymerization-card-game We would love to know what you think about the game, so please leave a comment if you have played it! And share this episode if you like it!

Episode 29: Dr. Tristan Clemons discusses soft-matter therapeutics, peptide synthesis, and field hockey 21.03.2023 48min

Dr. Tristan Clemons discusses soft-matter therapeutics, protein synthesis, and field hockey

Episode 28: Dr. Katrina Knauer discusses the restructuring of plastic recycling 22.11.2022 38min

Dr. Katrina Knauer is the Chief Technology Officer of the BOTTLE Consortium at the National Renewable Energy Laboratories near Denver, Colorado. BOTTLE (Bio-Optimized Technologies to keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment) is a U.S. Department of Energy multi-organization consortium focused on developing new chemical upcycling strategies for today's plastics and redesigning tomorrow's plastics to be recyclable-by-design. Publications related to PHA discussion with Dr. Knauer: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ange.201916415 https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.macromol.0c02110 All BOTTLE publications: https://www.bottle.org/publications.html Any comments or questions? Please reach out to us! PolymerSciencePodcast@gmail.com

Episode 27: Dr. Barney Grubbs discusses the significance of depolymerizable polymers in sustainable materials 11.10.2022 37min

Dr. Barney Grubbs discusses with Jacob the importance of controllably degradable polymers and their significance in improving material sustainability. Dr. Grubbs also talks about his academic journey, taking us all around the United States as he shares his exciting research!

Episode 26: Talking to Ingmar Van Hengel about digital health, 3D implants and skin printing 01.09.2022 40min

Ingmar Van Hengel is a PhD candidate at Delft University in Biomedical Engineering. He also has a mind for business when he created his first startup company called SkinPrint for the treatment of burn wounds using bioprinting to develop skin using the patient's cells and biocompatible natural polymer materials. He then shifted his focus to developing multifunctional 3D implants for orthopedic patients that are longer lasting and can combat bacterial infections. He has continued to grow his expertise in the Digital health field and was a business analyst for PatchAI, which develops intelligent digital health engagement solutions for decentralized clinical studies. He is now working with Alira Health in gathering data and doing research that can contribute greatly to the overall health of the society. https://alirahealth.com/ https://www.patchai.io/news/author/ingmar-van-hengel Some more links: Short movie about Skinprint: https://youtu.be/2C3aFV8V8k4 Publication skin printing: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20417314221088513 PhD research on 3D printed orthopedic implants: https://www.materialstoday.com/metals-alloys/news/new-titanium-implants-could-last-a-lifetime/ Short movie about digital health (Patchai): https://youtu.be/hQ9up3nGytk

Episode 25: Dr. Brooks Abel, University of California Berkeley, Polymer Recycling 10.08.2022 1t 11min

Dr. Brooks Abel is an assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeley, where the Abel group conducts research at the interfaces of polymer organic chemistry, catalysis, and materials science. Dr. Brooks and his group pursue application-driven polymer chemistry, where the desired chemical identity, physical properties, and end-use of the polymer materials are used to guide the development of new polymerization methods. They also follow a methodology approach to discovering new polymerization reactions to push the field of polymer chemistry towards previously unobtainable control over polymer microstructure, architecture, and functionality. Including the incredible research Dr. Abel has performed throughout his career, this episode focuses on new methods and materials designed to improve the recyclability of plastic materials. Tune in now to learn more! Video reference of plastic being broken down into its starting ingredients: https://youtu.be/e_195DD-r2k

Episode 24: Talking to Dr Megan Coates and Dr Laura Frazier about SNC and TaikiUSA nanofiber-based beauty line 30.06.2022 27min

Today we are talking to Dr Laura Frazier, Chief Scientist of TaikiUSA, and Dr Megan Coates, R&D manager at the Stellenbosch Nanofiber Company, about their collaboration and creation of Bōshi Beauty nanofiber-based product line. Stellenbosch Nanofiber Company has been developing nanofiber-based products, including advanced wound dressings, tissue engineering scaffolds and cosmetic products. TaikiUSA is a global leader in skincare and makeup tools. Megan received her PhD in Chemistry at the Rhodes University in South Africa and have been working at the SNC for over 8 years as Research and Development manager. Laura received her PhD in Chemistry at the University of Akron in the USA and have worked as Director at the SNS Nanofiber Technology company, an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Malone University, a program leader at Owens Corning and now as chief scientist at TaikiUSA. www.taikibeauty.com www.sncfibers.com

Episode 23: Talking to Clariter’s Zininzi Mpafa about upcycling plastic waste to useful products 30.06.2022 20min

Hello everyone! Alicia, here! So at the time of this recording I am approximately 38 weeks pregnant and a little sick as you could probably tell from my voice. This means that I am now on maternity leave while you are listening to this episode and taking care of our newborn! Nonetheless the show goes on! And I am happy to say that our Podcast team has grown. You will be introduced to our new co-host soon! In this episode, we are speaking to Zininzi Mpafa, a Laboratory Analyst at Clariter. She is an experience scientist in the Petrochemical industry and Environment industry (Ocean and Coastal Research). She studied at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and Walter Sisulu University in Analytical Chemistry. She also did internships as quality testing analyst at Engen and as a Marine Chemist at the Department of Environmental Affairs. She is currently working at the global cleantech company, Clariter, that focuses on upcycling plastic waste into the high-value, pure solvents, oils and waxes. As promised here are the links to the articles and research mentioned in the episode! Hope you find it useful! https://clariter.com/news/ www.teijinaramid.com Thank you for listening and for your support!

Episode 22: Talking to Dr. Benjamin Alameda about controllably degradable polymer networks 01.06.2022 35min

In this episode we hear from Dr. Benjamin Alameda, a brand new PhD graduate from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Episode 21: Talking to Dr. Christoph Herfurth about polyurethanes and sustainable plastics 04.04.2022 34min

In this episode we hear from Dr. Christoph Herfurth, a researcher from Fraunhofer. The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft based in Germany is the world’s leading applied research organization. Prioritizing key future-relevant technologies and commercializing its findings in business and industry, it plays a major role in the innovation process. A trailblazer and trendsetter in innovative developments and research excellence, it is helping shape our society and our future. Founded in 1949, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft currently operates 76 institutes and research units throughout Germany. Over 30,000 employees, predominantly scientists and engineers, work with an annual research budget of €2.9 billion. Fraunhofer generates €2.5 billion of this from contract research. Learn more about Fraunhofer and Dr. Herfurth's exciting work in this article.

Episode 20: Talking to Tshepo Mangoele about an amazing natural polymer called Lignin. 31.01.2022 37min

In this episode we are talking to Tshepo Mangoele, CEO and Founder of LignOrganic (PTY) Ltd. This company is the first in Africa to produce Sulphur-free Lignin, a natural polymer with endless possibilities and applications! Tshepo is a Chemical Engineer with a vision to make environmentally-friendly biomaterials and sustainable products the new normal in markets for cosmetics, packaging, agriculture and biomaterials. We also get to learn more from him about how it feels to start one's own company and the challenges that come along with such a fulfilling endeavor. I hope you enjoy listening to this inspiring and informative conversation! Learn more about Lignin here: https://lignorganic.co.za/ And as promised, check out the affordable and clean skincare range launching soon: https://ophyll.co.za/ Thank you for listening!