Time Flys!

We're not quite sure where all the time has gone! Our group presentation is coming up on Friday, so we are madly trying to gather our last bit of data. We have had the opportunity to work with some interesting equipment. Our problem solving skills were put to the test as we chose molds, like straws and macaroni, and had to figure out not only how to fill them, but also how to remove the molds once the polydimethylsiloxane was cured.

After being exposed to ozone, the PDMS obtained a silica-like layer on the surface, so that when the object was swelled in a solvent, like ethanol, the PDMS expanded and formed wrinkles in the silica layer. We have been investigating these wrinkles and attempting to manipulate them.

Last Friday, we listened to a member of our group, Edwin Chan defend his dissertation on Adhesion of Pattern Polymer Interfaces. We are convinced he will be a future Nobel Prize recipient. At the start of the defense, the director of our group, Alfred Crosby stated that "there is no need for a PhD unless you are passionate about science". In only the short period of time that we have been lucky enough to be a part of this program at UMass, we have experienced many of the different facets that research has to offer. Success, failure, time, lab safety, experimental controls, and the use of equipment that we could never find in a classroom are all part of the learning curve in a research laboratory. Even when you get successful results in your experiments, you and others have to be able to repeat the results.

The Crosby group weekly meetings are intense!!! Every week, one of the group members present the current status of his/her research. The other group members question, make suggestions and offer constructive criticism to the presenter. This meeting is very beneficial to everyone. At first glance, the group seemed almost harsh in their comments and questions, but in retrospect, they are preparing the individual for public defense. Each researcher viewed their collegue's input as beneficial.