Polymer Program 2021-2022 Award Winners

From the Institute of Materials Science

The IMS Polymer Program announced its student award winners for the 2021-2022 academic year.

Chung-Hao Liu received the Samuel J. Huang Graduate Student Research Award. This award recognizes a graduate student for outstanding research in the field of polymer science and engineering. Chung-Hao completed his fourth year as a polymer PhD candidate under the guidance of Prof. Mu-Ping Nieh. He has been diligent in conducting advanced nanoscience research including materials characterization and designing polymer nanostructures. His efforts have resulted in two published journal articles, one currently in review, and contributions to many more. Chung-Hao has also made many collaborating efforts with other research groups and mentored undergraduate engineering students. Outside the lab, Chung-Hao has been an Society of Polymer Engineers, Storrs Chapter, committee member for 3 years, serving as both Vice President and President. His positive attitude and strong work ethics have made contributions to Prof. Nieh’s lab and the IMS research community.

Probodha Abeykoon has been recognized as this year’s Stephanie H. Shaw Fellowship Scholar. This award is designated for a female student showing academic achievement and contributions outside of research. Probodha has served as the leader of the Adamson Research Lab and has taken it upon herself to be the resident expert in several analytical techniques, such as four-point probe and thermal conductivity. She has two published papers and a third manuscript recently submitted. She has also presented her work at several ACS National Meetings. During the past 4 years Probodha has grown into an excellent scientist and group leader.

The Polymer Program congratulates this year’s awardees for their tremendous efforts in both research and leadership in the IMS community.

Robert Williams Selected for Fulbright Fellowship

From the Materials Science & Engineering Dept.

Undergraduate student Robert Williams was selected for a Fulbright Fellowship in Vietnam. The Fulbright Program is a prestigious worldwide program whose purpose is to unite the people of the United States and the people of other countries through educational and cultural exchanges.

“To be selected to be a Fulbright grant recipient, it is expected that you serve as a cultural liaison in addition to upholding the Fulbright mission: Respect all peoples and cultures, value diversity, and commit to international education and mutual understanding while serving as a catalyst for a peaceful and interconnected world inspired by international educational exchange,” says Williams.

Williams will serve during the 2022-2023 academic year. He chose to apply for the fellowship in Vietnam for personal reasons: “As a biracial Vietnamese-American, I applied to the Vietnamese ETA position to gather a deeper understanding of my culture and heritage, bridge cross-cultural discrepancies and similarities of Vietnamese and American culture, and provide opportunities for students, staff and locals to grow as individuals,” he states. At Fulbright in Vietnam, Williams will interact with his local community, work collaboratively with international partners in scientific fields and participate in research.