2022
SURE (Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering) Program at the University of Michigan Materials Science Engineering Department

Bioinspired Materials Lab (BIM) under Dr. Abdon Pena-Francesch

The BIM focuses at the intersection of biological materials, soft matter, and robotics. Their work includes materials design, synthesis, characterization, modeling, and engineering applications. 

During my time at the BIM, I conducted numerous experiments to study the relationship between monomer composition with (PNIPAM, a smart, temperature-reactant polymer) and swelling properties in magnetic hydrogels. I tested to see what would happen if these materials were oxidized, submerged in methanol, room temperature water, 70°C water, and dehydrated.