Polymers Students Take Top Spot at Two Conferences

Cal Poly swept the Undergrad Research in Polymer Science symposium at the national American Chemistry Society meeting this year. David Bilger won first place for best oral presentation, and Christopher Kasprzak, a biological sciences and biochemistry double major, won first place for best poster. Bilger, a student in the blended bachelor’s and master’s program, also won second place in the physical science category at the CSU Student Research Competition.

Bilger presented his work on "Conjugated polymer-surfactant supramolecular complexes," which is supported by the American Chemical Society. Kasprzak’s poster was titled "Liquid crystal-carbon nanotube nanocomposites for desalination," and his research is supported by the National Science Foundation.

At the CoatingsTech Conference in Cleveland, Kyle Aidukas took first place for his poster “Graphene Oxide-Polyurethane Composites for Corrosion Inhibition.” Graphene is a potential new anticorrosion additive to coatings, such as paint.

“Corrosion is a huge worldwide problem that leads to failure of anything made out of common metals like iron and aluminum. Anticorrosive coatings dramatically improve the service life and sustainability of these products,” said Ray Fernando, director of Cal Poly’s Kenneth N. Edwards Western Coatings Technology Center.

Aidukas, a biomedical engineering and chemistry double major, found working on real-world research a rewarding experience. “This research has taught me how to problem solve, how to think critically and how to communicate with my peers and other professionals. I’ve been able to interact with people in industry and learn about opportunities that students without research experience wouldn’t know about,” he said.

All three students are advised by chemistry Professor Shanju Zhang.