Honors

Abbas Ahmed receives the Samuel J. Huang Award for Outstanding Research

Abbas Ahmed (left) receives the Samuel J. Huang Award for Outstanding Research from IMS Polymer Program Director Mu-Ping Nieh (right)
Abbas Ahmed (left) receives the Samuel J. Huang Award for Outstanding Research from IMS Polymer Program Director Mu-Ping Nieh (right)

The Samuel J. Huang Student Research Award recognizes a graduate student for outstanding research in the field of polymer science and engineering.

Abbas Ahmed, from the Luyi Sun Research Lab, was recognized for his research on soft smart materials, including bioelectronics, hydrogels, and functional coatings. This work exemplifies both fundamental scientific excellence and real-world applications.

Abbas has been developing mechanically robust, highly stretchable, and electrically conductive soft materials for wearable electronics, soft robotics, and biomedical devices. Conventional hydrogels often suffer from issues such as poor mechanical strength, dehydration, and limited ionic transport.  He has overcome these challenges by taking a bioinspired approach, mimicking the most resilient structures in nature such as tardigrades and connective tissues.

He has also made notable advancements in creating strong, biocompatible adhesive hydrogels for epidermal electronics and biomedical applications. Traditional adhesives often require harsh chemical treatments, limiting their compatibility with human skin and soft tissues. These hydrogels conform seamlessly to biological tissues, allowing for long-term, irritation-free attachment for biosensors, wound dressings, and drug delivery patches. By integrating self-healing properties and moisture-controlled adhesion, Abbas’s work is setting the stage for a new generation of bioelectronic materials that combine mechanical resilience, user comfort, and high-performance functionality.

Abbas contributed to 13 publications, during his master’s degree program, and eight publications within his research in UConn’s Polymer Program. Google Scholars states that he has already been credited to more than 1000 citations, an uncommon achievement for a graduate student.

The polymer program congratulates Abbas Ahmed for his outstanding efforts during his graduate program.

Sanyukta Patil Receives the Stephanie H. Shaw Scholarship

Sanyukta Patil (center) receives the Stephanie H. Shaw Scholarship from Polymer Program Director Mu-Ping Nieh (right) and former Polymer Program Director Kelly Burk (left)
Sanyukta Patil (center) receives the Stephanie H. Shaw Scholarship from Polymer Program Director Mu-Ping Nieh (right) and former Polymer Program Director Kelly Burk (left)

The Stephanie H. Shaw Scholarship recognizes a female graduate student in the Polymer Program for their scholarly activities as well as community contributions. This year, Sanyukta Patil, from the Burke research lab, has received this honor.

In the lab, Sanyukta has been addressing the synthesis and structure-property relationships of silk fibroin biomaterials to impart new functional properties to the biopolymer. Silk fibroin is a challenging material to work with. The protein tends to self-assemble in solution, which makes both its synthetic modification and characterization difficult. Her perseverance and creativity helped her succeed through various obstacles during her PhD, including joining lab during the COVID pandemic with limited ability to access labs and learn from more senior students.

Her research has led to six publications, three as lead author, and an application for a full patent, “brush-like polymers grown from silk fibroin surface”. She has shared her research with four presentations at American Chemical Society (ACS) and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) conferences, received the Women in Chemical Engineering award by AIChE, and received first prize for a graduate student poster from the College of Engineering.

Her community contributions include, the Holster Scholar Honors Undergraduate Mentor Program, active membership with the John Loff Leadership Academy, and Young Scholars Senior Summit Mentorship.

Sanyukta has been an outstanding member of the UConn community, a key researcher in her lab, and an ideal selection for the Stephanie H. Shaw Scholarship.

2025 Polymer Director’s Award

Yi Zhang (left) receives the Director's Award from Mu-Ping Nieh (right)
Yi Zhang (left) receives the Director’s Award from IMS Polymer Program Director Mu-Ping Nieh (right)

The IMS Polymer Program Director’s Award recognizes a polymer program faculty member who has demonstrated excellence and leadership in research, teaching, and service to the program.   This year, Yi Zhang has been recognized for his research contributions to implantable neurochemical sensors, CRISPR-based molecular diagnostics, and wearable molecular sensors.

After completing his fourth year at UConn’s Institute of Materials Science, Dr. Zhang has received much recognition for his research. He was invited to present at five seminars in spring 2025, has received multiple grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, and has published an article in Nature Communications. His research lab has been growing, now including three postdoctoral research scholars and eight graduate students.  The lab has been productive, submitting more than 10 publications this past spring.

IMS Polymer Program Honors Two Ph.D. Students

Jeff McCutcheon (l), Yasmin Bimbatti (c), and Kelly Burke (r)
Yasmin Bimbatti (center) is presented the Stephanie H. Shaw Scholarship Award from Drs. Jeffrey McCutcheon (l) and Kelly Burke (r).

The IMS Polymer Program recognized the accomplishments of two Ph.D. students, bestowing the Samuel J. Huang Student Research Award on Tianjian Wang, and the Stephanie H. Shaw Scholarship on Yasmin Bimbatti.

The Stephanie H. Shaw Scholarship was established 1990 to recognize a female student showing academic achievement as well as contributions outside of research.

Tianjian Yang receives the Samuel J. Huang Graduate Student Research Award from Dr. Yao Lin (left) and Dr. Kelly Burke (right)
Tianjian Yang receives the Samuel J. Huang Graduate Student Research Award from Dr. Yao Lin (l) and Dr. Kelly Burke (r)

The Samuel J. Huang Student Research Award recognizes a graduate student for outstanding research in the field of polymer science and engineering. Tianjian Yang is a member of Dr. Yao Lin's research group.  He was recently named a finalist for the Eastman Chemical Student Award in Applied Polymer Science, which recognizes graduate researchers who demonstrates research excellence in both research and technical presentations. Yang's research has been published in such journals as the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS), the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), and MDPI.

Tianjian Yang is 2024 Finalist for Eastman Chemical Student Award

Tianjian Yang
Ph.D. student, Tianjian Yang, is a finalist for the Eastman Chemical Student Award in Applied Polymer Science.

Tianjian Yang, a Ph.D. student in the IMS Polymer Program, has been selected as a finalist for the Eastman Chemical Student Award in Applied Polymer Science.  The award recognizes graduate researchers who demonstrate research excellence in both research and technical presentations.

Tianjian earned his M.S. degree from the University of California, San Diego, and a B.S. from Jinan University in China.  A student in Dr. Yao Lin’s group, his research interests include supramolecular polymerization and material properties of polypeptides. He is first author of several published research papers.

In August 2024, as part of the Eastman Chemical Award Symposium at the Fall 2024 ACS Meeting in Denver, Colorado, each finalists will give a presentation. Tianjian will present, “From Polypeptides to Biomimetic Materials: Harnessing Auto-Accelerated ROP-NCA for Tailored Mechanical Properties”.

To learn more about the award, visit:  https://pmsedivision.org/eastman-student-award/

Xueju “Sophie” Wang Receives 2024 ONR Young Investigator Award

Xueju "Sophie" Wang
Xueju “Sophie” Wang

Xueju “Sophie” Wang has been awarded an Office of Naval Research (ONR) 2024 Young Investigator Award in the category Ocean Battlespace Sensing.  The Ocean Battlespace Sensing Department of ONR explores science and technology in the areas of oceanographic and meteorological observations, modeling, and prediction in the battlespace environment; submarine detection and classification (anti-submarine warfare); and mine warfare applications for detecting and neutralizing mines in both the ocean and littoral environment.

One of 24 recipients in various categories, Dr. Wang’s research, entitled A Soft Intelligent Robot for Self-digging, Multi-modal Sensing, and In Situ Marine Sediment Analysis, was recognized by the Littoral Geosciences and subcategory.  The Littoral Geosciences and Optics program supports basic and applied research for expeditionary warfare, naval special warfare, mine warfare and antisubmarine warfare in shelf, near-shore, estuarine, riverine, and riparian environments, with a particular emphasis on robust 4D prediction of environmental characteristics in denied, distant or remote environments.

Dr. Wang earned a Ph.D. from Georgia Institute of Technology in 2016.  She joined the faculty of the Materials Science and Engineering Department (MSE) in 2020 with an appointment in the Institute of Materials Science (IMS).  Since then, she has earned extensive recognition for her research including the National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award in 2022; the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Trailblazer Award, also in 2022; and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Orr Early Career Award in 2021 among others.

Wang’s research focuses on soft, stimuli-responsive materials and multifunctional structures; multistability of reconfigurable, magnetically responsive structures, flexible/pressure-tolerant/bio-integrated electronics, soft robotics and intelligent systems; and in-situ/environmental operando experimental techniques.  Her research has been published extensively.

Montgomery Shaw Honored with SPE Symposium

Dr. Montgomery "Monty" Shaw addresses attendees at the Montgomery Shaw Symposium.
Dr. Montgomery “Monty” Shaw addresses attendees at the Montgomery Shaw Symposium.

Polymer rheology expert, Montgomery (Monty) Shaw, was celebrated at the Society of Plastic Engineers (SPE) Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ANTEC) in Denver Colorado this past March. Over the past 30+ years, Dr. Shaw made vital contributions to polymer science and engineering that were shared in over 200 seminars and courses taught at the University of Connecticut. His books: Introduction to Polymer Rheology; Electrorheology; Water Treeing in Solid Dielectrics; and Introduction to Polymer Viscoelasticity have received citing by thousands of scientists and have been used in curriculums throughout the world. These books have been valued for both content and the method of communicating the ideas. His lifelong contributions to polymer science and engineering were celebrated at the daylong event. The symposium, organized by UConn’s Prof. Luyi Sun and Prof. Emertus Robert Weiss, included 13 speakers from both industry and academia.

Dr. Shaw’s began his career at Union Carbide Corp. before joining the University of Connecticut’s Polymer Program as a Professor of Chemical Engineering in 1978. He also gained experience with two year-long sabbaticals at DuPont and Sandia National Laboratories. Dr. Shaw states that, “if you change your environment, you learn new things”. This variety of experience helped him see various aspects of the field and recognize the importance of practical applications in academic research. His peers boast about the deep level of investigation Dr. Shaw made in all the details of rheology. This level of understanding sheds light on every step of the process, leaving nothing unseen.

Shaw Symposium presenters gathered for a photo with Dr. Shaw.
Shaw Symposium presenters gathered for a photo with Dr. Shaw.

During his more than 30 years as a UConn faculty member, Dr. Shaw was the major advisor of 44 students, helping develop the next generation of polymer scientists. Although he retired in 2009, Dr. Shaw continues to train and assist the students and faculty of the UConn IMS Polymer Program. He also served in leadership roles for the Society of Rheology. His positive attitude and love for science has made Dr. Shaw an integral leader of the Polymer community at the University of Connecticut and throughout the world.

Details of the symposium can be found at this LINK.

Xiangyi Xi Wins Stephanie H. Shaw Scholarship

Xiangyi Xi Wins Stephanie H. Shaw Award
IMS Polymer Program Director, Kelly Burke, presents the Stephanie H. Shaw Scholarship award to Xiangyi Xi.

Polymer Ph.D. student, Xiangyi Xi was the 2023 recipient of the Stephanie H. Shaw Scholarship. She made some major contributions in developing biosensors for the Papadimitrakopoulos research lab. She helped implement a multi-potential step pulsing test technique which lead to increased sensitivity and reduced power consumption of implantable glucose sensors. This lead to a patent currently in application.   More recently, she has helped develop of an enzymatic cascade sensor. In addition to her research, Xiangyi has continued to mentor the next wave of scientists, including 10 undergraduates over the past 5 years. Xiangyi is pictured with Polymer Director, Dr. Kelly Burke.

Hanyi Duan Wins Samuel J. Huang Award

Hanyi Duan Receives Samuel Huang Research Award
Polymer Program Director Kelly Burke and Dr. Jie He Present the Samuel Huang Research Award to Hanyi Duan.

Polymer Program Ph.D. student, Hanyi Duan, was the 2023 recipient of the Samuel J. Huang Graduate Student Research Award. Hanyi was recognized for his success in research, journal articles, and strong collaborative nature in the research laboratory. As a researcher, Hanyi has taken a leading role in developing new synthetic methodology to asymmetric polymer grafted metal nanoparticles. This research was the foundation of 6 publications as lead author. Hanyi is pictured with Polymer Program Director, Dr. Kelly Burke, and his major advisor, Dr. Jie He.

Anson Ma Named UTC Professor in Engineering Innovation

Anson Ma
Dr. Anson Ma

Anson Ma from Polymer Program at IMS, with joint appointment in the Department of Chemical and Bimolecular Engineering, has been named the United Technologies Corporation (UTC) Professor in Engineering Innovation, effective 23 August 2022. This professorship has been established to recognize the exceptional achievements of young faculty who exemplify excellence in the areas of research productivity and impact, teaching contributions, and service contributions and are at the very top of their area of research.

Ma’s research group focuses on rheology and 3D printing. He currently serves as the UConn Site Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) SHAP3D Center for Additive Manufacturing. He has received a number of awards, including Distinguished Young Rheologist Award from TA Instruments, NSF CAREER award, Arthur B. Metzner Early Career award from the Society of Rheology, 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award, Early Career Award from the American Association of University Professors (AAUP)-UConn Chapter, UConn Polymer Program Director’s Award for Faculty Excellence, and U.S. Air Force Summer Faculty Fellowship.