- Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium
Hao Chen, Chemical Engineering, University of Houston 
Rowan Bixler, Physics, Amherst College 
Gabriel Stradtman, Mechanical Engineering, URI 
Liam Kennings, Biomedical Engineering, URI The RPS Lab had the pleasure of hosting multiple undergraduate students this summer. Today, they presented their work during the RI Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium.
I am always impressed with the hard work and dedication these students bring to the programs and was even more impressed with the amount of progress they have all made!
The projects presented from our group include:
- Hao Chen, Chemical Engineering, University of Houston: Solvent and Temperature Effects on the Stability of Polymer-Grafted Nanoparticles with Varying Polymer Molecular Weights
- Rowan Bixler, Physics, Amherst College: Developing an Optical Microscopy Method for Identifying Microplastics in Environmental Samples
- Gabriel Stradtman, Mechanical Engineering, URI: Elucidating the Printability of Soft Materials in 3D Printing
- Liam Kennings, Biomedical Engineering, URI: Conductive Liquid Crystal Elastomers for Soft Actuators
- Congratulations, Kylie Hartley, MS ’25
Last Friday, Kylie successfully defended her Master’s thesis! She has been an incredible asset to the group over the last two years, combining her backgrounds in cellular and molecular biology with chemical engineering to explore the potential of polymer-based anodes for microbial fuel cells.
We are sad to have her leaving but we are incredibly proud of how much she has grown during her time here, the beautiful experimental set ups she has developed, and her ability to connect fundamental insights to clear applications. We cannot wait to see what the future has in store for her!
Thesis Title: Development and Optimization of Polymer-Anode Microbial Fuel Cells from Wastewater Bacteria for Eco-Friendly Energy Generation and Applications in Low Current Systems
- RPS Named 2025 Cottrell Scholar
Dr. Ryan Poling-Skutvik was named as a 2025 Cottrell Scholar by the Research Corporation for Science Advancement. Through a competitive peer-review process, this award recognizes early career teacher-scholars in the fields of chemistry, physics, and astronomy.
RPS received this award for his proposal titled “Developing a Dynamic Taxonomy of Soft Matter for a New Era of Material Design.” This work looks to develop and understand soft materials through a dynamic paradigm. This award includes a grant of $120,000 to conduct this proposed research.
Award highlight in Rhody Today
- Congratulations Dr. Daniel Keane!
RPS and Dr. Daniel Keane after his successful PhD defense, December 2024. Daniel Keane has successfully defended his PhD thesis and becomes the first PhD graduate of the RPS Lab!
His thesis work forms the foundation of our thrusts in designing novel rheological modifiers, fully synthetic biomimetic analogues, and high-performance inks for 3D printing. He will join Ingredion in January as a research scientist optimizing the performance of rheological additives for food applications.
- AIChE Poster Awards
In October, the RPS Lab attended the Annual AIChE Conference in San Diego, CA. At this conference, two undergraduate researchers – David Amirsadri and Colby Constantine – presented posters on their research projects, and both students received poster awards for their presentations. Congratulations!
David Amirsadri
Poster: Dynamics of Polymer-Grafted Nanoparticle Suspensions
Award: 2nd Place Undergraduate Poster in Materials Engineering and Sciences Session.
This project combines his research in our group with the research he performed at an REU over the summer with Dr. Kiril Streletzky at Cleveland State University and Dr. Michael Hore at Case Western Reserve University. His investigation characterizes the thickness of grafted polymer layers on anisotropic nanorods and their aggregation in thermally responsive solvents.
Colby Constantine
Poster: Characterizing Nanoparticle Dynamics in Biorelevant Materials to Predict Epithelial Transport Properties of Orally Administered Medications
Award: 2nd Place Undergraduate Poster in Food, Pharmaceutical, and Biotechnology Session.
This two-part investigation develops synthetic materials that mimic the hierarchical structure of mucosal layers in the body and identifies nanoparticle dynamics in these biomimetic systems.
