Polymer Science Podcast Alicia Botes and Jacob Schekman

In this interview from November 2022, Dr. Frank Leibfarth discusses the exciting research coming from his group. Dr. Leibfarth cultivated a passion for organic synthetic polymer chemistry, and utilizes his many talents and excellent leadership to guide his group toward the production of sustainable polymer materials.
 
Papers discussed in this interview:
"Diversification of Aliphatic C-H Bonds in Small Molecules and Polyolefins through Radical Chain Transfer"
For those interested in learning more, please reach out to us at PolymerSciencePodcast@gmail.com

We are back! Again! Much has changed since I've last been able to post an episode, but the wonders of polymer science continue propagating! 
In this interview we hear from Dr. Kevin Wyss, who earned his PhD during August of 2023 from Rice University. Dr. Wyss has since taken his incredible talents with him to Schlumberger, advancing the frontier of sustainable materials. Tune in to the show to learn more about polymer upcycling, graphene generation through flash-joule heating, and the significance of life-cycle assessment when generating novel materials.
Do you have any questions, comments, or feedback for the show? Please reach out to us at PolymerSciencePodcast@gmail.com

In this episode, we listen to Joe Mwakiremba, a hardworking and passionate sales representative for Ocean Sole in Kenya, talk about how they are upcycling trashed flip-flop while simultaneously cleaning up the environment and creating stable jobs for many people. Check out these links to YouTube and watch these flip-flops being turned into amazing sculptures!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK-BHZs7GxE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZV9J62Z2Vk
If you want to support this project for your business or simply have a uniquely stunning art piece in your home, check out this link to their website:
https://oceansole.com/pages/our-impact
You can find Joe via LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemama/
Hope you enjoy the episode!

Today I spoke to Dr Mapula about patents, polymers in wound healing treatment, medicinal plants and empowering women in science particularly in Africa. She is a warm, kind and self driven biomedical researcher and entrepreneur with comprehensive accomplishment in clinical research and tissue engineering.
 
Please check her page on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-mapula-razwinani-17ba6655/
And see her award as L’Oréal-UNESCO FWIS South Africa National Young Talent 2023:
https://www.dut.ac.za/duts-dr-mapula-razwinani-recognised-as-one-of-the-phenomenal-women-scientists/
 
UNSECO:
https://www.unesco.org/en/prizes/women-science
 
You can read more about her work here:
https://www.scitcentral.com/article.php?journal=55&article=1218&article_title=The%20Effects%20of%20Pleurostylia%20capensis%20Crude%20Extracts%20on%20the%20Chondrogenic%20Differentiation%20of%20Porcine%20Adipose-Derived%20Mesenchymal%20Stem%20Cells

Dr. Boran “Bo” Ma established the Ma Research Lab in January 2023 in the School of Polymer Science and Engineering at the University of Southern Mississippi. Prior to joining the SPSE, Dr. Bo was a postdoctoral associate at Duke University. She received her PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Northwestern University in 2019 and her BEng in Materials Science and Engineering from Harbin Institute of Technology in 2014. Now the Ma Research Lab focuses on multiscale computational modeling  and simulation of polymeric material systems for energy and sustainability applications.
 
Ma Research Lab webpage: https://www.maresearchlab.com/
 

Today we are talking to Gregory Parisi about harvesting water in variable humidity conditions studying specifically the wetting properties of electrospun polymer materials. Gregory is a PhD student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and worked as a Fulbright fellow at the AGH-UST Faculty of Metals Engineering and Industrial Computer Science in Poland with Urszula Stachewicz, a previous guest on our show.
 
Please see the link below to the study group that he joined in Poland:
http://www.tem.agh.edu.pl/main_new/index.php/en/41-pracownicy/38-dr-eng-urszula-stachewicz
 
Hope you enjoy this episode!
 
Alicia