Dr. Elizabeth Glogowski
Materials Science Center
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
Designing "Smart" Polymer Self-Assembling Systems by Tuning Polymer Functionality and Architecture
Dr. Elizabeth Glogowski is a recently tenured faculty member at the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire. Her ACS PRF Undergraduate New Investigator grant involves the exploration of smart polymers which have applications in enhanced oil recovery and other petroleum relevant issues such as kinetic hydrate inhibitors. Her research group consists entirely of undergraduates who “really appreciate the experience of the immersive experience in a research lab” which is supported in part by Glogowski’s ACS PRF grant. Dr. Glogowski enjoys the responsibility of preparing undergraduates for their next career step whether they go directly to industrial positions or to graduate programs.
The research performed by Glogowski and her students involves smart polymers which behave in unique ways dependent on their environment. Her group has expanded the range of compositions of copolymers of mPEG-b-PDMAEMA resulting in an increase in tunable properties of these compounds. One new finding is the dramatic change in viscosity with temperature seen for some of the compositions which were studied. Other properties, such as interfacial tension, displayed surprisingly minimal dependence on temperature. The goal of this research is to understand the structure/property relationship of these copolymers so that desirable properties can be predicted as a function of the controllable molecular structure.
The techniques which are critical to this work also serve as an excellent education platform for undergraduate students. The undergraduate students become exposed to the details of modern polymer synthetic techniques, instrumental methods of property measurement and the analysis involved in processing data. In addition, the students learn to present their work at conferences and in publications. So far, three students working on this grant have received their undergraduate degrees. A scientific journal publication with Dr. Glogowski and her students has recently been published [1].
Dr. Glogowski originally became interested in smart polymers while performing research as an undergraduate at Carnegie Mellon University. As a graduate student and postdoctoral fellow, Glogowski was involved in various areas of polymer research but has retained her interest in smart polymers and the ACS PRF grant has allowed her renewed activity in the research area. One of the most appealing aspects of the systems which she studies is the potential to capture and re-use these compounds, thereby minimizing waste in their applications.
With her recent tenure decision, Glogowski has now established her research program at her institution. As indicated by her scholarly activity and publications, undergraduate research can yield high quality research while also furthering the education of these students.
1. E. Stubbs, E. Laskowski, P. Conor, D. A. Heinze, D. Karis, and E. M Glogowski "Control of pH- and temperature-responsive behavior of mPEG-b-PDMAEMA copolymers through polymer composition" (2017) J. Macromol. Sci. Part A, 54:4, 228-235.
Grant #54467-UNI7: Read Glogowski's Annual Report
Dr. Glogowski’s students at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research. From left, (left) Brianna Shoulak, Elizabeth Laskowski, and Maria Brandel. Shoulak and Laskowski along with Charles Lindberg and Phillip Conor (not pictured) were supported by the ACS PRF grant.
