RECENT NEWS FROM THE BERG GROUP...
(Last updated 04/28/08)
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- UNDERGRAD RESEARCHERS FROM GROUP TAKE PRIZES AT REGIONAL AICHE RESEARCH PAPER COMPETITION The Pacific Northwest Regional AIChE Student Chapter Conference was hosted this April 25-27, 2008, by Washington State University. DANNY KRESS from our Group took First Place with his paper entitled: "Improvement of Fiber-Reeinforced Composites." He will present his paper in the National competition at the AIChE Annual Meeting in Philadelphia in November. MARC YAMAMOTO took Honorable Mention for his paper entitled: "Electrostatics in Nonaqueous Media."
Danny Kress (left), Marc Yamamoto (center) and Prof. Berg (right) after awards had been presented.
- PETE LAXTON COMPLETES PHD DEGREE Felix Nguyen defended his PhD dissertation entitled: "Linking the Macroscopic Rheological Properties of Gel to Micro- and Nano-scopic Colloidal Phenomena," on April 22, 2008. He has taken a position with the Applied Nanotech company, in Austin, TX.
- NEW GRAD STUDENT JOINS GROUP Geoffrey Leonard joined the Group in November. He received his BS degree from the University of Virginia. He will be working on adhesion and reinforcement strategies for filled polymeric composites.
- DR. BERG HOSTED IN KOREA Dr. Sung T. Chung (PhD, 1971; Distinguished Alumnus, 2002), together with his wife, Young Sook treated his former PhD advisor, John Berg, to a week-long grand tour of Korea this October. Sites visited included highlights in and around Seoul: the Seoul Tower (highest point in the city) and ancient ramparts, the South Gate, the Presidential Blue House, Insadong Street (the arts and crafts district), Cheonggyecheon Stream (a linear park running some four miles through the city), a look into the DMZ, and traditional dinner and entertainment at the Korea House, an early 15th century minister's residence of the Joseon Dynasty, the last monarch, 1392-1910. They also took the bullet train to Gyeongju, a national park and archeological site near the center of the country and the ancient capital of the Shilla Dynasty, 57 BC - 932 AD. Ancient burial sites, museums and a series of thousand-year-old Buddhist temples were visited. Gyeongju was also host to a World Culture Expo at the time, which they attended. The trip included a two-day visit to the lush resort island of Jeju, where they hiked among dormant volcanic craters, in a dense subtropical forest and along beaches. They visited the world-famous cliffs of basaltic stone columns, a magnificent Buddhist temple, and many other sights. The tour concluded with a moving visit to the site of the pivotal Incheon landing during the Korean War, with its Memorial Hall and Museum, and the adjacent Freedom Park, celebrating Korean-American friendship. "It was a wonderful experience: beyond my dreams," says Prof. Berg. Dr. Chung was one of Dr. Berg's first PhD students. He went on to become a leading industrialist in Korea, a faculty member of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science, and a Full Member of the National Academy of Engineering in Korea. He is presently Professor of Chemical Engineering at Inha University and is a member of the BOD of the S-Oil Corporation on the 2007 Fortune Global Top 500. He served for nine years as the President of the UW Korean Alumni Association, and more recently co-spearheaded an effort to raise $3M to rescue the Korea Studies Program at the University of Washington.
John Berg (center) with Young Sook (left) and Sung Chung (right) at the entrance to Gyeongju National Park and archeological site.
- SUSIE STENKAMP WINS RESEARCH AWARD Susie Stenkamp (Ph.D., 1999), a former member of the Group, together with Richard Zheng (Ph.D., 2000) have received a coveted 2007 R&D 100 Award, which is recognition from R&D Magazine as one of the 100 most technologically significant products introduced into the marketplace over the past year. The product selected is a microchannel gas-liquid processing device that is 5-10 times smaller than conventional devices. This advantage is achieved through the use of capillary forces. Multiple multiphase processes such as distillation, absorption, and phase separation have been targeted. The award will be was conferred in the Grand Ballroom of Chicago's Navy Pier on October 18, 2007.
- NEW UNDERGRAD RESEARCHERS JOIN GROUP Three new undergraduate (Chem E 499) students joined the group in September, 2007. They are Danny Kress, who will work on fiber bundle fragmentation testing; Aston Tennefoss, who will work on surface energy analysis of treated titanias by inverse gas chromatography, and Marc Yamamoto, who will work electrophoretic mobility of cerium oxide nano-colloids in solvent media.
- PHIL HARDING NAMED LINUS PAULING CHAIR AT OREGON STATE It was announced in September that Dr. Philip C. Harding (PhD, 1997), a former member of the Group, has been awarded the Linus Pauling Chair in the School of Chemical , Biological and Environmental Engineering of Oregon State University and will begin work there September 17, 2007. This endowed position is a 5-year appointment (non-tenure track) intended to bring an individual with broad industrial experience into the department with the objective of improving the workforce readiness of graduating seniors. He will be responsible for the capstone senior lab courses and preparing students for the annual Technology Fair that occurs in May. Phil received his PhD in work with Prof. John Berg and has been working with the Hewlett-Packard Corporation in Corvallis, OR, since completing his degree in 1997. He says his new position with Oregon State is "a dream come true."
- SHORT COURSE ON SURFACES, COLLOIDS & NANOSCIENCE GIVEN Our Continuing Education short course was offered in August, 2007, and was highly successful with an attendance of 33.
- PROF. BERG RECEIVES MORTAR BOARD EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AWARD The Tolo Chapter of Mortar Board, Class of 2007 presented their university-wide "Excellence in Teaching" award to Prof. Berg in a ceremony in the Walker-Ames Room, May 6th. The award plaque reads: "For his outstanding contributions to the enhancement of student life and devoted service to chemical engineering at the University of Washington."
- STUDENTS PRESENT PAPERS AT 81st ACS COLLOID AND SURFACE SCIENCE SYMPOSIUM Three students from the Group presented papers at the ACS Colloid and Surface Science Symposium in June, 2007, hosted at the University of Delaware. Saran Poovarodom presented a paper entitled: "Effects of aggregate structure on gelation and mechanical properties of silane-based sol-gel coatings;" and Dariush Hosseinpour gave a paper entitled: "Effect of filler-polymer interfacial interactions on the mechanical and rheological of automotive topcoats." Jiong Liu presented a poster entitled: "Effect of surfactant on mechanical properties of a nanoparticulate gel."
- FELIX NGUYEN COMPLETES PHD DEGREE Felix Nguyen defended his PhD dissertation entitled: "Improvement of Mechanical Properties of Polymeric Composites: Experimental Methods and New Systems," in May, 2007. He has taken a position with the Toray Composites (America), Inc., in Tacoma, WA.
- AARON SAKS TAKES TOP PRIZE AT REGIONAL AICHE RESEARCH PAPER COMPETITION The Pacific Northwest Regional AIChE Student Chapter Conference was hosted this April, 2007, by Montana State University. Aaron Saks from our Group took First Place with his paper entitled: "Nanoparticle Toughening of Epoxy Composites using Polyethylenimine Dendrimer Core-Shell Materials." He will present his paper in the National competition at the AIChE Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City in November Two other students from the Group also presented papers: Will Gibbons gave a paper on his research on "Mechanical Testing of Fiber Reinforced Composites," and Bryan McCulloch presented his research on "Defects Caused by Electrostatic Interactions between Silicon Wafers and Metal Oxide Slurries." All did excellent jobs!
- NEW POST-DOC JOINS GROUP Dr. Dariush Hosseinpour joined the group in November, 2006. He received his PhD degree in Polymer Engineering from Leeds University, Leeds, UK, where he worked on automotive coatings.
- JOHN FROSTAD TAKES SECOND PRIZE IN NATIONAL AICHE RESEARCH PAPER COMPETITION John Frostad took Second Place in the National Student Paper Competition with his paper entitled: "Dynamic Surface Tension" at the AIChE Annual Meeting in San Francisco in November, 2006.
- SARAN POOVARODOM PRESENTS PAPER AT BOEING WORKSHOP Saran Poovarodom gave a paper on sol-gel nanocomposites at the Boeing Workshop on Quality and Characterization of Nanomaterials, Everett, WA, Oct. 3-4, 2006
- PETE LAXTON GOES TO GERMANY Pete Laxton is spending the Autumn Quarter, 2006, in the Institute for Physical Chemistry at the Technical University of Clausthal, Germany, working on light scattering and other optical techniques for the study of gel structure, under the direction of Prof. Wilhelm Oppermann.
- NEW UNDERGRAD RESEARCHERS JOIN GROUP Six new undergraduate (Chem E 499) students joined the group in September, 2006. They are Bryan McCulloch, who will work on particle adhesion from CMP slurries; Will Gibbons: Fiber Bundle Fragmentation Testing; Skye Mitchell: Multiple W/O/W and O/W/O emulsions; Aaron Saks: Nanoparticle reinforcements for composites; Raymond Leung: Tribolectric effects in jet beakup; and Brian Melvin: Surface energy analysis by inverse gas chromatography.
- NEW POST-DOC JOINS GROUP Dr. Jiong Liu joined the group in July, 2006, for a one-year appointment. He received his PhD degree in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University where he worked on adhesion fundamentals.
- COLLOIDS CLASS FEATURED IN 'CATALYST' Dr. BergÕs course in Surface and Colloids Science (Chem. E. 455) was the subject of the feature article of the Summer, 2006 Departmental Alumni Newsletter CATALYST.
- PETE LAXTON AND FELIX NGUYEN PRESENT PAPERS AT ACS COLLOIDS SYMPOSIUM Two papers were presented from the group at the 80th ACS Colloid & Surface Science Symposium in Boulder, CO, June 18-21, 2006. Pete Laxton gave a paper entitled: "Relating colloidal aggregate structure to rheological behavior," and Felix Nguyen gave a paper entitled: "Toughened Epoxy by Core-Shell Thermoplastic Nanoparticles."
- RYAN REED COMPLETES MS DEGREE Ryan Reed defended his MS thesis entitled: ÒCharacterization and Optimization of the Carbon Fiber/Resin Interace.Ó He has taken a position with the NovaStruxx Composite Materials Corp., in San Clemente, CA.
- UNDERGRADS TAKE PRIZES AT REGIONAL AICHE RESEARCH PAPER COMPETITION The Pacific Northwest Regional AIChE Student Chapter Conference was hosted this April, 2006, by the University of Idaho. Undergrads from the group John Frostad and Aaron Saks presented papers in the research competition. JohnÕs paper was entitled: ÒDynamic Surface Tension,Ó and AaronÕs was: ÒIdentification of Failure Modes in Filled Polymeric Composites.Ó They won First and Second places, respectively, in the competition! Another UW student, Zudtky Wisecarver, took Third place, so the UW made a clean sweep.
- DANIEL RAMRUS COMPLETES PHD DEGREE Daniel Ramrus defended his PhD Dissertation entitled: ÒThe Creation and Adhesion Testing of Patterned Silane Surfaces,Ó in March 16, 2006.
- DR. BERG PRESENTS SHORT COURSE AT HEWLETT-PACKARD Dr. Berg presented a two-day course on colloid science, with a particular emphasis on pigments, at the Hewlett-Packard Company in San Diego, CA in January, 2006.
- DANIEL RAMRUS PRESENTS PAPER AT SAMPE CONFERENCE Daniel Ramrus presented a paper entitled: ÒEffect of Water Penetration into a Heterogeneously Patterned Adhesive SubstrateÓ at the SAMPE Conference in Seattle, WA, November 14, 2005
- DR. BERG PRESENTS SHORT COURSE AT BOSTON SCIENTIFIC Dr. Berg presented a one-day short course on coatings and adhesion to the Boston Scientific Corp., Nov. 11, 2005.
- NEW GRADUATE STUDENT JOINS GROUP Saran Poovarodom joined the group in the summer, 2005, and is working on research into nano-particle filled sol-gel coatings, a project in the group recently funded by the Boeing Company.
- NEW UNDERGRADS JOIN RESEARCH GROUP Five new undergrad researchers joined the group in Sept., 2005. They are Michael Beck, Diana Chung, Steve Drangsholt, John Frostad and Aaron Saks. Their projects will be assigned shortly.
- RYAN REED TAKES INTERNSHIP AT TOYOTA Ryan Reed accepted a Fall Quarter, 2005, internship at the Toyota Aviation Business Development Office in Torrance, CA, to work on the development of carbon fiber reinforced composites.
- SHORT COURSE GIVEN Our annual industrial short course: Surfaces, Colloids and Nanoscience was given July 11-15, 2005.
- DANIEL RAMRUS PRESENTS PAPER Daniel Ramrus presented a paper entitled: ³The Creation and Adhesion Testing of Patterned Silane Surfaces² at the 79th ACS Colloid and Surface Science Symposium, Clarkson University, June 12-15, 2005.
- UNDERGRADS PRESENT PAPERS AT REGIONAL AICHE CONFERENCE Adam Oliver and Yo Yamazaki presented papers on their research at the Northwest Regional Student Chapter Conference held April 22-23, 2005, this year at Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR.
- COLLOIDS CLASS INCREASED TO THREE SECTIONS Dr. Berg¹s Laboratory Course in Surface and Colloid Science is one of the Department¹s most popular elective classes and has filled to capacity with a wait list every year since its first offering. This Spring Quarter it was increased to three sections and accommodated 33 students, again filled to capacity with a wait list.
- FELIX NGUYEN PRESENTS PAPER Felix Nguyen presented a paper entitled: ³Use of an Optical-Mechanical Test Combined with Acoustic Emission Techniques to Study Adhesion in Filled Polymeric Composites² at the Adhesion Society Conference, Mobile, AL, Feb. 13-15, 2005.
- POST-DOC SPENDS BRIEF STAY IN GROUP Dr. Bret Buchholz spent a 3-month stay with our group starting in February, 2005. He received his PhD in Chemical Engineering at Northwestern University, working with Prof. Annelise Barron, an alumna of this Department (BS, 1990). He accepted a permanent position with the Boeing Co., but we are still in touch.
- PATENT APPLICATION FILED Daniel Ramrus and Dr. Berg filed a patent application in January, 2005, on their recent research findings relevant to adhesion enhancement due to patterning of primer layers.
- RICHARD DANIEL COMPLETES PHD DEGREE Richard Daniel defended his PhD dissertation entitled: ³Ink-Media Interactions in Ink-Jet Printing² December 13, 2004. This work was sponsored in large part by the Hewlett Packard Corporation. Richard has accepted a position with Battelle Pacific Northwest National Laboratories in Richland, WA.
- VISITING GRADUATE STUDENT RETURNS TO ENGLAND Our visiting graduate student, Dariush Hosseinpour, returned to Leeds University in December, 2004, and expects to complete his PhD requirements their within the coming year. His stay with us was extraordinarily productive, and will lead to several publications in the area of particle filled polymeric materials for automotive coatings.
- NEW GRADUATE JOINS THE GROUP Ryan Reed joined the Group in November, 2004, and will work on carbon fiber reinforced composites, a project which is an outgrowth of work done by Felix Nguyen during his summer internship with Toyota. The Toyota Corp. will be funding the research.
- NEW UNDERGRADS JOIN RESEARCH GROUP Four new undergrad researchers joined the group in Sept., 2004. Adam Oliver is working on temperature effects on the rheology of a new liquid toner, sponsored by Samsung; Eric Fong is working on adhesion of topical applications to skin, sponsored by Procter & Gamble and co-directed by Dr. Jorge Sunkel; Erick Lin is working on the mechanical properties of dental impression materials, sponsored by 3M ESPE, and Yo Yamazaki is working on the effect of solutes on the wettability of cellulose and the strength properties of paper.
- PROF. BERG RECEIVES HONOR AT CENTENNIAL REUNION 2004 marked the 100th anniversary of Chemical Engineering at the University of Washington, and a huge centennial reunion marked the occasion in mid-September. Prof. Berg presented a 45-minute talk on history of the Department in the opening program for that event, and that evening at the reunion dinner, he was presented with the Department¹s Teacher-Scholar Award. The award was presented, to a standing ovation, by Dr. Paul Emmert, the new President of the University of Washington.
- SHORT COURSE GIVEN Our annual industrial short course: Surfaces, Colloids and Nanoscience was given July 12-16, 2004.
- FELIX NGUYEN TAKES INTERNSHIP AT TOYOTA Felix Nguyen accepted a summer internship at the Toyota Aviation Business Development Office in Torrance, CA, to work on the development of carbon fiber reinforced composites.
- PETE LAXTON PRESENTS PAPER Pete Laxton presented a paper entitled: "Gel Trapping of Dense Colloids" at the 78th ACS Colloid and Surface Science Symposium, June 20-24, held this year at Yale University.
- NEW EQUIPMENT The Group has acquired a FTA200 Drop Shape Analysis system, a utility used for routine surface/interfacial tension and contact angle measurement, but is specifically aimed at out ink-jet printing studies in which the dynamic interaction of inks with various print media is under investigation. The instrument acquires images at rates up to 360 frames/s. Recently we have acquired a Brookhaven ZetaPALS system for measuring colloid particle size and electrophoretic mobility distributions. The PALS (= Phase Angle Light Scattering) is uniquely capable of measuring electrophoretic mobilities in high salt or apolar media. We have also placed an order for a new rheometer system: the Paar Physica MCR300, with capability for simultaneous optical image and data acquisition during the rheometric measurements.
- UNDERGRADS WIN PRIZES IN REGIONAL RESEARCH PAPER COMPETITION Don Montrose took First Place and Jake Koerner took Third Place in the Pacific Nothwest Regional AIChE Student Chapter research paper competition held at UW April 23-24, 2004. Don's paper was entitled: "Polymer Conformation Changes in Coatings of Magnetic Data Storage Media," and Jake's paper was entitled: "Dynamic Wetting Properties of Dental Impression Materials."
- NEW RESEARCH GRANT The Group has just received a new 3-year research grant for $310K from the Department of Energy to study the colloidal properties of Transuranic Hanford Tank Wastes. We will be working in collaboration with researchers at the PNNL (Pacific Northwest National Labs) in Richland, WA, specifically Adam Poloski and Joel Tingey.
- NEW GRADUATE STUDENT JOINS THE GROUP Mindy Miller joined the Group in January, 2004. In research sponsored by the Boeing Company, she is pursuing research on factors affecting primer-to-primer paint adhesion.
- RICHARD DANIEL PRESENTS PAPER Richard Daniel presented a paper entitled entitled: "Ink-Media Interactions in Thermal Ink-Jet Printing: Effect of Surfactant Addition" at the 2003 AIChE Annual Meeting, held in San Francisco, November 16-21, 2003.
- NEW UNDERGRADS JOIN RESEARCH GROUP Four new undergrads joined the group in September, 2003. Shin Muramoto is pursuing research on the behavior of pigments embedded in cosmetic gels, sponsored by Procter & Gamble and co-directed by Dr. Jorge Sunkel. Don Montrose is studying the conformation of binder polymers in mixed-solvent media media, sponsored by the Imation Corporation and co-directed by Dr. Neal Nelson and Dr. Alan Miller. Jake Koerner is studying the dynamic wettability of dental impression materials, sponsored by Coltene-Whaledent AG, Altstaetten, Switzerland. Kelvin Zin is studying the improvement of membranes for water purification.
- SHORT COURSE GIVEN Our annual industrial short course in Surface and Colloid Science was given again this year, July 14-18, 2003. Check our website at: for information on the coming year's offering. The focus of the new course has been somewhat changed, and its new title is: SURFACES, COLLOIDS AND NANOSCIENCE.
- ALVIN HUANG PRESENTS PAPER Alvin Huang presented a paper entitled entitled: "Gelation of Liquid Bridges in Spherical Agglomeration" at the 77th Colloid and Surface Science Symposium, held at Georgia Tech, Altlanta, GA, June 15-18, 2003.
- JANINE BUSEMAN-WILLIAMS COMPLETES MS DEGREE Janine Buseman-Williams defended her MS thesis entitled: "Formation and Characterization of Patterned Heterogeneous Silane Films" June 10, 2003. She has accepted a position with the DuPont Company.
- NEW GRADUATE STUDENTS JOIN THE GROUP Two new graduate students joined the Group in December. Peter Laxton, whose undergraduate degree was from the University of New Hampshire, will pursue research on Gel Trapping of Dense Colloids. Felix Nguyen, whose undergraduate degrees in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering came from the University of Washington, will pursue studies of Carbon-Resin Adhesion in Polymeric Composites.
- PROF. BERG HONOFRED BY AICHE Prof. Berg was named as a "Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineeers" in November in recognition of his career accomplishments and service to the organization.
- NEW UNDERGRADS JOIN RESEARCH GROUP Three new undergrads joined the group in October, 2002. Andreas Weisweaver will pursue research on the behavior of pigments embedded in cosmetic gels, sponsored by Procter & Gamble and co-directed by Dr. Jorge Sunkel. Kevin Beebe will study the adsorption of binder polymers in dispersions for magnetic data storage media, sponsored by the Imation Corporation and co-directed by Dr. Neal Nelson and Dr. Alan Miller. Men Nguyen will study the effect of surface treatments on the wettability of aluminum surfaces. This work is of direct interest to the Boeing Company.
- CHENHANG SUN COMPLETES PHD DEGREE Chenhang Sun defended his PhD dissertation entitled: "Surface Energetics and Acid-Base Properties of Modified and Unmodified Mineral Oxides" in August, 2002.
- PROF. BERG PRESENTS SEMINAR AT IMATION CORP. Prof. Berg presented a seminar on "The Surface Properties of Metal Oxides and their Relationship to Dispersion Stability in Cyclohexane" to the central research organization at Imation Corporation July 23, 2002. This work had been conducted by undergraduate researchers Josh Ross (who currently works with Imation at Camarillo, CA) and Kevin Carlin and was sponsored by Imation.
- ALAN MILLER COMPLETES PHD DEGREE Alan Miller defended his PhD dissertation entitled: "The Prediction of Adhesion in Filled Polymeric Composites" on July 19, 2002. He has taken a position with the Imation Corporation in Maplewood, MN.
- SHORT COURSE GIVEN Our annual industrial short course in Surface and Colloid Science was given again this year, July 8-12, 2002, with an attendance of 26. Check our website at: for information on the coming year's offering.
- CHENHANG SUN PRESENTS PAPER AT ACS MEETING Chenhang Sun presented a paper entitled: " The Effective Surface Free Energy of Solid Mixtures as Measured by Inverse Gas Chromatography" at the 76th ACS Colloid and Surface Science Symposium, June 23-26, 2002, held at the Universityof Michigan.
- MIKE VANCLEAVE COMPLETES MS DEGREE Mike VanCleave defended his MS thesis entitled: "Characterizing the Early-Time Surface Tension Behavior of Surfactant Solutions: Application to Ink-Jet Printing" on June 12, 2002. This work was sponsored by the Hewlett-Packard Company. He has taken a position with Kennedy/Jenks Consultants in Seattle.
- ANDY KIM COMPLETES PHD DEGREE Andy Kim defended his PhD dissertation entitled: "Heteroaggregation of Oppositely-Charged Colloids" on June 4, 2002. He has taken a position with the Intel Corporation in Beaverton, OR.
- DR. SUNG T. CHUNG HONORED AS DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS Dr Sung T. Chung, one of Dr. Berg's first doctoral students (Ph.D. 1971) was honored in ceremonies on May 17 as a "Distinguished Alumnus" of the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Washington. This coveted honor is in recognition of his many accomplishments since completing his degree at UW. He has been a Distinguished Professor at Inha University since 1994, (after an earlier period of teaching at the University: 1971-74) and served in the interim as managing director of Korea Heavy Industries and Construction Co., Ltd. and executive managing director of Daewoo Construction Co., Ltd., and executive vice president of Halla Engineering and Heavy Industries, Ltd. He is a full member of the National Academy of Engineering of Korea and vice president of the Korean Institute of Chemical Engineers. He has also distinguished himself with honors for excellence in teaching and has sered as president of the UW Alumni Association - Korea. Dr. Berg has many fond memories of Dr. Chung's graduate days and takes great pride in this recognition.
- JOSHUA ROSS WINS RESEARCH PAPER COMPETITION Josh Ross took First Place (and a prize of $1000!) in the AIChE Northwest Regional Student Chapter Paper Competition, April 26, 2002. His paper, entitled: "The Surface Energetics of Pigments for Data Storage Media," documented his research, which is sponsored by Imation Corporation, with technical liaison Dr. Neal K. Nelson, Jr. The conference was hosted this year by Washington State University. Josh is now eligible for the national competition, which will held at the Annual Meeting of AIChE in November in Indianapolis.
- NEW UNDERGRADUATES JOIN RESEARCH GROUP Tyson Poeckh and Brian Silverman joined the research group and will begin work this Winter Quarter.
- SERGIO ADAN-PLAZA COMPLETES MS DEGREE Sergio finished his MS degree in December. His project, sponsored by the 3M-ESPE Corporation, was entitled: "Time and Temperature Effects on the Rheology of Setting Dental Impression Materials." He has returned to Spain, where he will be seeking employment.
- PROF. BERG PRESENTS SEMINARS AT IMATION CORP. AND KIMBERLY-CLARK CORP. In December, 2001, Prof. Berg presented a seminar entitled: "Inverse Gas Chromatography and Its Use in Determining the Effect of Moisture on the Properties of Mineral Oxides," at the Imation Corporation, St, Paul, MN, and later he presented a seminar entitled: "The Use of Thermodynamics in Predicting Adhesion" at the Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Neenah, WI.
- NEW GRADUATE STUDENTS JOIN RESEARCH GROUP Two new graduate students joined the Group in November. Janine Buseman-Williams, who received her undergraduate degree from MIT, and Dan Ramrus, whose undergrad degree is from UC San Diego, will both be working on research problems related to adhesion.
- PAPERS AND POSTER PRESENTED AT AICHE ANNUAL MEETING Andy Kim presented a aper entitled: "The Effect of Polymer Adlayers on Heteroaggregation Kinetics," and Richard Daniel presented a paper entitled: "Dynamic Surface Tension Effects in Ink-Jet Printing" at the 2001 Annual Meeting of AIChE in Reno, NV, Nov. 4-9, 2001. Andy also presented a poster entitled: "Heteroaggregation Strategies for the Control of Floc Size and Internal Structure."
- NEW UNDERGRADUATES JOIN RESEARCH GROUP Felix Nguyen, Kevin Carlin and Josh Ross joined our research group this year. Felix is working on gel properties of topical ointments (sponsored by the Procter & Gamble Co., and co-diected by Dr. Jorge Sunkel). Kevin is working on the characterization of solvent-borne pigment dispersions, while Josh is using inverse gas chromatography to characterize the surface energetics of mineral oxides. Both projects are sponsored by the Imation Corporation and co-directed by Dr. Neal K. Nelson, Jr.
- PROF. BERG PRESENTS SEMINAR ON SURFACE ENERGETICS AT CABOT WORKSHOP Prof. Berg presented an invited seminar on The Thermodynamics of the Surface Energy of Solids at a workshop on Surface Energetics sponsored by the Cabot Corporation. The workshop was held at the OceanView resort in Gloucester, MA, Oct. 1-4, 2001.
- PRESENTATION AT FIRST ANNUAL IGC CONFERENCE CANCELLED Prof. Berg served on the Advisory Board for the First Annual Conference on Inverse Gas Chromatography in London and was scheduled to present a paper entitled: "The Effect of Moisture on the the Surface Energy and Acid-Base Properties of Mineral Oxides." His departure, which was set for Sept. 12, however, had to be cancelled due to the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
- ANNUAL SHORT COURSE AGAIN A SUCCESS Our annual Short Course on Surface and Colloid Science was given July 9-13, 2001, and was again successful, attracting 39 participants.
- ANDY KIM GIVES PRESENTATIONS AT TECHNICAL MEETINGS Andy Kim presented a paper entitled: "Selective Heteroaggregation of Sterically-Stabilized, Oppositely-Charged Colloids" at the 75th ACS Colloid and Surface Science Symposium in Pittsburgh, June 12, 2001. He also presented a poster of the same title at the 56th Northwest Regional ACS Meeting in Seattle, June 14th.
- PROF. BERG RECEIVES RECOGNITION AS EDUCATOR Prof. Berg received honorable mention as Educator of the Year at the 2001 Dean's Recognition Awards of theCollege of Engineering in May.
- UNDERGRADS GIVE PRESENTATIONS AT LOCAL AICHE MEETING John Martens, Nathan Moore, Ryan Murray and Josh Stowell gave presentations on their undergraduate projects at the meeting of the Puget Sound Section of AIChE in April. All were very well received.
- ERIC ASTON ACCEPTS PROFESSORSHIP AT IDAHO Eric Aston finished up his PhD studies and accepted a position of Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Idaho, starting in September. As our top expert in AFM technology, and as a good friend, he will be much missed.
- RICHARD DANIEL HAS INTERNSHIP AT HP Richard Daniel spent the Winter Quarter, 2001 at the Hewlett Packard Corporation in Corvallis working on his project on his project concerning ink-jet printing. The research is sponsored by the company.
- PROF. BERG PRESENTS SEMINAR AT 3M COMPANY Prof. Berg presented a seminar on The Use of UNIFAC for the Prediction of Adhesion in Filled Polymeric Composites" at the Tech Forum of the 3M Company, St. Paul, MN, in December.
- THREE NEW GRADUATE STUDENTS JOIN GROUP Sergio Adan-Plaza, Alvin Huang and Mike Van Cleave joined the Group this Autumn, 2000. Sergio will be working on the wetting dynamics of dental impression materials, Alvin will work on oil-assisted agglomeration for the separation of mixed slurries, and Mike will be working on ink jet printing. Mike already had a 3-month internship with the Hewlett-Packard Company this past summer in preparation for his research.
- FIVE NEW UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS JOIN THE GROUP Tanya Erickson, John Martens, Nathan Moore, Ryan Murray and Josh Stowell joined the Group for undergraduate research projects this year. These are described in their individual home pages.
- PROF. BERG VISITS EPFL - LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND In August, Prof. Berg visited the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) to serve as external examiner for the PhD candidate Stephane Page in the Department of Materials Science. Dr. Page was a student in the laboratory of Prof. Jan-Anders Manson. Prof. Berg also presented a seminar on "Adhesion in Filled Polymeric Composites." Following his stay in Lausanne, Dr. Berg visited ESPE Dental AG in Seefeld, Germany. For the past several years some of Dr. Berg's undergratuate researchers have been doing work sponsored by this company, so it was a nice opportunity to visit some of their scientists and see their facilities firsthand. The collaboration is ongoing at the present time.
- ANNUAL SHORT COURSE IN SURFACE AND COLLOID SCIENCE Our annual Industrial Short Course in Surface and Colloid Science was given July 10-14, 2000, and was once again successful, with 41 participants. Please check our page on the Short Course if you are interested in the offering for 2001.
- ANDY KIM VISITS SANDIA NATIONAL LABORATORIES Andy Kim spent two weeks in July, 2000 working with Dr. Jim Martin at Sandia National Laboratories learning techniques of molecular dynamic simulation. He is applying his new know knowledge to problems in floc structure evolution in hetero-colloids.
- FOUR GRADUATE STUDENTS IN GROUP TO PRESENT PAPERS AT ACS COLLOIDS CONFERENCE Eric Aston, Alan Miller, Andy Kim and Chenhang Sun will all be giving presentations on their research at the upcoming 74th Colloid and Surface Science Symposium "Colloid 2000" of the American Chemical Society, June 18-21, 2000.
- PROF. BERG TO SPEAKS AT GRADUATION 2000 Prof. Berg was elected by the Undergraduate Class of 2000 (a.k.a., "The Pinatas") to speak at their graduation ceremony, June 10, 2000. He was very honored, and enjoyed very much sharing his thoughts with them on that happy occasion.
- ANDY KIM WINS INTEL FELLOWSHIP Andy Kim has won the competitive Intel Fellowship at UW for the Year 2000-2001. This prestigious award will pay his full tuition and stipend expenses, and will provide him with a high-end computer for himself.
- UNDERGRADUATES WIN FIRST AND SECOND PLACES AT NORTHWEST REGIONAL CONFERENCE Two of Dr. Berg's undergraduate research students, JONATHAN FORESTER and MIKE VAN CLEAVE took First and Second Place prizes, resp., for their research presentations at the Pacific Northwest Regional Student Paper Contest Apr. 28-29, 2000, hosted this year by the University of Idaho. Jonathan's talk was entitled: "Spreading Dynamics of Dense Emulsions," and Mike's was: "Dynamic Surface Tension Measurement Using Bubble Tensiometry." Jonathan will present his paper in the National Competition at the Annual Meeting of AIChE in Los Angeles, November, 2000. Two of Dr. Berg's also made excellent presentations in the competition. LAURIE BACHRACH spoke on: "The Rheology of Alumina Slurries," and SERGIO ADAN-PLAZA spoke on: "The Rheology of Dental Impression Materials."
- PROF. BERG SPEAKS AT U. OF FLORIDA AS GUEST OF THE GRADUATE STUDENTS Prof. Berg was honored by the graduate students at the University of Florida by being selected as "the seminar speaker they would most like to meet and listen to speak on ...their contributions to the advancement of chemical engineering." On April 10, 2000 Dr. Berg visited and present a seminar entitled: "The Use of Thermodynamics for Predicting Adhesion in Filled Polymeric Composites."
- MARK KNOWLTON COMPLETES MS DEGREE Mark Knowlton completed and defended her MS thesis, entitled: "UNIFAC Calculations for Predicting Wetting and Adhesion" in March, 2000. He has taken a position with the Intel Corporation.
- HERN KIM VISITING FROM MYONGJI UNIVERSITY IN KOREA Dr. Hern Kim arrived with his family in Seattle this January, and will be working in our group through January, 2001. We are very excited about his visit and look forward to many useful collaborations
- MARIA JOSE NUEVO RETURNS TO SPAIN Dr. Maria Jose Nuevo, who visited our group during November and December, has returned to the Applied Physics Department of the University of Extremadura in Badajoz, Spain. We enjoyed having her here and trust that she had a productive stay performing research on atomic force microscopy.
- NEW GRAD STUDENT JOINS GROUP Richard Daniel is joining our research group to work on Ink Jet Printing. Richard got his BS degree from the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, FL. Welcome aboard!
- HEWLETT-PACKARD SPONSERS NEW RESEARCH The Hewlett-Packard Company is sponsoring new research in our group dealing with Ink Jet Printing. This will involve the work of one new graduate student beginning in November, 1999, and a second graduate student beginning in summer, 2000.
- SUSIE STENKAMP COMPLETES PHD DEGREE Susie Stenkamp completed and defended her PhD disertation, entitled: "Steric and Electrosteric Stabilization of Colloids in Aqueous Slat Solutions" in October, 1999. She has taken a research position with Battelle Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL) in Richland, WA.
- PROF. BERG SERVES AS EXTERNAL EXAMINER Prof. Berg served as External Examiner for the Ph.D. Dissertation of Bjorn Johansson at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, in October, 1999. The thesis title was "Surface Chemistry of Flotation Deinking," and was supervised by Prof. Goran Strom. The External Examiner is titled the "Opponent" in Sweden, but the experience was very rewarding and cordial. It was also a chance to catch up with old friends in Sweden.
- INDUSTRIAL SHORT COURSE. The 13th annual offering of the Short Course on Surface and Colloid Science was given this year: July 12-16, 1999, and had a total of 43 participants. The course, which is also planned for 2000 (July 10-14, 2000; check this site for further details) consists of lectures in the morning covering the basics of colloid and interface science, and laboratory demonstrations in the afternoons, illustrating up-to-date laboratory techniques for property measurement and system characterization. The course is designed for industrial researchers, engineers and technicians dealing with surfactants, thin films, coatings, natural and synthetic fibers, adhesives, lubricants, wetting agents, foams, pigments, powders, aerosols and other materials for which surface properties play an important role. The course fee for 2000 is $1375, and university housing is available for modest rates. Interested persons should contact Engineering Professional Programs; University of Washington; Box 358851; 10303 Meridian Ave. N.; Suite 301; Seattle, WA 98133. FAX: (206) 543-2352
- LILY WOO COMPLETES MS DEGREE Lily Woo completed and defended her MS thesis, entitled: "Adsorption of Polyelectrolytes on Colloidal Particles" in June, 1999. She has taken a research position with Praxair Surface Technologies in Indianapolis, IN.
- UNDERGRADUATE WINS AWARD AT NORTHWEST REGIONAL CONFERENCE One of Dr. Berg's undergraduate research students took the Third Place prize for his research presentation at the Pacific Northwest Regional Student Paper Contest Apr. 30-May 1, 1999, hosted this year by the Oregon State University. KERRY PERSON WON $300 in the Paper Competition for his paper entitled: "Measurement of Surface Tension in the Millisecond Range."
- INVITED PAPER AT MRS MEETING Prof. Berg presented an invited paper at the Materials Research Society Spring Meeting in San Francisco, Apr. 5-9, 1999. It was entitled: "The Acid-Base Energetics of Adhesion in Composite Materials."
- LECTURE AT 3M COMPANY Prof. Berg presented a lecture on adhesion to the Technical Forum at the 3M Company in St. Paul on March 19, 1999.
- MILLER SPENDS WINTER QUARTER IN ULM, GERMANY Alan Miller spent the Winter Quarter, 1999, working with the Experimental Physics Group at the Tech. University in Ulm. He worked specifically on the acoustic analysis of adhesive failure in filled polymer composites (with Dr. S. Minko) and on Pulsed-Force Mode Atomic Force Microscopy (with Prof. Dr. O. Marti).
- DICKSON COMPLETES MS DEGREE Lynne Dickson defended her MS thesis in January, 1999.
- PAPER AT EUROPEAN ADHESION SOCIETY AND LECTURE AT TU ULM Prof. Berg presented a poster or the group's recent adhesion work at EURADH '98 - the 4th European Conference on Adhesion, in Garmisch-Partenkirken, Sept. 6-11, 1998. The following week he presented a lecture to the Experimental Physics Group at the Technical University of Ulm, Germany.
- PROF. BERG GIVES INVITED LECTURE AT GORDON CONFEENCE ON ADHESION Professor Berg gave an invited lecture entitled: "The Importance of Acid-Base Effects in Adhesion Control using Amphiphilic Agents," at the invitiation of conference organizer, Dr. Alphonsus Pocius. The conference was held at Tilton, NH, the first week of August, 1998.
- JOURNAL EDITORSHIPS Prof. Berg is currently an Editor for Advances in Colloid and Interface Science, a journal of Elsevier Publishers for review articles covering the latest developments in the field. Anyone interested in submitting such a review should contact Prof. Berg directly. He also is currently on the Editorial Advisory Boards for: Langmuir; Colloids and Surfaces; and Journal of Adhesion Science and Technology.