Courses Taught - Walker

06-801/06-802 - Colloid, Polymers, Surfaces Labs

These courses are going through substantial changes in the 2020-23 time frame. The courses still focus on hands-on experience in analytical techniques relevant to the fields of polymer and colloid science. These are now offered as 3 unit experiences (per course) and with a smaller number of techniques covered, but with more design of the experiment, a team-focused approach, and stream-lined reporting.

06-609/09-509/09-715 - Physical Chemistry of Macromolecules

This course develops fundamental principles of polymer science at an introductory level. Emphasis is placed on physical chemical concepts associated with the macromolecular chain nature of polymeric materials. Engineering aspects of the physical, mechanical and chemical properties of these materials are discussed in relation to chain microstructure. Topics include an historical introduction to polymer science and a general discussion of commercially important polymers; chain structure and molecular weight; condensation and addition synthesis mechanisms with emphasis on molecular weight distribution (MWD); methods for determining MWD; dilute solution thermodynamics and chain conformation; rubber elasticity; introduction to semi-concentrated systems; flow phenomena in polymeric systems; polymer processing; introductory aspects of polymer rheology; and thermal transitions.

Instructor:

Lynn Walker is a faculty member in Chemical Engineering and Chemistry (Courtesy) and Materials Science (Courtesy). She's been at CMU since 1997 and has taught "Macro" and the other CPS courses many times. She works in the area of complex fluid rheology and thinks that polymers are the coolest materials ever. In fact, she decided to pursue a PhD because of a lecture on polymers while a sophomore in college. It's been a passion for that long (and yes, polymers were already invented back then!). Her research focuses on the behavior of soft materials in non-equilibrium environments (flow, adsorbed at interfaces, under electric fields, etc...).

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