Zachary Friar

ABOUT THE RESEARCHER:

1. Who are you doing research with this summer and what kind of research project are you doing?

I am doing research with Dr. Sidorenko, from the department of chemistry and biochemistry, this summer. Our work explores the nanopatterning of surfaces with grafted diblock copolymers, and examines the responsive nature of the polymers. Grafting of coordinated responsive arrays of polymer islands allows us to control and alter the interfacial properties of a material. The grafted polymers are responsive in that they undergo conformational changes when exposed to different stimuli, such as a change in temperature, pH, or solvent.

2. What do you find fascinating in the research that you are doing?

Nanotechnology is so fascinating because materials will show a radically different behavior in this regime than what they exhibit in their bulk properties. This is due to a larger proportion of surface area to volume. Nanotechnology has such a strong presence in materials chemistry as researchers can exploit these differences to create materials that would not be found in nature. Working with polymers is especially intriguing as they readily lend themselves to modification, which enables fine-tuning of a material or surface properties.

3. What skills are you learning through the USURF experience?

Not only has this summer allowed me to begin to hone my experimental skill set (i.e. organization, creativity, cleanliness) and has introduced me to many new methods of characterization (atomic force microscopy, null ellipsometry, contact angles). It has imparted me with a very important mentality about research in general. Dr. Sidorenko has stressed the importance of preforming multiple methods of characterization before moving forward and assuming that your idea worked. It seems to me to be a lifelong commitment of a scientist to strive to be objectively neutral and open to all possibilities in their research. It is a concerted effort to develop these temperaments and they are grounded in meticulous research practices.

4. What are the challenges you’re encountering in your research?

Considering that research is at the forefront of a given field, there are many instance when it is not clear what is going on, and there is no single textbook or source that will be able to provide an answer for a given problem. It can be arduous at times to not have a clear answer of what is happening and have read multitudes of research papers, trying to find a reference or a similarity to the phenomenon that you are encountering. Additionally, it can be challenging to step back from a specific part of your research and collect all of the data into a meaningful representation of what your system is. Although it is daunting to have to try and connect the dots of the data you have been collecting, it is also one of the most rewarding parts of my experience this summer.

5. How is your USURF experience impacting the way you view your field?

Absolute humility. Seeing first hand and full time the amount of work it take to even start to get an idea of a new research project has really attuned me as to what a scientist does on a daily basis. It takes an incredible amount of perseverance, especially in the face of failure, to dedicate so much time to a research project. It is humbling to read research papers and realize just how much effort was put into them. It has also been inspiring to work with Dr. Sidorenko and a team of very intelligent researchers who possess so much knowledge and passion about what they are studying. It has provided me an image that I hope to model myself after in my future endeavors.

6. Tell us something interesting about yourself.

I helped design and build the solvent vapor-annealing chamber that is shown in my profile picture. Dr. Sidorenko is a very handy engineer of lab equipment; in fact he has constructed many pieces of equipment that we use on a daily basis. I have been very proud to work with him and a graduate student in building and maintaining some of our lab equipment.