News

Recent News

2025

01/15: I am excited to share that Kaylee Drake, an undergraduate researcher in our PolyNEL research group, received a University of Arkansas Honors College Research Grant. This grant will allow her to continue her work on the “Effects of Silica Nanoparticles on Mucin Nanostructure at Various pH, Concentration, and Temperature Conditions” next semester. Congrats to Kaylee and her PhD student mentor, David Chem!

2024

05/14: Congrats to two first-year engineering students from our PolyNEL group, Benjamin Hopkins (biomedical engineering) and John Verdaris (chemical engineering), who presented their research on ‘Lignin Coated Magnetic Particles and their Use for Targeted Water Remediation’ which was done with mentoring from PolyNEL post-doc Kayla Foley and PhD student Olufemi Ogunjimi. They won 1st place for their poster presentation at the Honors College Research Symposium.

05/14: Join me to congrat Samantha Glidewell, our newest graduate who have just completed her honors thesis and received her B.S degree in chemical engineering. Samantha will stay on this summer to continue her research projects.

03/15: Last week, Dr. Keisha Walters‘s PolyNEL research group attended the #ANTEC24 Conference in St. Louis. Researchers presented alongside professionals and industry leaders in the field of plastics technologies, polymer research, and new materials. Thank you for representing the University of Arkansas well. A special congratulations to our undergraduate researcher Samantha Glidewell who was honored with 1st place in the poster competition!

2023

11/30: Proud to announce that David Chem is the newest PhD Candidate in my research group and in the Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Arkansas. Welcome to the ‘hard hat’ club!

08/15: Congratulations Kayla on being selected as one of the five scholars for SEC Emerging Scholars Program at the UARK. The SEC Emerging Scholars Program provides professional development and networking opportunities to current doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers who are considering careers in higher education. Kayla will also serve as a Post Doctoral Fellow in our @Walters_PolyNEL Polymer and Nanoengineering Lab.

08/01: Excited that some of our research on novel magnetically responsive poly(ionic liquids) was recently published in RSC’s Molecular Systems Design & Engineering (MSDE) journal. Magnetic susceptibilities for these stimuli-responsive #polymers can be tuned w/ metal ion species, concentration, and polymer binding interactions. Kudos to our new PhD graduate Kayla Foley and Lucas Condes! #functionalpolymers #composites #materials #polyionicliquids #materialdesign
https://lnkd.in/gvtbEDad

07/26: Next week, the Summer Lunch & Learn series returns to dive into managing a digital presence: where, how, and its important for your career. Our discussion leader is Department Head & Professor, Dr. Keisha Walters. This discussion is intended for Graduate students and Post-Docs. #cheguark #uarkengineering #chemicalengineering

07/12: I am proud to announce the newest PhD from the PolyNEL research group. Help me welcome Dr. Kayla Foley! Today she successfully defended her dissertation on ‘Poly(ionic liquid)s for Ionic, Magnetic, and Electrical Stimuli Response’. Much appreciation to her other committee members: Dr. Tammy Lutz-Rechtin, Dr. Karthik Nayani, Dr. Wan Shou, and Dr. Dan Glatzhofer (OU). #newPhD #research #gradschoollife #chemicalengineering #doctoraldegree #UArk

06/01: A warm welcome to the newest PhD student in my research group, @Walters_PolyNEL. Yousef Fathisola completed his BS and MS degree from Iran. He will be co-advised by Dr. Keisha Walters and Dr. Jamie Hestekin.

03/31: Great job presenting at the ACS conference, David Chem! First conference presentation is a major milestone. Proud of your contributions to the PolyNEL research group and being a great representative for the graduate #ChemicalEngineering program at #uark !

01/25: Join me in welcoming Muhammad Nazrul Islam as a Post Doctoral Fellow in the @Walters_PolyNEL Polymer and Nanoengineering Lab and the @CHEG_UARK Department. She is the newest #research group member and we look forward to his impact on our research group.

2022

11/22: A warm welcome to the newest PhD student in my research group, @Walters_PolyNEL. Olufemi Ogunjimi worked as a process engineer in industry for several years and completed his MS from Lagos State University before coming to @CHEG_UARK to earn a #PhD in #chemicalengineering.

11/17: Last but certainly not least! David Chem gave a poster presentation on his lignin-based copolymer project at #aicheannual yesterday. Now we are all headed back to UA!

11/17: Join me in welcoming Fatema Tarannum as a Post Doctoral Fellow in the @Walters_PolyNEL Polymer and Nanoengineering Lab and the @CHEG_UARK Department. She is the newest #research group member and we look forward to her impact on our #polymer and #nanomaterials projects.

11/15: PhD Candidate, Kayla Foley, gave two great presentations at #AIChE2022 on her poly(ionic liquid) research. Kudos to Kayla for providing #Leadership to our @Walters_PolyNEL research group.

07/13: We are so proud of Dr. Keisha Walters, our PI and the head of the Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Arkansas College of Engineering on being inducted as a Fellow of the Plastics Society. Only 357 members have been awarded the prestigious title of Fellow of the Society since it was introduced in 1984. 

05/17: Congrats to Collin Britten! He is a recent @OU_CBME#PhD graduate from my @Walters_PolyNEL research group. Collin has joined @WyattTechnology as an Associate Field Application Scientist, and he is exploring his new environs of #Philadelphia, PA.

01/29: Welcome David Chem, a new PhD student, to the Walters research group!

2021

11/24: New publication from my research group (w.recent PhD graduate, Collin Britten, and UG researcher, Kristen Lason) presents a new aqueous method for the rapid and facile synthesis of tertiary amine-pendant polymers with narrow molecular weight distributions.

09/19: Congratulations to Kayla Foley, a 4th year PhD student in my research group @polysel for receiving the P.K. Kuroda Fellowship in Engineering! Kayla moved to the @UArkansas with me in August 2021 to join the @CHEG_UARK Dept. of Chemical Engineering. #chemicalengineering#PhD

08/24: We would like to congratulate Dr. Keisha Walters and Dr. Keith Walters on their new positions at the University of Arkansas. Dr. Keisha Walters began her role as head of the Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering on Aug. 16, 2021, and will hold the Kevin W. and Marie L. Brown Department Head Chair in Chemical Engineering. Dr. Keith Walters will also be joining the College of Engineering as a professor and will hold the 21st Century Professorship in Mechanical Engineering.

02/09: Congrats to BS/MS student, Yokly (Lee) Leng, for being awarded a Phillips 66 Research Scholarship for the Spring 2021 semester!

2020

12/10: Congratulations to @PolySEL student, Onyi Igwe! Today she successful defended her M.S. thesis, “Microstructural Study of Mucin: Influence of pH, Temperature, Concentration and Nanoparticles”. #femalecommittee #womeninstem #closethegendergap

10/15: Luis Trevisi, a 2nd year @polysel UG researcher, was selected to participate in the prestigious Future Leaders in Chemical Engineering UG Research Symposium hosted by NCSU. https://cbe.ncsu.edu/research/future-leaders-in-chemical-engineering/…

10/15: Congrats to Lee (Yokly) Leng, a BS/MS student in the group, for his selection as a Phillips 66 Research Scholar for the Fall 2020 semester. Looking forward to his research findings on biomedical polymer development!

9/16: Join me in welcoming current UG researcher Yokly Leng into a new position as an entering M.S. student.  Yokly will be working on evaluating commercially available and newly developed polymers for 3D printing of cardiac repair materials

9/16: Congrats to Kayla for submitting a proposal to the ORNL Neutron Sciences User Office today. If funded, it will allow her to collect neutron scattering data on her magnetic poly(ionic liquid) samples to examine dynamic molecular-level self-assembly and structure. Good luck, Kayla!

6/16: Congrats to PolySEL group member, Dr. Hailey Wang, for successfully passing her PhD defense today! Hailey is advised by Dr. Keith Walters in @OUAME and Dr. Keisha Walters (@keishabwalters) in @OU_CBME.

5/22: Newest publication from the PolySEL research group explores metal halide-catalyzed selective cleavage of ester bonds in phospholipids. A useful reaction for biodiesel/FAME processing.

4/29: New PolySEL publication on surface modification of polyethylene copolymer films to produce light emitting polymers (LEPs). New paper by former and current PolySEL graduate students, Ashley Running and Collin Britten, on our light emitting polymer research.

4/28: Congrats Kayla Foley for successfully passing her PhD General Exam today! Delivering a great proposal, “Developing Hierarchical Materials from Polymerized Ionic Liquids and their Solution Self-Assembly Morphology and Functionality”, she is the newest PolySEL PhD Candidate

3/11:  Congrats to PolySEL Researchers Huiyu Wang and Brandon Abbott for presenting at the 2020 Laurance Reid Gas Conditioning Conference Reception at OU, ExxonMobil sponsored.

2019

11/27: Congrats to Brandon Abbott! He passed his General Exam today and is the newest PhD Candidate in PolySEL

10/9: Congrats to Ms. Huiyu (Hailey) Wang, PhD Candidate, for receiving the Gallogly College of Engineering Dissertation Excellence Award for Fall 2019 and Spring 2020

9/10: Read PolySEL’s latest PCCP article on thiol SAMs on gold, selected as 2019 HOT PCCP Article

8/28: Congrats to PolySEL undergraduate researcher Lucas Condes for being awarded a Phillips 66 Research Scholarship for the Fall 2019 Semester. He will be working on the synthesis and characterization of Poly(ionic liquids) with PhD student Kayla Foley

8/21: Congrats to PolySEL graduate student, Austin Curnutt who successfully defended his MS thesis today. He’s starting a position with Eastern Consult soon.

7/27: OUproud of the work done by our Warrior_Scholar students this week (hosted by PolySEL). They learned about TEM, SEM, and confocal microscopy, and helped image the metal binding nanoparticles they made.

5/21: Congrats to PolySEL UG Research and recent OU CBME graduate Kaylee Smith, for receiving a Phillips 66 Undergraduate Research Scholarship for her excellent research this semester. She’s headed to grad school at Univ-Michigan this fall!

5/10: We are very happy to recognize Onyi Igwe, an UG PolySEL researcher since Fall 2018. Onyi will start in the MS program here at OU CBME this fall. She plans to conduct research in the field of polymer and polymer composite design and mechanical testing.

5/10: We are very happy to recognize Kaylee Smith, an UG PolySEL researcher for the past 1.5 years.  Kaylee will start in the PhD chemical engineering program at the Univ. of Michigan this fall.  She plans to conduct research in the field of materials and sustainable energy. Congrats!

5/3: Congrats to Huiyu (Hailey) Wang on recently passing her General Exam.  She is co-advised by Dr. Keith Walters (@OUAME) and me (@OU_CBME) and is now a ‘PhD Candidate’.  Great job, Hailey!

4/24: Kayla Foley, a PhD PolySEL student, was selected to receive the 2019 Harriet Harvey Memorial Scholarship. This award is one of the oldest and most prestigious available to OU students and recognizes her leadership and potential for long-term impact on OU and society.

4/24: Congrats to two of my PhD students, Brandon Abbott and Kayla Foley, for being awarded Chevron Scholarships for 2019-2020! Keep up the good work!!

3/5:  We enjoyed guiding high school women in hands-on engineering activities at OU’s High School Girls’ Day sponsored by @Shell. @OU_SWE and @WiE_OU did a great job organizing.  Many thanks to graduate students from @polysel @OU_CBME for stepping up develop and demo the experiments.

3/5: Several graduate students from the PolySEL research group (Kayla Foley, Brandon Abbott, and Hailey Wang) and other @OU_CBME graduate students did a great job presenting their research to industrial attendees of the Laurance Reid Gas Conditioning Conference held here at OU.

1/24: Congratulations to CBME senior and PolySEL researcher Ismail Dumutu who was selected to receive a Phillips 66 Research Scholarship for the Spring 2019 semester!  Ismail is planning on graduate school after he receives his BS in May 2019

2018

12/13: Latest publication from the PolySEL group. Thanks to MS graduate, Laibao Zhang, for finishing up his publication efforts on our pyrolysis oil research.

12/7: PolySEL publication using magnetic nanoparticles in aqueous solutions as the working fluid for oscillating heat pipes.

11/28: Congrats to PolySEL undergraduate researcher, Dean Rufeisen!  Awarded 2018 Outstanding Mentor in CBME at OU, for outstanding service as a Chevron Phillips mentor. Award to be presented at OK Mentor Day (Jan. 18, 2019) sponsored by Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence.

03/16: Undergraduate researcher Kaylee Smith has accepted an offer to attend an NSF REU program at REU at Case Western Reserve University this summer. Kaylee is looking forward to select a project and advisor to work in the area of electrochemical engineering.

01/29: Congratulations to Austin Curnutt!  He was awarded a Phillips 66 Research Scholarship for the Spring 2018 semester. 

2017 

09/06: We welcome the addition of Brandon Abbott as a Ph.D. student to the PolySEL group!  He was an undergraduate researcher for Dr. Walters at MSU previously.

09/07: Congratulations to Austin Curnutt, a B.S./M.S. on being selected for a Phillips 66 Research Scholarship for Fall 2017.  Austin is working on a PolySEL project on the rheology impacts of nanoparticle addition to biopolymer solutions.

09/08: The PolySEL group enjoys working with UG researchers.  We have several continuing students including Nolan Kelley, Berent Ostervold, and Dean Rufeisen.  David Nixon, Gretchen Hook, and Kaylee Smith are joining the group this semester.

03/20: Dr. Leila Karimi joined the group as a post-doctoral fellow. Welcome, Leila!

01/19: Congratulations to Dean Rufeisen! He received a Phillips 66 Research Scholarship for the Spring 2017 semester.  

2016 

09/10: Dean Rufeisen received, the CBME Undergraduate Researcher Award for the 2016-2017 academic year. Congratulations Dean! Way to go!

08/22: Collin Britten joined the group as a Ph.D. student. Welcome to the PolySEL group, Collin!

11/21: Featured Article in the Journal of Nanobiotechnology

11/21: Congrats to Ms. Swati Kumari

11/21: Visit the PolySEL Blog

11/21: Laibao Zhang joining PhD program at LSU

11/21: Gabe Monroe, PhD Graduate, to join ERDC

10/25: PolySEL Talks — 2015 AIChE, Salt Lake City, UT

06/22: Research Experiences Program for Teachers, Summer 2016