The UMass MRSEC and CHM supported the culmination of the summertime REU experience by holding the annual REU Symposium on Aug 3rd & 4th. Following are the participants and their presentation titles:

Kyle Sargent, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Thermal Transition Behavior in Mixed Solvent Systems.  Bermudez Group

Benjamin Hanson*, Skidmore College
Synthesis of Photocleavable Polymers via [2+3] Huisgen Cycloaddition. Coughlin Group

G. Connor Evans, Case Western Reserve University
Chalcone Synthesis for Fire‐Safe Polymers. Coughlin Group

Matthew Gurney, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Solution State Crystallization of Conjugated Polymers for Photovoltaic Applications. Hayward Group

Venkata Yelleswarapu*, Boston University
Engineered Microenvironments to Parse the Role of Stiffness and Nanotopography in Metastasis. Peyton Group

Kyle Delaney, Pennsylvania State University
Packing of a Charged 1‐D Polymer Chain in a 3‐D Container. Santangelo Group

Aimee Khan, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Population Annealing and Simulated Annealing for Finding Spin Glass Ground States. Machta Group

Johnswell Villanueva Padilla*, University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez
Translocation Dynamics of Monomers: A Computational Study. Muthukumar Group

Elena Stachew*, Case Western Reserve University
Shape Control of Thermally Responsive non‐Euclidean Sheets with Patterned Swelling. Hayward Group

Nikita Nayyar, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Dye Leakage Studies of Synthetic Mimics of Antimicrobial Peptides. Tew Group

Kewei Zhang, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Determining the Mechanism of Action of SMAMPs using E.coli Inner and Outer Membrane Permeabilization Assay. Tew Group

Daniel Gonzalez*, Northeastern University
Synthesis of Oligomers of 2,5‐bis(3‐dodecylthiophen‐2‐yl)thieno[3,2‐b]thiophene (BTTT). Briseno Group

Yuan Wu, University of Massachusetts Amherst
The Buckling of Self‐Twisted Filament Assemblies. Grason Group

Surya Murty, University of Pennsylvania
Tuning The Properties of Gold Nanoparticles with Thermoresponsive Polymers. Bermudez Group

Ivan Perez, University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras
Monolayer Tuning Of Gold Nanoparticles For Drug Delivery Via Nano Capsules. Rotello Group

Heather Leask, University of Connecticut
Mechanical Characterization of Hydrogel Thin Films through Substrate Curvature. Hayward Group

Joseph Fuentes, California State University, Los Angeles
Resilience of Polyacrylamide Hydrogels. Tew Group

Kole Grain, Southern University at Shreveport
Purification and Utilization of Hydrogenase for Biohybrid Catalysts. Maroney Group

Sean Corning, Stonehill College
Synthesis of Amine and Thiol Functionalized Ligands with Applications in Biosensing and Drug Delivery. Rotello Group

Richard Johnson, University of Michigan
Vertically Oriented Organic Single‐Crystalline Nanostructures on Graphene Surfaces. Briseno Group

* MRSEC Funded Participant