Making Random and Unidirectional Hydrophobic Porous Cellulose Nanofiber Structures  

Tom Turng Professor Lih-Sheng Turng is recognized for his research into the science and engineering of polymer injection molding. His research encompasses novel processes as well as new materials. He has been working in the area of microcellular injection molding, and has extended his research into nanocomposites, bio-based polymers, and tissue engineering scaffolds. Numerous grants and awards supporting his work have resulted, including the National Science Foundation (NSF) Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Award, several NSF Academic Program Awards, an Industrial Consortium, sponsored research programs, and several Wisconsin Innovation & Economic Development Research Program awards. He is the Co-Director of the Polymer Engineering Center and Engineering Polymer Industrial Consortium at UW-Madison, and NSF Industry/University Corporative Research Center (I/UCRC) that supports faculty research and outreach.

Turng had been with C-MOLD, a company recognized for its advanced plastics CAE simulation packages, for 10 years before joining UW-Madison in the summer of 2000. At C-MOLD, Turng was the Principal Investigator for four Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I, Phase II projects, and research grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the New York State Science and Technology Foundation.

At present, Professor Turng has served as the Chair and the Board of Directors of the Injection Molding Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE). In addition, he is on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Advances in Polymer Technology, Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy, Journal of Cellular Plastics, and International Journal of Polymer Materials, and is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering. Professor Turng was the invited panelist and speaker at the 2003 Wisconsin Economic Summit IV and plenary or keynote speaker at a number of other international conferences

Professor Turng has recently been selected to join the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery (WID) at UW-Madison and lead an interdisciplinary team to develop innovative tissue engineering scaffolds that restore, maintain, or improve the function of diseased or damaged human tissues.
 
Dr. Srikanth Pilla received his BS from JNT University, India; MS from University of Toledo, OH; and PhD from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, WI, all in mechanical engineering. After completing his postdoctoral studies in biobased materials and composites from the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University, Srikanth joined a start-up company, SuGanit Biorenewables, where he successfully co-authored a multi-million dollar grant proposal on scaling up the patented ionic-liquid based ethanol production technology. He then joined the Bionates theme at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery as an Assistant Scientist where he successfully authored/co-authored several grants both from the state of Wisconsin and federal agencies such as Army Research Office.

Srikanth has authored/edited 2 books and more than 50 scientific articles that include 4 book chapters, 35 refereed journal papers and many peer-reviewed papers in international conferences. Srikanth is the Associate Editor of ‘SAE International Journal of Materials and Manufacturing; series editor of Polymer Science and Plastics Engineering; and also serves on the editorial board of Journal of Renewable Polymers. Additionally, Srikanth is a board member of the injection molding division of the Society of Plastics Engineers. Srikanth also serves on the technical committees of ‘Materials, Modeling and Testing’ and ‘Polymer and Coatings’ and co-organizes the ‘Automotive Composites’ sessions at SAE World Congress. Srikanth is an invited member of the Sigma Xi and Alpha Mu Sigma.
   
  Dr. Ronald Sabo is a Research Materials Engineer in the Engineered Composites Science Research Work Unit at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory (FPL). Dr. Sabo received his PhD from the University of Florida at Gainsville. His research aims to develop next generation composites using sustainable forest resources and a fundamental understanding of material properties and interactions. More specifically, he works to develop novel composites produced from natural fibers that have been processed and modified into nanoparticles and nanofibers with unique physical and mechanical properties. Additionally, Dr. Sabo's research activities are aimed at developing 'green' composites using biodegradable, bioderived or recycled materials.