Allison Chau ’19, an undergraduate student in the College of Engineering, was awarded first place by the Purdue University Honors College during the 2018 Undergraduate Research Conference for her oral research presentation.
Chau is a member of the Davis Research Group at Purdue. Run by Dr. Chelsea Davis, an assistant professor of materials engineering, this group focuses on polymer interfacial mechanics and developing novel testing techniques. Chau worked with Dr. Davis and Hyeyoung Son, a Purdue graduate student, to develop a technique that quantitatively measures the adhesion between rigid polymer thin films and compliant substrates.
“Polymer thin films have a wide range of applications and are used in products such as contact lenses, wearable sensors, and flexible electronics,” said Chau. “There is a critical need for a simple adhesion measurement technique, and this new method meets that need.”
The Undergraduate Research Conference provided Chau with the opportunity to present her research in a professional setting for the first time. The experience made her more confident in her communication skills and in her ability to explain her research in an understandable way.
“My favorite part about research is the novelty of it,” said Chau. “Unlike my lab classes where everything is laid out with explicit instructions, research is unknown. Purdue makes it so easy for undergraduates to get involved in research, and that opportunity shouldn’t be wasted.”
Undergraduate Research Blog 