Faculty Research Highlights

For detailed information about ISMSM Faculty Research please visit the Faculty Research Page.

Backbone structures embedded into a colloidal particle gel Hidden hierarchical nature of gels
SEM image of colloidal bananas Diffusion behavior in colloidal rods
The small molecule 34RH was shown to bind to the intrinsically disordered (IDP) the C-terminal domain of the oncoprotein cMyc. A short peptide from cMyc was shown to be sufficient to bind the small molecule and remained disordered when bound. This short binding sequence was added to another IDP, Max, to generate the protein MaxRH which was now able to bind to 34RH. These experiments demonstrated the portability of small molecule binding sequences between proteins.
Small molecule 34RH binding to intrinsically disordered proteins Portability of small molecule binding sequences
X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy measurement of instantaneous local relaxation events in an arrested gel Stress Relaxation in Arrested Soft Materials
Large blue particles are the cornstarch grains, while the bright dots are small particles suspended in the fluid that act as tracers to reveal the fluid motion
Flow dynamics between cornstarch grains and particles suspended in the fluid
Structure of Oobleck
Graph from research modeling how RNA splicing in Ewing sarcoma is quantified and characterized
Quantification and characterization of RNA splicing in Ewing sarcoma
mRNA splicing in EwS
3-D Molecular Structure demonstrating pyrene columns
Model of (Py)2+(Ga2Cl7)− to help show bonding in infinite pyrene π-stacks
Uneven Charge Distribution
The role of friction in shear-thickening fluids
Shear Thickening in Colloidal Suspensions
Protein assembly
Individual and sub-protein assembly on nanoscale polymeric surfaces different adsorption environments.
Proteins on Surfaces
Polarizing optical micrographs of gels
of a hydroxystearamide/silicone mixture formed by (a) fast or (b) slow cooling.
Oranogels
Helical fiber cut by AFM tip
AFM images of a hydroxystearamide/silicone gel before (A) and after (B) a helical fiber aggregate was cut and moved by the AFM tip.
Oranogels
Shear-induced silk fibers
A silkworm surrounded by spun silk, and a confocal image of shear-induced silk fibers.
Confocal microscopy of silk proteins
Amyloid fibril as a polar chiral filament
A model polar chiral filament (center, right), by symmetry, develops a spontaneous curvature at the air/water interface.
Helical protein fibers on interfaces
Simulated Cement Hydrate formation, from PNAS, February 2016.
Simulations of Cement Hydration
Conformations of core-shell nanoparticles
Conformations of core-shell nanoparticles at a liquid interfaces from numerical simulations.
C-S-H Gels
Model of calcium-silicate-hydrate gels formed during cement hydration from numerical simulations.
Stress localization
Stress localization in a model colloidal gel under shear.
Highly polydisperse colloid
Computer simulation of phase separation in a highly polydisperse colloid.
polydisperse colloidal crystallization
Phase separation in a lipid bilayer
Computer simulation of phase separation in a lipid bilayer, which is thought to be related to the functioning of the cell membrane
lipid membrane phase separation
Tetracyanoquinodimethane
A colorized SEM image of a nanocrystal of tetracyanoquinodimethane.
Axon in Collagen
Axon navigating in a 3D collagen gel. The actin from the axon is labeled in green, the microtubules red, and the collagen fibrils in magenta.
Confocal microscopy of axon growth
Boundary stress microscopy of collagen gel 3D confocal microscopy image of a collagen gel polymerized on top of a uniform elastic substrate containing fluorescent beads.
Boundary stress microscopy of collagen networks
Sheared suspension of µm size rods
3D confocal microscopy image a disordered aggregate formed by shearing a suspension of µm-scale rods.
Aggregation of rod-like colloids