1. NSF-Virginia Tech-REU DMR-0851662 on Design and Delivery of Polymer-Drug Complexes and DMR-0552661 Supplement on Field-responsive Materials Judy S. Riffle, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, DMR 0552661

2. Summer Objectives 1. Synthesis of 1-(2-Hydroxyethyl)-1H- pyrrole-2,5-dione 2. Synthesis of a pH sensitive diamine monomer with an acetal linkage 3. Synthesis of a bis-maleimide with a degradable pH-sensitive acetal linkage 4. Crosslink gelatin microspheres with the bis-maleimide pH-Sensitive Gelatin Microspheres Release Cancer Drugs Judy S. Riffle, Virginia Tech, 0851662 Judy S. Riffle, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, DMR 0552661 Julia Logsdail Rising Junior in Biochemistry Florida Institute of Technology Hometown: Jacksonville, FL Julia Logsdail Rising Junior in Biochemistry Florida Institute of Technology Hometown: Jacksonville, FL Mitomycin C Gelatin Microspheres Synthesis of Bis-Maleimides with Degradable pH Sensitive Acetal Links for Drug Delivery Systems J. Logsdail, B. Zhang, R. Turner, B. Lawson, T. Horseman, A. Morgan Gelatin Drug Delivery Complexes pH-sensitive linkers; linear (right) and circular (left) Above: Large N- (hydroxyethyl) maleimide crystal pH linker

3. Characterization of Block Copolymers for Reverse Osmosis Applications E. Santiago, D. VanHouten, J. E. McGrath Summer Objectives 1. Thermal characterization of block copolymers for use in foam supports and perm-selective layers 2. Characterization of mechanical properties of block copolymers 3. Film casting of block copolymers to form dense membranes and thin film composites Polyanionic Copolymers for Reverse Osmosis Membranes Judy S. Riffle, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, DMR 0552661 SEM Images of Thin-Film Composite Membranes Elvin Santiago Rising Senior in Chemical Engineering University of Puerto Rico Mayag ü ez Campus Hometown: Cabo Rojo, PR Elvin Santiago Rising Senior in Chemical Engineering University of Puerto Rico Mayag ü ez Campus Hometown: Cabo Rojo, PR

4. REU students mentor 5 th graders in the Youth Experiencing Science (YES) week. YES students develop science projects and present them at Blacksburg’s annual Steppin’ Out street fair. Judy S. Riffle, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, DMR 0552661