Professor receives career grant to research biomaterial

Kaitlyn Silva

05/01/2008- The Daily Collegian

Professor Ryan Hayward of the Polymer Sciences and Engineering department received a $475,000 CAREER grant from the National Science Foundation in order to research a poorly understood biomaterial.

Hayward's work will focus on polymer hydrogels, super-absorbent materials found in everyday products such as diapers, contact lenses and gelatin.

"Hydrogels can be 99 percent or more water, and are like sponges that can change their volume drastically by soaking up or expelling water," said Hayward.

These hydrogels have a unique quality, and if harnessed correctly, could prove to be invaluable to scientists and researchers.

"Now imagine adding water to a dry sponge that is attached on one side to a solid surface like a petri dish or an artificial joint," he said. "As the material swells and takes on water, the unattached structure can buckle and fold into structures we call creases."

"This can be a real problem in hydrogels used in biomaterials," said Hayward. "On the other hand, creasing could also be used to create 'smart surfaces' with properties that can be dramatically changed in response to environmental stimuli."

For instance, the smart surfaces created can display the same qualities as human tissue. This allows hydrogel creases to be used for medical purposes such as stem cell research and cancer treatments.

Hayward will be researching the properties that cause creasing to occur under certain conditions and how this process can be controlled in order to harness the potential power of creasing.

"If we can learn how to control this process, we can take advantage of it - for example, to make biomaterials that deliver medication on demand," he said.

Based on Hayward's research, educational models about hydrogels will be created for the Boston Museum of Science. The models will be used as part of the museum's traveling outreach program for students in grades K-12, and will also be available to teachers through a museum database.

Hayward will also aid in the development of a graduate student seminar focused on the most effective methods of educating others on hydrogels.

According to the National Science Foundation Web site, Hayward has received $95,000 of the $475,000 five-year grant so far.

In 2007, Hayward also received a $50,000 Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER) to study nano- and microparticles from the NSF.