Kendra A. Erk, Alumna

Currently an Assistant Professor at Purdue University

Research Interests:

• Rheology of Viscoelastic Membranes: New measurement techniques are in development to characterize the viscous and elastic rheological properties of oil/water interfaces and small-molecule and polymeric membranes, such as lipid bilayer vesicles.

• Mechanics of Polymer Gels: Non-linear mechanical properties of soft polymeric gels and solutions are characterized with shear rheometry. Understanding the mechanisms of deformation-induced strain stiffening and strain localization in physically associating gels is of primary interest.

Honors and Awards:

• Finalist for the Padden Symposium, APS March Meeting 2011
  

• National Research Council Postdoctoral Research Associateship, 2011

• P.E.O. Scholar Award, 2009

• Northwestern University Graduate Leader of the Year, 2009

• National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, 2006

• National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship, 2006

Recent Publications:

• K.A. Erk and K.R. Shull, "Extreme Strain Localization and Sliding Friction in Physically Associating Polymer Gels," Physical Review Letters, submitted.
  

• K.A. Erk and K.R. Shull, "Rate-Dependent Strain Stiffening and Strain Localization in Physically Associating Solutions," Macromolecules, 44 932-939 (2011).

• K.A. Erk, K.J. Henderson, and K.R. Shull, "Strain Stiffening in Synthetic and Biopolymer Networks," Biomacromolecules, 11 [5] 1358-1363 (2010).

• K.A. Erk, D.C. Dunand, and K.R. Shull, "Titanium with Controllable Pore Fractions by Thermoreversible Gelcasting of TiH2," Acta Materialia, 56 [18] 5147-5157 (2008).