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Category: News

Jodie Stone, UGA New Materials Institute, student, sustainabilityStudent Profile: Jodie Stone

Kat Gilmore on October 11, 2025

Jodie Stone graduated in 2025 from the University of Georgia with a double major in biology and music. Both programs are based the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. Her last academic year also marked Stone’s second stint working in the Industrial Microbiology Laboratory, under the direction of Dr. H. Travis Ichikawa, at the UGA New Materials Institute. The laboratory team focuses on sustainable production of biopolymers, including recovery and reuse of processed water. Stone talked to us about her experiences working at the UGA NMI and her future goals. 

UGA NMI Researchers test lignin-derived semiaromatic poly(ether ester)s

Kat Gilmore on October 5, 2025

Nine polyesters made from AB monomers that can be derived from lignin were tested for this study including phloretic, coumaric and ferulic acids, and similar derivatives. Testing included monomer and polymer synthesis, thermal analysis, mechanical characterization, gel content, rheological characterization and chemical recycling. 

Tiffanie Torrey, UGA New Materials InstituteStudent Profile: Tiffanie Torrey

Kat Gilmore on September 28, 2025

Tiffanie Torrey is an undergraduate student who works in Industrial Microbiology Laboratory at the University of Georgia New Materials Institute, under the direction of Dr. H. Travis Ichikawa. Torrey is pursuing a double major in ecology, through the Odum School of Ecology, and plant biology, through the Department of Plant Biology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. She plans to go into environmental consulting work following her graduation. Torrey recently spoke with us about her experiences working at the UGA New Materials Institute and how her experiences might impact her future.

UGA New Materials Institute researchers test quicker, cheaper, more efficient tablet formulation development

Kat Gilmore on September 15, 2025

Researchers from the UGA New Materials Institute expanded upon the material-sparing tablet development (MSTD) method and found it can be applied to a wide variety of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). When combined with a lab-scale tablet press, the team found that formulations can be designed and tested using less than 20 grams of API in less than 14 days.

Blending elastomer impact modifiers with poly(3-hydroxybutyrate), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) for improved toughness

Kat Gilmore on September 8, 2025

The Locklin Group at the University of Georgia New Materials Institute utilized industrially compostable elastomer resins Terratek FX1515 and Terratek GDH-B1FA, from Green Dot Bioplastics, in blends with PHB and PHB-co-HHx. The blends demonstrated improved toughness and microbially degraded more than 90 percent under industrial composting conditions within 120 days.

New x-ray microtomography instrument will assist in biopolymer discoveries

Kat Gilmore on August 18, 2025

Researchers at the University of Georgia New Materials Institute now have access to a powerful new tool in their quest for biopolymers: the Sigray Eclipse XRM-910 Micro-CT.  The x-ray instrument leads the field in zoom capabilities, software, phase retrieval, AI-enhanced routines, and spatial resolution down to 0.3 microns. It was acquired for UGA’s Georgia Electron Microscopy (GEM) core facility through a Major Research Instrument grant from the National Science Foundation.

Incorporating Georgia-grown peanut oil into paint formulations for sustainability

Kat Gilmore on July 18, 2025

These researchers from the UGA New Materials Institute painted a flammable cabinet with their research project—a paint formulation with oil from Georgia-grown peanuts. The paint, and its primer, can be formulated in any color, for interior or exterior applications. Thank you to the Georgia Peanut Commission for funding this work to identify new products that help support the growth of Georgia’s peanut industry!

UGA New Materials Institute joins the Global Ghost Gear Initiative

Kat Gilmore on July 10, 2025

The UGA New Materials Institute has become a member of the Global Ghost Gear Initiative, a non-profit organization focused on globally reducing and eliminating fishing gear that is lost, abandoned or discarded in our oceans. Our goal is to work with the GGGI leadership and members to test gear made from our marine-degradable polymers, primarily those derived from polyhydroxyalkanoates.