Although plastics have only been used on an industrial scale since the 1950s, the rate of production and use of plastics has risen exponentially, with polymers now infiltrating every aspect of our lives. One potential solution is biodegradable plastics, which are designed to be broken down by living organisms after disposal. However, understanding the complete degradation kinetics of polymers in the environment remains an unanswered fundamental challenge. Development of degradation models – from initial fragmentation to biodegradation and biological uptake – remains key to understanding the end-of-life fate of polymers and the design of environmentally benign, sustainable polymer materials. This project will use existing work modeling enzyme diffusion and add enzyme-polymer interactions.

I am participating in SuperUROP because I want to continue learning research skills and problem-solving techniques. Last year, I learned advanced transport topics that I’m looking forward to applying to the next steps in my project. By the end of the program, I hope to have developed scientific writing skills enough to be able to concisely build a narrative surrounding my research.