World - Bucknell University

Mel Rakerd
Art Foxall
Faculty Profile: Eric Tillman
8 BUCKNELL WORLD • September 2006
Polymer Scientist What do a polyester
leisure suit, Kevlar sports equipment,
and cellophane food wrap have in
common? They are all products of
polymer research.
Polymers are large molecules
that are made up
of smaller repeated units.
Making them is like
building a long chain by
adding one link at time.
Eric Tillman, assistant
professor of chemistry,
specializes in synthesizing
polymers. He devises
reactions that allow the
polymer chain to be
“grown,” or initiated,
from a carefully chosen molecule.
Unlike materials scientists or chemical
engineers, however, Tillman’s interest
is focused on understanding and controlling
the basic reactions in building
polymers.
Having an inquisitive nature is an
essential tool for a polymer scientist.
Tillman and his students ask a lot of
Seldom has a team been
as good as was the 2005–06
Bucknell Bison women’s cross
country and indoor and outdoor
track and field teams, when they
won what head coach Kevin Donner
calls “the triple crown” — the Patriot
League cross country, indoor track
and field, and outdoor track and field
championships.
This year, they might be even better.
“We’re excited about the 2006–07
season,” says Donner, adding, “This
could be one of the best teams ever in
school history, certainly one of the best
teams in my five years here. We’ll be
in a position to repeat the Triple
Crown, which is hard to do over the
course of one year. Let alone two years
in a row.”
If any coach can guide a team to
such heights, it’s Donner. Before coming
to Bucknell, he had successfully
transformed the St. Francis (Pa.) program
into one of the elite squads in
the Northeast Conference. Now, he is
quietly building one of the best cross
country and track and field programs
in the country.
questions. Did the polymerization
work? Was it controlled? Does the
polymer contain the molecule that
they wanted? Did some other mechanism
initiate it?
When asking questions, polymer
scientists must also be prepared for
the unexpected. One of Tillman’s students,
Amanda Roof ’06, was working
to put a molecule into a polymer chain
using a new method they devised.
Their plan involved first manipulating
this molecule, then using it as an
anchor to grow two polymer chains.
Roof succeeded in creating a polymer;
however, upon further analysis she
realized that the reactions that were
occurring in the laboratory were not
what she and Tillman had mapped
out on paper. It was time to go back to
the drawing board. Tillman and Roof
wanted to discover exactly what reactions
were occurring. Roof’s continued
research into the unexpected reaction
resulted in a paper published in Polymer,
co-authored by Tillman, Roof, and
four other Bucknell undergraduates.
Tillman enjoys working with students.
“The reason I wanted to come
to Bucknell,” he says, “is because it
has a reputation of doing high quality
research with undergraduates.” He
generally has five to seven students
working in his lab at a time.
He chose to work in this particular
field of polymer research because it
was so accessible to undergraduates.
According to Tillman, the students
can build directly on what they learn
in first-year organic chemistry and
apply it to polymer synthesis. When
students first join Tillman’s group,
often as sophomores, they are usually
apprehensive about the research
process, he says. He enjoys watching
their growth as scientists. Many times
by their senior year they are conducting
literature searches on their own
and suggesting to Tillman ideas for
the direction of their research.
According to Tillman, “Chemistry
research gives them a better idea of
what they can do when they leave
Bucknell.” — Ilene Ladd
Taking Track and Field to New Heights
Melanie Buczko ’07
Unlike many other head coaches, Donner does not
seem to define himself exclusively in terms of wins.
“Coaching at Bucknell is about developing quality citizens
and athletes.”
Of course, wins and losses are important. “Our goal is
to win Patriot League championships in all three sports,”
Donner says. “But, we also want to take it up a notch and
start competing at a national caliber level. Our cross-country
team is good enough to qualify at the NCAA
Championships. We want to qualify some people at the
national championships for individual events.” This
includes top pole vaulter Melanie Buczko ’07; Catherine
Trentacoste ’07, who was the Patriot League outdoor track
and field MVP last year; and Lauren Bricker ’07, who
excelled last year at 1,500 meters, outdoor steeplechase,
800 meters indoors, and the triple jump.
Both Bricker and Buczko are excited about the upcoming
season — and their careers at Bucknell.
“I came to Bucknell because of its academic reputation,
and I haven’t been disappointed,” Bricker says. “I love
competing for this team because we are friends and we are
a family. It’s a great support system for not only track but
also for school and for life.”
Buczko agrees. “Team unity has contributed greatly to
my success, both as an athlete and as a student.”
“We know that we’re getting great students to begin
with,” says Donner. “What’s really important to me is longterm
development. To do things the right way. To represent
Bucknell with pride.” — Rick Dandes