Brenda Prager
Brenda Prager is many issues, however an underachiever isn’t amongst them.
A 3-time honors graduate of the University of Melbourne in Australia, she beforehand held positions as a analysis scientist at Kodak Australia, a analysis fellow on the Australian Pulp and Paper Industry and in the chemical engineering division of Monash University. Prager additionally was a senior course of improvement engineer at Universal Biosensors and a secondary faculty instructor in Australia’s Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.
Last fall, the assistant professor of chemical engineering joined the school of the University of Mississippi, the place she has continued to construct upon her strong report of educating, analysis and repair.
“We are very glad she decided to come to Ole Miss from the ‘land Down Under,’” stated John O’Haver, UM chair and professor of chemical engineering. “She is a great team player, actively developing collaborations both within and outside the department. Her work on paper coatings brings a new industrially-focused research area to the department.”
Prager’s expertise, dedication to the classroom, efficient pedagogy and understanding of instructional analysis all improve her efficiency in the classroom, O’Haver stated. “Her research on differentiated instruction could revolutionize first-year courses in engineering, helping to significantly improve retention of students to STEM.”
When Prager first taught a topic in the grasp’s program in pulp and paper engineering at Monash, she was aware that she didn’t truly “know” the best way to train and didn’t perceive how college students discovered.
Therefore, in due time, Prager left engineering to work on a grasp’s in educating, whereas on the similar time spending 5 years with the Victorian Education Department in Australia as a secondary faculty instructor specializing in chemistry, physics and arithmetic for grades 7-12. This expertise was invaluable in studying and honing her educating expertise.
“When I felt ready to return to academia, I wanted the chance to experience life in another country, gaining an appreciation of how other cultures conduct their research and teaching,” Prager stated. “I’ve been to the USA a number of occasions and subsequently set about on the lookout for a place over right here.
“I looked only in the Southern states due to the climate, and saw the job opening at Ole Miss. The requirements seemed to match my skills, and I was impressed by Ole Miss as a university, so therefore accepted the position willingly.”
Prager has taught “Separation Processes” and “Chemical Process Principles I.” This fall, she can be educating the freshman “Introduction to Chemical Engineering” class.
Her analysis pursuits primarily contain floor and interfacial characterizations of pigmented coatings on porous substrates, and modifications of surfaces utilizing supercritical methods.
“As a research fellow at Monash, I investigated rates of coating consolidation onto paper substrates when coated at high speed,” she stated. “I identified the first and second critical concentrations during consolidation, found to be far more rapid under realistic conditions than had previously been thought.”
Members of Prager’s coating staff additionally recognized ultrasonic vibrational frequencies that have been a perform of the coating roll overlaying and never of excessive speeds. The detection of those frequencies coincided with the onset of widespread defects noticed in floor coating, akin to misting and spitting.
“I am presently building up my research group again here at Ole Miss,” Prager stated. “My small team is comprised of two graduate students and two undergraduate students. We are investigating a variety of novel coatings onto paper substrates, with the view to developing innovative packaging for food-related goods.”
One undertaking is constant Prager’s earlier work with supercritical impregnation of AKD, in addition to different environmentally pleasant hydrophobic brokers, to create a superhydrophobic floor onto paper. The group can also be investigating solubility properties of those brokers in supercritical carbon dioxide with the assistance of Wei-Yin Chen, a UM professor of chemical engineering.
“Another project is aimed at developing thermally resistant coatings using nanoparticles and other unique materials introduced into the coating,” she stated. “A third project has investigated superhydrophobicity by allowing silane monomers to polymerize in-situ on the paper substrate, and has monitored the rate of hydrophobic development.”
She is creating grant proposals for future tasks, together with the event of an antimicrobial coating utilizing nanoparticles, and investigating the destiny of nanoparticle migration from sources resembling novel packaging, both into the surroundings or alternatively into meals.
“Not a lot is known about the safety aspects of nanoparticles if released to the environment,” Prager stated. “So investigating the mechanisms of nanoparticle migration will assist in better understanding what processes are taking place.”
Prager stated that her most enjoyable analysis achievement was gaining her first patent whereas working at Kodak Australia.
“It is very meaningful to me because it incorporated a number of ‘firsts’: my first patent, my first engineering job after graduating with my Ph.D., and my first team where I was highly influential in the direction of the research to be undertaken,” she stated.
Her brief-time period objectives embrace persevering with to develop into her job, constructing her analysis workforce, understanding the day-to-day operation of the division, sustaining her annual educating/analysis/ service targets to remain on monitor for tenure and creating outreach alternatives for women in engineering by visiting native faculties and spending time with future cohorts.
Prager’s lengthy-time period objectives are to construct up her scientific analysis and publish outcomes, to increase collaborations with different Ole Miss school and past, and to submit profitable grants to fund continued analysis efforts.
“Ultimately, I plan to develop innovative coatings for food packaging and develop strong collaborations with paperboard industries to progress this work through to full production,” she stated. “As for teaching, I want to implement differentiation techniques into my classes as well as assist other faculty in implementing these techniques into theirs and to continue to refine and learn new teaching methods for the betterment of my students.”
With regards to service, Prager needs to determine ongoing outreach to draw highschool college students into STEM careers on the college and to develop into concerned with freshmen schooling extra usually.
Prager’s husband, Michael, has absolutely supported her in this main transfer and profession development. A retired director of nursing from a big hospital and a medical nurse specialist, he has participated in in depth voluntary work each in England and Australia.
He additionally was a justice of the peace and bail justice in Australia and a Justice of the Peace in England. He has had expertise operating giant group-based mostly organizations as chairman.
Prager’s leisure actions embrace enjoying the piano, images and journey.
“I am on the roster for the 9 a.m. service at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church,” she stated. “I enjoy playing classical music – especially Mozart and Handel – as well as blues and ragtime music.”
Prager and her husband additionally take pleasure in touring the state to see and photograph numerous sights. “Our next trip planned is to see part of Natchez Trace from Tupelo to Nashville,” she stated.
Prager stated that she is assured that, with plenty of arduous work and persistence, she is going to ultimately obtain all of the objectives she has set for herself at UM.
“I think it is important to seek out tenured faculty and other staff who are willing to act as a mentor and help me navigate through all the intricacies of being an academic,” she stated. “I am fortunate to have found some wonderful people who are supporting me in this process.”
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