whitney loo
@whitneysloo.bsky.social
assistant professor chemical engineering UW-Madison | all things polymers & electronic music | she/her 🌈
Reposted by whitney loo
APS Meeting abstracts for Denver deadline was extend to October 31! Consider submitting to the "Engineered Biopolymers and Living Materials" focus session organized by Melody Morris and me. We invite abstracts covering research using polymer physics for engineered biopolymers and living materials.
APS Global Physics Summit 2026 abstract submission
Present your physics research to over 14,000 physicists from around the world.
summit.aps.org
October 27, 2025 at 9:17 PM
APS Meeting abstracts for Denver deadline was extend to October 31! Consider submitting to the "Engineered Biopolymers and Living Materials" focus session organized by Melody Morris and me. We invite abstracts covering research using polymer physics for engineered biopolymers and living materials.
excited to announce that we've been awarded an NSF DMREF grant to study crosslinkable photoresists for EUV lithography! can't wait to work with the great team of e researchers at the University of Illinois on this project. learn more here: engineering.wisc.edu/blog/an-nsf-...
An NSF DMREF award will help Whitney Loo design polymers critical to making next-gen computer chips - College of Engineering - University of Wisconsin-Madison
Whitney Loo, the Conway Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is part of a four-year project selected by the National Sci...
engineering.wisc.edu
September 29, 2025 at 9:05 PM
excited to announce that we've been awarded an NSF DMREF grant to study crosslinkable photoresists for EUV lithography! can't wait to work with the great team of e researchers at the University of Illinois on this project. learn more here: engineering.wisc.edu/blog/an-nsf-...
Reposted by whitney loo
Reposted by whitney loo
Sec. Kennedy is, as usual, lying. Scientists and physicians across the country and indeed around the world are aghast at what he's been doing.
RFK claims scientists and doctors across the country as supporting him. Jesus fuck. #FIreRFK
September 4, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Sec. Kennedy is, as usual, lying. Scientists and physicians across the country and indeed around the world are aghast at what he's been doing.
great day (and view!!) at the @als.lbl.gov User Meeting today!
August 11, 2025 at 11:50 PM
great day (and view!!) at the @als.lbl.gov User Meeting today!
the second Loo Lab paper is out! here we use a combined SAXS/SANS approach to study the phase behavior of charged-neutral polymer blends. despite being macroscopically miscible, these blends form disordered nanostructures due to ionic interactions pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....
The Influence of Charge Correlation and Ion Solvation on the Phase Behavior of Single-Ion Conducting Polymer Blend Electrolytes Using SAXS/SANS
Single-ion conducting polymer blends (SICPBs) have demonstrated exceptional electrochemical performance as solid-state battery electrolytes; however, their nanoscale morphology and thermodynamic behavior remain unexplored. In this work, we investigate blends composed of deuterated poly(ethylene oxide) and poly[lithium sulfonyl(trifluoromethane sulfonyl)imide methacrylate], dPEO/P(LiMTFSI), and report the first experimental study of the nanostructures of charge-neutral polymer blends using small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Despite the macroscopic miscibility indicated by a single glass-transition temperature, SANS and SAXS results reveal disordered, charge-correlated nanostructures that are strongly influenced by blend composition and temperature. At low concentrations of charge polymer, the scattering is dominated by concentration fluctuations, and the random phase approximation is applied to extract values of the Flory–Huggins interaction parameter, χSC. At higher charged polymer content, concentration fluctuations are suppressed, and a correlation model is used to characterize the nanostructures of the charge correlations. We find that the structures of the charge correlations are highly dependent on blend composition─consistent with predictions from Sing’s self-consistent field theory-liquid state models. Understanding these features is essential for uncovering the ion transport mechanism that leads to improved electrochemical performance previously reported in SICPB systems.
pubs.acs.org
August 11, 2025 at 9:50 PM
the second Loo Lab paper is out! here we use a combined SAXS/SANS approach to study the phase behavior of charged-neutral polymer blends. despite being macroscopically miscible, these blends form disordered nanostructures due to ionic interactions pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....
Reposted by whitney loo
If you're a UCLA researcher (PI, grad student, etc) with an NSF, NIH or other suddenly suspended grant, please email or DM me.
I'm trying to confirm what the suspension letters say and how extensive the NIH suspensions are.
Email: Mikhail at calmatters dot org
I'm trying to confirm what the suspension letters say and how extensive the NIH suspensions are.
Email: Mikhail at calmatters dot org
I chased this all day:
UCLA research grants suspended after Trump administration faulted campus for antisemitism
calmatters.org/education/hi...
UCLA research grants suspended after Trump administration faulted campus for antisemitism
calmatters.org/education/hi...
UCLA research grants suspended after Trump administration faulted campus for antisemitism
The Justice Department issued UCLA a notice of violation for not responding “adequately” to complaints about antisemitism.
calmatters.org
August 1, 2025 at 3:35 PM
If you're a UCLA researcher (PI, grad student, etc) with an NSF, NIH or other suddenly suspended grant, please email or DM me.
I'm trying to confirm what the suspension letters say and how extensive the NIH suspensions are.
Email: Mikhail at calmatters dot org
I'm trying to confirm what the suspension letters say and how extensive the NIH suspensions are.
Email: Mikhail at calmatters dot org
my group is looking to hire a postdoc to work on a variety of polymer-related projects of their choosing! If you know of any outstanding candidates that are looking for postdoctoral positions, please send them my way
July 30, 2025 at 12:28 PM
my group is looking to hire a postdoc to work on a variety of polymer-related projects of their choosing! If you know of any outstanding candidates that are looking for postdoctoral positions, please send them my way
Reposted by whitney loo
“More than 140 employees of the National Science Foundation have signed a letter denouncing what they described as efforts to undermine one of the country’s main science funding agencies.”
Amid Fear of Retaliation, N.S.F. Workers Sign Letter of Dissent
www.nytimes.com
July 23, 2025 at 3:12 AM
“More than 140 employees of the National Science Foundation have signed a letter denouncing what they described as efforts to undermine one of the country’s main science funding agencies.”
Reposted by whitney loo
do you ever stare at the ceiling and think about how the worldwide scientific establishment did the impossible and created a COVID vaccine in under a year and the response of the general public has been to go on an unstoppable rampage to destroy science and scientists
July 20, 2025 at 6:46 PM
do you ever stare at the ceiling and think about how the worldwide scientific establishment did the impossible and created a COVID vaccine in under a year and the response of the general public has been to go on an unstoppable rampage to destroy science and scientists
Reposted by whitney loo
Senate appropriators showed today they are *not* down with Trump's proposed budget cuts for NASA and NSF. (Likely NOAA too, but can't say for 100% yet.)
Long way to go to a law. But this is rare good news for scientists this year.
www.science.org/content/arti...
Long way to go to a law. But this is rare good news for scientists this year.
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org
July 10, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Senate appropriators showed today they are *not* down with Trump's proposed budget cuts for NASA and NSF. (Likely NOAA too, but can't say for 100% yet.)
Long way to go to a law. But this is rare good news for scientists this year.
www.science.org/content/arti...
Long way to go to a law. But this is rare good news for scientists this year.
www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by whitney loo
July 10, 2025 at 3:09 AM
Reposted by whitney loo
When history marks the point where we lost the future to China, this will be it.
July 2, 2025 at 7:11 PM
When history marks the point where we lost the future to China, this will be it.
check out this interview with one of our amazing undergrad researchers, Aidiel! Aidiel will graduate from UW-Madison in August and start his PhD in ChemE at University of Minnesota this fall. We are so proud of Aidiel in the Loo Lab!
engineering.wisc.edu/blog/curiosi...
engineering.wisc.edu/blog/curiosi...
Curiosity to contribution: Aidiel's journey from research to recognition - College of Engineering - University of Wisconsin-Madison
Chemical engineering senior Aidiel shares how undergraduate research in the Loo Lab—and a Hilldale Fellowship—shaped his path from UW–Madison to graduate school and a future in energy storage.
engineering.wisc.edu
June 24, 2025 at 3:04 PM
check out this interview with one of our amazing undergrad researchers, Aidiel! Aidiel will graduate from UW-Madison in August and start his PhD in ChemE at University of Minnesota this fall. We are so proud of Aidiel in the Loo Lab!
engineering.wisc.edu/blog/curiosi...
engineering.wisc.edu/blog/curiosi...
first Loo Lab paper is out now in @pubs.acs.org! here we show how polymer blends can tune Li ion solvation site and enhance ion transport
read it here: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
read it here: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
pubs.acs.org
June 16, 2025 at 11:59 AM
first Loo Lab paper is out now in @pubs.acs.org! here we show how polymer blends can tune Li ion solvation site and enhance ion transport
read it here: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
read it here: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Reposted by whitney loo
New @rollingstone.com by me: www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
Judges have told Trump, if he wants #DOGE -style austerity, he must get statutory reorg. authority from Congress. The GOP's Reorganizing Govt. Act of 2025 would give him exactly that.
Extra material: douglaslucas.com/blog/2025/06...
Judges have told Trump, if he wants #DOGE -style austerity, he must get statutory reorg. authority from Congress. The GOP's Reorganizing Govt. Act of 2025 would give him exactly that.
Extra material: douglaslucas.com/blog/2025/06...
GOP Bill Would Legalize DOGE and Let Trump Dismantle Everything
Donald Trump’s DOGE team is on dubious legal footing. Republicans have an efficiency bill to let him tear apart the federal government.
www.rollingstone.com
June 4, 2025 at 5:26 PM
New @rollingstone.com by me: www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
Judges have told Trump, if he wants #DOGE -style austerity, he must get statutory reorg. authority from Congress. The GOP's Reorganizing Govt. Act of 2025 would give him exactly that.
Extra material: douglaslucas.com/blog/2025/06...
Judges have told Trump, if he wants #DOGE -style austerity, he must get statutory reorg. authority from Congress. The GOP's Reorganizing Govt. Act of 2025 would give him exactly that.
Extra material: douglaslucas.com/blog/2025/06...
Reposted by whitney loo
Baldwin to RFK Jr: "Is funding for Alzheimer's research centers DEI? Because you're holding up $65m for 14 of those centers in 9 states, including UW Madison. Is funding for cancer centers DEI? Because you're holding up $47m in cancer center support grants at 9 cancer centers in 8 states."
May 20, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Baldwin to RFK Jr: "Is funding for Alzheimer's research centers DEI? Because you're holding up $65m for 14 of those centers in 9 states, including UW Madison. Is funding for cancer centers DEI? Because you're holding up $47m in cancer center support grants at 9 cancer centers in 8 states."
we finally got around to updating the group website! read about all of the group's accomplishments this semester here: loolab.che.wisc.edu/news/
News
Polymers for a Sustainable Future
loolab.che.wisc.edu
May 7, 2025 at 12:22 PM
we finally got around to updating the group website! read about all of the group's accomplishments this semester here: loolab.che.wisc.edu/news/
Reposted by whitney loo
🚨🚨 Deranged letter from Education Secretary Linda McMahon to Harvard’s president, cutting off federal funding for any new grants.
Worth reading in full. It is NUTS.
Worth reading in full. It is NUTS.
May 6, 2025 at 12:27 AM
🚨🚨 Deranged letter from Education Secretary Linda McMahon to Harvard’s president, cutting off federal funding for any new grants.
Worth reading in full. It is NUTS.
Worth reading in full. It is NUTS.
Reposted by whitney loo
The cuts to science funding *alone* will generate a Great Recession-sized hole in the economy.
"It’s less a 'self-inflicted wound' and more 'jumping head-first into a wood chipper.'”
"It’s less a 'self-inflicted wound' and more 'jumping head-first into a wood chipper.'”
Study: Cuts to Science Funding Will Yield Great Recession-Level Economic Hit
Splinter is your home for news and opinions that challenge power in our political and economic system that's becoming more unhinged each and every day.
www.splinter.com
April 30, 2025 at 2:32 PM
The cuts to science funding *alone* will generate a Great Recession-sized hole in the economy.
"It’s less a 'self-inflicted wound' and more 'jumping head-first into a wood chipper.'”
"It’s less a 'self-inflicted wound' and more 'jumping head-first into a wood chipper.'”
Reposted by whitney loo
BTW. If you’re a scientist and are feeling hollowed out, depressed, fried, frustrated, confused, and simply exhausted by everything, I understand you. You are perfectly sane and you are not alone.
April 30, 2025 at 2:03 AM
BTW. If you’re a scientist and are feeling hollowed out, depressed, fried, frustrated, confused, and simply exhausted by everything, I understand you. You are perfectly sane and you are not alone.
Reposted by whitney loo
A 50% cut to science funding (which is close to what Trump is proposing for NIH) would result in huge negative long-term economic outcomes:
*7.6% cut in GDP
*8.6% cut in federal revenues
*equivalents of making the average American $10,000 poorer
*7.6% cut in GDP
*8.6% cut in federal revenues
*equivalents of making the average American $10,000 poorer
"If you look at a long period of time, a lot of our increase in living standards seems to be coming from public investment in scientific research."
The devastating cuts to science funding aren't just academic, they threaten our livelihoods and wellbeing. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/30/b...
The devastating cuts to science funding aren't just academic, they threaten our livelihoods and wellbeing. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/30/b...
Trump’s Cuts to Science Funding Could Hurt U.S. Economy, Study Shows (Gift Article)
Reducing federal support for research and development could cause long-run economic damage and reduce government revenue.
www.nytimes.com
April 30, 2025 at 12:54 PM
A 50% cut to science funding (which is close to what Trump is proposing for NIH) would result in huge negative long-term economic outcomes:
*7.6% cut in GDP
*8.6% cut in federal revenues
*equivalents of making the average American $10,000 poorer
*7.6% cut in GDP
*8.6% cut in federal revenues
*equivalents of making the average American $10,000 poorer
Happy Earth Day!
check out some of the research the CBE department at UW-Madison is conducting to address current sustainability challenges: engineering.wisc.edu/blog/how-che...
check out some of the research the CBE department at UW-Madison is conducting to address current sustainability challenges: engineering.wisc.edu/blog/how-che...
How chemical engineers are tackling earth's sustainability challenges - College of Engineering - University of Wisconsin-Madison
Often overlooked, chemical engineering is one of the most important factors in addressing our planet's complex challenges.
engineering.wisc.edu
April 22, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Happy Earth Day!
check out some of the research the CBE department at UW-Madison is conducting to address current sustainability challenges: engineering.wisc.edu/blog/how-che...
check out some of the research the CBE department at UW-Madison is conducting to address current sustainability challenges: engineering.wisc.edu/blog/how-che...
Reposted by whitney loo
I created and taught a machine learning course for chemical engineers this semester. In my last lecture I cover ethical issues and I told a story about the connection between chemical physics, large language models, and copyright law. Read on if you want to know more!
April 18, 2025 at 3:55 PM
I created and taught a machine learning course for chemical engineers this semester. In my last lecture I cover ethical issues and I told a story about the connection between chemical physics, large language models, and copyright law. Read on if you want to know more!
go dubs
Steve Kerr wore a Harvard basketball shirt after the Warriors’ win tonight: “Yes, this is me supporting Harvard. Way to go. Way to stand up to the bully.”
April 16, 2025 at 12:48 PM
go dubs