Makisig Velasquez (Chemistry) presented his research at the weekly summer Primarily Undergraduate Nano Cooperative (PUNC) meeting. Thank you to PUNC for hosting a successful summer undergraduate talk series.

Congratulations to Han Diep for successfully defending her Masters Thesis in the Polymers and Coatings Science MS program. Best of luck post-graduation.

We are proud of our senior Materials Engineering undergraduate students Winston Untung and Cole Nakamoto for presenting a poster of their Senior Project at the 2026 College of Engineering Project Expo. Congratulations on completing this major milestone to finish off your undergraduate degree.

Congratulations to Martin Nelson for winning the 2026 Undergraduate Research Award in Polymers and Coatings at the 2026 Chemistry and Biochemistry Department Awards. We are very proud of all of your accomplishments!

We are proud of our senior Materials Engineering undergraduate students Winston Untung and Cole Nakamoto for presenting their Senior Project at the 2026 Tech Conference hosted by the Materials Engineering Department. Congratulations on completing this major milestone to finish off your undergraduate degree.

Undergraduate students Sofia Valencia (Biochemistry), Maelyn Peters (Materials Engineering), and Elijah Hannaford (Biochemistry) presented talks, abd Ava Durbin (Chemistry), Han Diep (Polymers and Coatings Science), Maelyn Peters (Materials Engineering), and Elijah Hannaford (Biochemistry) presented posters at the Cal Poly’s Bailey College of Science and Mathematics (BCSM) research symposium. Thank you to Bill and Linda Frost and Sarepta Therapeutics for generously funding the 2026 BCSM Research Symposium!

Han Diep (4+1 MATE/PCS MS student) and Elijah Hannaford (Biochemistry) presented about their research at the 2026 May LASCT meeting. Thank you to the Los Angeles Society for Coatings Technology (LASCT) for hosting a successful event.

Undergraduate students from the Hamachi Group coauthor a paper with the Cohen Research Group from UCSD on Probing the External Surface Chemistry of Imine-Based Covalent Organic Frameworks Using Reactive Organic Dyes in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Congratulations to Cal Poly students Makisig Velasquez and Ava Durbin for publishing your work.

Congratulations to Sachi Ottoes (4+1 Chemistry/PCS MS student) for winning the Graduate Impact Award from the Polymers and Coatings Science program. This recognition acknowledges graduate students who demonstrate sustained academic excellence and meaningful contributions beyond their degree, including impact through research and scholarly activity.

We are proud of everyone’s hard work on their research projects this quarter and school year. Here is a group photo we took with our graduating seniors, new lab members, and collaborators from the Hancock group!

Congratulations to lab aluma Hannah Negri (PhD Student, University of Oregon) for winning Honorable Mention in the 2026 NSF GRFP. We are very proud of all of your accomplishments!

Welcome to the new students joining the Hamachi Group for spring quarter research: Addy Guy (Biochemistry), Elissandra Favela (Chemistry), Ciara Tadeo (Materials Engineering), and Xiaolu Liu (Polymers and Coatings Science). We are excited to have you join the team.

Dr. Hamachi co-organized a PMSE symposium titled “Celebrating Polymer Research At Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs)” at the Atlanta American Chemical Society Meeting. Dr. Hamachi also presented an oral presentation on the group’s work on COF Colloid Surface Chemistry.

Congratulations to Olive Rosplock, Elian Zurita, and Erin Wang for winning a Baker-Koob Award to fund their student-initiated research project on “Detection and Characterization of Polyvinyl Alcohol in Synthetic Wastewater.” Thank you to the Baker-Koob Endowment for your support of student research.

Dr. Hamachi presented about the group’s work on Covalent Organic Frameworks as a seminar speaker in the Chemistry Department at San Francisco State University. Thank you for the opportunity to present about our work!

Dr. Hamachi gave a special lecture on Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) for the ACS Club to explain the science behind the 2025 Chemistry Nobel Prize. Dr. Hamachi’s current work on Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs) is related to the MOF research that won the Nobel Prize.

Welcome to four new undergraduate students joining the Hamachi Group for winter quarter research: Anya Wheatley (Chemistry), Bobby Frazee (Chemistry), Piper Fazio (Biochemistry) and April Truong (Materials Engineering). We are excited to have you join the team.

Dr. Leslie Hamachi and Cal Poly’s Chemistry and Biochemistry department were Awarded a 2025 Jean Dreyfus Lectureship for Undergraduate Institutions. The Jean Dreyfus Lectureship for Undergraduate Institutions awards provide a $25,000 grant to 1) facilitate a visit and lectures by a notable researcher in the chemical sciences to a primarily undergraduate institution, and 2) fund summer research fellowships for two undergraduate students. Thank you to the The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation for supporting undergraduate research at Cal Poly!

Senior chemistry major Martin Nelson and senior biochemistry major Sofia Valencia gave poster on their undergraduate research at the 2025 Western Regional ACS Meeting in San Jose. Thank you to the William and Linda Frost Fund for supporting student conference travel!

Dr. Hamachi presented about the group’s work on Covalent Organic Frameworks as a seminar speaker in the Chemistry Department at UC Riverside. Thank you for the opportunity to present about our work!

Congratulations to Ava Durbin, Elijah Hannaford, Jeffrey Johnson, Martin Nelson, Sachi Ottoes, and Makisig Velasquez for winning the 2025 Golden Gate Society for Coatings Technology Scholarship.

Jackson Arroyo (4+1 Chemistry/PCS MS student) presented about his research at the 2025 SURP+ Research Poster Symposium. Thank you to the Office of Research at Cal Poly for hosting a successful event.

Dr. Hamachi gives her tenure talk at Cal Poly, presenting about the group’s work over the past five years on Covalent Organic Frameworks. Thank you to all the amazing undergraduate and masters students who contributed to this work!

Welcome to two new undergraduate students joining the Hamachi Group for fall quarter research: Elian Zurita (Environmental Engineering) and Finn Heidman Pinkner (Materials Engineering). We are excited to have you join the team.

Dr. Hamachi and the Cal Poly Chemistry and Biochemistry Department hosted RCSA Fellow Conrad Fihn on a Mock Interview. The RCSA Fellow Program supports the academic career advancement of a cohort of outstanding postdoctoral scholars over a critical period in their careers: as they are preparing to look for faculty positions; as they are actively interviewing; and their first year as newly independent tenure-track faculty investigators at U.S.

Dr. Hamachi presented about the group’s work on Covalent Organic Frameworks as a seminar speaker in the Chemistry Department at the Claremont Colleges. Thank you for the opportunity to present about our work!

We are proud of our summer researchers Hannah Negri, Sofia Valencia, Jackson Arroyo, Nix Liou, Jeffrey Johnson, Martin Nelson, Ava Durbin, Makisig Velasquez, and Winston Untung for presenting three posters and two talks at the 2025 Frost Summer Research Symposium.

Thank you to the William and Linda Frost fund, ACS PRF, and Research Corporation for Science Advancement for supporting our summer research students.

We went out to dinner to celebrate a productive summer of research. Thank you to everyone in the group for making this summer such a good one!

The Hamachi Group celebrated our recent publication on A Surface Level Introduction to Covalent Organic Framework Colloids by going to McConnell’s Ice Cream. What a delicious treat! We are proud of the 3 undergraduate student coauthors who contributed to this paper.

Dr. Hamachi attended the 2025 Owen Lab Reunion at Columbia University in New York City. We enjoyed listening to a day of research talks and getting to catch up with all the current and former Owen Lab members.

Dr. Hamachi presented about the group’s work on Covalent Organic Frameworks as a seminar speaker in the Chemistry Department at Columbia University. Thank you for the opportunity to present about our work!

The Hamachi Group publishes a paper on A Surface Level Introduction to Covalent Organic Framework Colloids in Trends in Chemistry. Congratulations to Cal Poly students Sofia, Jeffrey, and Jackson.

We are excited to announce that Dr. Erik Sapper at Cal Poly has been awarded a grant from CAL FIRE to fund a collaborative research project on “Wildfire Prevention Research: Radiant Heat Propagation and Effects in the WUI.” Dr. Hamachi is a co-PI on the grant. A big thank you to CAL FIRE for funding this project!

Dr. Leslie Hamachi serves as a panelist on the ACS PRF’s “Crafting Competitive Grant Proposals at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions” virtual workshop. Good luck to everyone applying for ACS PRF funding this year!

This year’s summer undergraduate researchers are excited for research: Jeffrey Johnson (Biochemistry), Jackson Arroyo (Chemistry), Sofia Valencia (Biochemistry), Hannah Negri (Chemistry), Nix Liou (Chemistry), Martin Nelson (Chemistry), Winston Untung (Materials Enginering), Ava Durbin (Chemistry), and Makisig Velasquez (Chemistry).

Welcome to Makisig Velasquez who is new to the lab this summer. We are so glad you are joining us for summer research!

Thank you to the William and Linda Frost Fund, ACS PRF, and Research Corporation for Science Advancement for supporting our summer research students.

Congratulations to our graduating seniors! We all took some graduation photos wearing our graduation regalia.

Congratulations to Kyle Liston for successfully defending his Masters Thesis in the Polymers and Coatings Science MS program. Best of luck post-graduation.

We are proud of everyone’s hard work on their research projects this quarter and school year. Here is a group photo we took with our graduating seniors and new lab members!

Martin Nelson (Chemistry) presented his research at the weekly summer Primarily Undergraduate Nano Cooperative (PUNC) meeting. Thank you to PUNC for hosting a successful summer undergraduate talk series.

We are proud of our senior Materials Engineering undergraduate students Zoe Jackson Delos Angeles and Han Diep for presenting a poster of their Senior Project at the 2025 College of Engineering Project Expo. Congratulations on completing this major milestone to finish off your undergraduate degree.

Jackson Arroyo (Chemistry) presented his research at the weekly summer Primarily Undergraduate Nano Cooperative (PUNC) meeting. Thank you to PUNC for hosting a successful summer undergraduate talk series.

We are proud of our senior Materials Engineering undergraduate students Han Diep and Zoe Jackson Delos Angeles for presenting their Senior Project at the 2025 Tech Conference hosted by the Materials Engineering Department. Congratulations on completing this major milestone to finish off your undergraduate degree.

Undergraduate students Sofia Valencia (Biochemistry), Martin Nelson (Chemistry), and Jeffrey Johnson (Biochemistry) presented posters at the Cal Poly’s Bailey College of Science and Mathematics (BCSM) research symposium. Thank you to Bill and Linda Frost and Sarepta Therapeutics for generously funding the 2025 BCSM Research Symposium!

Cal Poly’s chemistry fraternity, Alpha Chi Sigma (AXE) hosted their annual Pie-A-Professor fundraiser. Jeffrey won the raffle to pie Dr. Hamachi, and Dr. Hamachi got to “revenge pie” Jeffrey back! Congratulations to AXE on hosting a successful fundraiser!

Sachi Ottoes (4+1 Chemistry/PCS MS student) presented about her research at the 2025 May LASCT meeting. Thank you to the Los Angeles Society for Coatings Technology (LASCT) for hosting a successful event.

Congratulations to Nix Liou for winning the 2025 Undergraduate Award in Polymers and Coatings at the 2025 Chemistry and Biochemistry Department Awards. We are very proud of all of your accomplishments!

We had a great time at the 2025 Chemistry and Biochemistry Department Picnic! Dr. Hamachi and the ACS club hosted a fun polymer spherification activity for kids. Thanks to the ACS club for putting on a great event.

Dr. Hamachi attended the 2nd Annual AMWxWIP Mixer as a Faculty Mentor. Thank you to the Cal Poly Women in Physics and the Association for Women in Math for hosting a great event!

Dr. Hamachi presented about the group’s work on Covalent Organic Frameworks as a seminar speaker in the Chemistry Department at the University of San Francisco. Thank you for the opportunity to present about our work!

Welcome to two new undergraduate students joining the Hamachi Group for Spring quarter research: Ava Durbin (Chemistry) and Maelyn Peters (Materials Engineering). We are excited to have you join the team.

The Hamachi Group goes to the Spring 2025 American Chemical Society Meeting in San Diego, CA. Undergraduate students Hannah Negri, Jeffrey Johnson, Zoe Jackson Delos Angeles, and Jackson Arroyo presented posters, and Dr. Hamachi gave an oral presentation in the Primarily Undergraduate Nano Cooperative (PUNC) Symposium. We enjoyed getting to catch up with lab alumna Daisy Kamp, who is currently pursuing a PhD at UC Irvine with Elizabeth Lee.

In collaboration with Dr. Shanju Zhang at Cal Poly in the Chemistry and Biochemistry department, Dr. Hamachi coauthors an editorial article titled Editorial: Recent Advances in Sustainable Polymer Materials in Frontiers in Materials for the special issue titled Recent Advances in Sustainable Polymer Materials.

We had a great time bowling at the Cal Poly ACS (American Chemical Society) Club’s “Bowling with Professors” event. Thank you to the Cal Poly ACS Club for organizing a fun social event.

Dr. Hamachi presented about her career path as a professor at a primarily undergraduate institution as a Career Pathways speaker at the UCSD MRSEC. Thank you for the invitation to present!

Welcome to two new undergraduate students joining the Hamachi Group for winter quarter research: Cole Nakamoto (Materials Engineering) and Angelina Tang (Chemistry). We are excited to have you join the team.

Dr. Hamachi was elected outreach chair of the Primarily Undergraduate Nano Cooperative (PUNC). We can’t wait to help others implement nano-outreach in their communities.

Undergraduate students Hannah Negri (CHEM) and Zoe Jackson Delos Angeles (MATE) presented oral talks at the 2024 Gulf Coast Undergraduate Research Symposium (GCURS) in Houston, TX. Thank you to ACS PRF for supporting their conference expenses.

In collaboration with Dr. Kathuria in the Industrial Technology and Packaging department at Cal Poly, Dr. Hamachi coauthors a publication on Mechanochemical Synthesis of Calcium-Squarate MOF and Encapsulation of Hexanal in the Journal of Inclusion Phenomena and Macrocyclic Chemistry.

Welcome to three new undergraduate students joining the Hamachi Group for fall quarter research: Winston Untung (Materials Engineering), Han Diep (Materials Engineering), and Martin Nelson (Chemistry). We are excited to have you join the team.

Dr. Hamachi presented about the group’s work on Covalent Organic Frameworks as a seminar speaker in the Chemistry Department at Amherst College. Thank you for the opportunity to present about our work!

We are excited to announce that Dr. Trevor Harding at Cal Poly has been awarded an Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to purchase a new Scanning Electron Microscope. Dr. Hamachi is a co-PI on the grant. Read more about the grant here. A big thank you to the NSF. We can’t wait to use this new instrument to image our samples.

The Hamachi Group goes to the Fall 2024 American Chemical Society Meeting in Denver, CO. Undergraduate students Hannah Negri, Jeffrey Johnson, and Sachi Ottoes presented posters, and Dr. Hamachi gave an oral presentation. We enjoyed getting to catch up with lab alumna Hannah Martin, who is currently pursuing a PhD at Colorado School of Mines with Mike McGuirk.

We are proud of our summer researchers Hannah Negri, Sierra Sanchez, Anna Delmas, Jane Dormady, Ava Rider, Nix Liou, Jeffrey Johnson, Jackson Arroyo, Sofia Valencia, Erin Wang, Andrew Cherry, and Kyle Liston for presenting five posters and two talks at the 2024 Frost Summer Research Symposium.

Thank you to the William and Linda Frost fund, ACS PRF, and Research Corporation for Science Advancement for supporting our summer research students.

We went out to dinner to celebrate a productive summer of research. Thank you to everyone in the group for making this summer such a good one!

Check out this amazing Hamachi Group T-shirt inspired by the Bass Pro Shop logo. Our lab t-shirt was designed by the talented Sachi Ottoes.

Sierra Sanchez, Anna Delmas, Jane Dormady, and Ava Rider organized a “Fun with Polymers” Summer Research Social Hour for all of the Cal Poly summer research students. We got to make popping boba, slime, and explore alginate spherification. We hope everyone had fun at this event!

Undergraduate student Zoe Jackson Delos Angeles (MATE) presented a poster at the 2024 Microscopy and Microanalysis Conference in Cleveland, OH. Thank you to ACS PRF for supporting her conference expenses.

Undergraduate students Jeffrey Johnson (Chemistry) and Jackson Arroyo (Chemistry), along with MS Student Kyle Liston (Polymers and Coatings) presented posters at the Day at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory with CASPR. Thank you to to LLNL and the Bailey College Undergraduate Research Fund for sponsoring this event!

Dr. Hamachi attended the 2024 Cottrell Scholar Conference in Tuscon, Arizona. We are honored to be part of such a talented class of Cottrell Scholars. Thank you to Research Corporation for Science Advancement for supporting our research and educational objectives.

This year’s summer undergraduate researchers are excited to learn some chemistry, materials engineering, and perform chemical education research: Sierra Sanchez (Chemistry), Jane Dormady (Liberal Studies), Anna Delmas (Liberal Studies), Kyle Liston (Polymers and Coatings), Sachi Ottoes (Chemistry), Andrew Cherry (Chemistry), Erin Wang (Materials Engineering), Jeffrey Johnson (Biochemistry), Jackson Arroyo (Chemistry), Sofia Valencia (Biochemistry), Hannah Negri (Chemistry), Ava Rider (Civil Engineering), and Nix Liou (Chemistry).

Welcome to Jane Dormady, Anna Delmas, and Ava Rider who are new to the lab. We are so glad you are joining us for summer research!

Thank you to the William and Linda Frost Fund, ACS PRF, and Research Corporation for Science Advancement for supporting our summer research students.

Dr. Hamachi gave a professional development seminar for the Cal Poly Frost Postdocs on “Developing Research Proposals for Faculty Positions at Primarily Undergraduate Insitutions.” Good luck on your applications!

Undergraduate students Sachi Ottoes (Chemistry), Hannah Negri (Chemistry), and Zoe Jackson Delos Angeles (Materials Engineering) presented 1 poster and 2 oral presentations at the Cal Poly Bailey College of Science and Mathematics (BCSM) Student Research Symposium. Thank you to Bill and Linda Frost for generously funding the 2024 BCSM Research Symposium!

We had a great time at the 2024 Chemistry and Biochemistry Department Picnic! Sierra Sanchez and Dr. Hamachi hosted a popping boba event showcasing polymer spherification, served alongside the ACS Club’s Liquid Nitrogen ice cream.

Congratulations to Hannah Negri for winning the 2024 Undergraduate Research Award in Polymers and Coatings at the 2024 Chemistry and Biochemistry Department Awards. We are very proud of all of your accomplishments!

Kyle Liston (PCS MS student) presented about his research on structural color pigments at the 2024 May LASCT meeting. Thank you to the Los Angeles Society for Coatings Technology (LASCT) for hosting a successful event.

The Hamachi Group volunteered to lead a “Chemistry un-Magic Show” at Cal Poly’s 2024 Open House for newly admitted students and their families. Magicians never tell their secrets, but as scientists we do! Welcome to the newest Mustangs and we hope this may have sparked your interest in chemistry!

Welcome to four new undergraduate students joining the Hamachi Group for spring quarter research: Erin Wang (Materials Engineering), Zoe Maheras (Materials Engineering), Sierra Sanchez (Chemistry), and Jackson Arroyo (Chemistry). We are excited to have you join the team.

We had a great time bowling at the Cal Poly ACS (American Chemical Society) Club’s “Bowling with Professors” event. Thank you to the Cal Poly ACS Club for organizing a fun social event.

The research group went out to dinner to celebrate Dr. Hamachi’s Cottrell Scholar Award. Thank you to Research Corporation for Science Advancement for the Cottrell Scholar Award.

Dr. Leslie Hamachi receives a 2024 Cottrell Scholar Award from Research Corporation for Science Advancement. This $120,000 grant covers three years of funding toward research and education-based initiatives. For more information, read the Cal Poly press release here.

Welcome to two new students joining the Hamachi Group for winter quarter research: Ypatia Kondos (Polymers and Coatings MS) and Harkeerith Vij (Materials Engineering). We are excited to have you join the team.

Dr. Hamachi gave a special lecture on Quantum Dots for the ACS Club to explain the science behind the 2023 Chemistry Nobel Prize. Dr. Hamachi’s PhD work focused on Quantum Dot synthesis, and Dr. Louis Brus (one of the Nobel Prize recipients) was on her PhD Thesis Committee!

Check out the special “Quantum Dot Cookies” that Dr. Hamachi made as lecture snacks. The larger the cookie, the more red-shifted the M&M’s due to Quantum Confinement.

The lab surprised Dr. Hamachi with cake and a plant to celebrate Dr. Hamachi’s birthday. Thanks so much to the best lab group!

In honor of Halloween, the talented Olive Rosplock carved a pumpkin with the Hamachi Group logo.

Chemistry major Sachi Ottoes presented a poster on her work titled “2D COF Water-Based Latex Coatings” at the 36th Biennial Western Coatings Symposium in Las Vegas, NV. Congratulations to Sachi for winning first place in the undergraduate student poster competition! Thank you to WCS for the opportunity to present this work, ACS PRF, and to the William and Linda Frost Fund for helping fund Sachi’s summer research!

Dr. Hamachi also presented an oral presentation at the conference on the group’s work on “Polyester Wood Coatings with Dynamic Covalent Bonds.”

Congratulations to Jachin Clarke for winning the 2023 Golden Gate Society for Coatings Technology Scholarship.

Chemistry major Alexis Mojica presented a poster on her summer research at the SURP+ Research Poster Symposium at Cal Poly.

Estela Osorio-Garcia was featured in the Fall 2023 Bailey College Intersections Magazine. Read about Estela’s research in the Hamachi Group here.

Welcome to Kyle Liston, a new Polymers and Coatings MS student joining the Hamachi Group. We are excited to have you join the team.

Dr. Hamachi presented about the group’s work on Kombucha Leather and Covalent Organic Frameworks as a seminar speaker in the Chemistry Department at California State University, Stanislaus. Thank you for the opportunity to present about our work!

We are proud of our summer researchers Hannah Negri, Hayden Ankrum, Alexis Mojica, Zoe Jackson Delos Angeles, Robert Orta, Sachi Ottoes, Estela Osorio-Garcia, Nathan Wong, and Nix Liou for presenting three posters and three talks at the 2023 Frost Summer Research Symposium.

Thank you to the William and Linda Frost fund and ACS PRF for supporting our summer research students.

Chemistry major Alexis Mojica presented a poster at San Francisco ACS. Dr. Hamachi also presented an oral presentation on the group’s work on COF-300 Colloid Synthesis, based on our recent publication on COF-300 Colloid Synthesis and Colloidal Stabilization with Benzoic Acids.

Dr. Hamachi presented an oral presentation at the North American Materials Education Symposium (NAMES) on “Enhancing Undergraduate Macromolecule Education via Creation of Polymer Synthesis Themed Board Games and Card Games.”

In recognition of everyone’s hard work this summer and contributions to the research group, we celebrated the end of summer research this year with dinner at Olive Garden! What a tasty treat! We unfortunately forgot to take a photo at the restaurant, so here is a photo of us waiting for our table at Target instead.

This year’s summer undergraduate researchers are excited to learn some chemistry and materials engineering: Hannah Negri (Chemistry), Olive Rosplock (Biochemistry), Hayden Ankrum (Biochemistry), Estela Osorio (Biochemistry), Sachi Ottoes (Chemistry), Alexis Mojica (Chemistry), Zoe Jackson Delos Angeles (Materials Engineering), Nathan Wong (Materials Engineering), Robert Orta (Materials Engineering), and Nix Liou (High School).

Thank you to the William and Linda Frost Fund and ACS PRF for supporting our summer research students.

Isabel Gamez (4+1 Materials Engineering/PCS MS student) presented a poster about her research on incorporating dynamic covalent bonds in polyester wood coatings at the 2023 Coatings Tech Conference in Cleveland, OH.

In collaboration with Dr. Kathuria in Industrial Technology and Packaging at Cal Poly, Dr. Hamachi coauthors a paper on Environmentally Benign Bioderived, Biocompatible, Thermally Stable MOFs Suitable for Food Contact Applications in Trends in Food Science & Technology.

Congratulations to Isabel Gamez for successfully defending her Masters Thesis in the Polymers and Coatings Science MS program. Isabel will be starting a position at Lawrence Livermore National Lab! Best of luck in your new position.

On June 6th, Dr. Hamachi presented a poster about the group’s work on COF-300 Colloid Synthesis at the 2023 Polymers Gordon Conference in South Hadley, MA. The poster was on our recent publication on COF-300 Colloid Synthesis and Colloidal Stabilization with Benzoic Acids.

We are proud of our senior Materials Engineering undergraduate student Jachin Clarke for presenting a poster of his Senior Project at the 2023 College of Engineering Project Expo. Congratulations on completing this major milestone to finish off your undergraduate degree.

The Hamachi Group celebrated our recent publication on COF-300 colloid synthesis by going to McConnell’s Ice Cream. What a delicious treat! We are proud of the 7 undergraduate and 2 masters student coauthors who contributed to the research paper.

We are proud of our senior Materials Engineering undergraduate student Jachin Clarke for presenting his Senior Project at the 2023 Tech Conference hosted by the Materials Engineering Department. Congratulations on completing this major milestone to finish off your undergraduate degree.

Congratulations to 4+1 MS student Isabel Gamez for winning the 2023 Outstanding Research Award in Polymers and Coatings. We are very proud of you!

Congratulations to Isabel Gamez for winning the Research Award in Polymers and Coatings at the 2023 Chemistry and Biochemistry Department Awards. We are very proud of all of your accomplishments!

We had a great time at the 2023 Chemistry and Biochemistry Department Picnic!

Undergraduate students Sachi Ottoes (Chemistry), Alexis Mojica (Chemistry), Dean Kim (Biochemistry) and Kyla Carlson (Materials Engineering) presented posters at the Cal Poly’s College of Science and Mathematics (COSAM) research symposium. Thank you to Bill and Linda Frost and Sarepta Therapeutics for generously funding the 2023 COSAM Research Symposium!

The Hamachi Group publishes a paper on COF-300 Synthesis and Colloidal Stabilization with Substituted Benzoic Acids in RSC Advances. Congratulations to Cal Poly students Dean, Brendan, Kyla, Alison, Alyssa, Alexis, Sachi, and Donna. Thank you to collaborators Woojung Ji, Meherin Hossain, and Matthew Greenberg.

Isabel Gamez (4+1 Materials Engineering/PCS MS student) presented about her research on incorporating dynamic covalent bonds in polyester wood coatings at the 2023 May LASCT meeting. Thank you to the Los Angeles Society for Coatings Technology (LASCT) for hosting a successful event.

In preparation for summer research, the group welcomes new students to the lab: Hayden Ankrum (Biochemistry ’25), Jeffrey Johnson (Biochemistry ’26), Olive Rosplock (Biochemistry ’26), Estela Osorio-Garcia (Biochemistry + Polymers and Coatings Science ’25), Zoe Jackson Delos Angeles (Materials Engineering ’25), Kyle Wang (Materials Engineering ’24), Nathan Wong (Materials Engineering ’24), and Nix Liou. We are excited to welcome you all to the team!

Dr. Hamachi presented about the group’s work on Kombucha Leather as a seminar speaker in the Biology Department at California State University, Los Angeles. Thank you for the opportunity to present about our work!

We had a blast at the Cal Poly ACS Club’s Bowling with Professors event at Mustang Lanes, our on-campus bowling alley. Thank you to the ACS Club members who organized this event!

On January 13th, Dr. Hamachi presented about the group’s work on Kombucha Leather at the 35th CSU Biotechnology Symposium in Santa Clara, CA as one of the invited Faculty Short Talks. Thank you to CSUPERB for our New Investigator Grant funding and to the conference organizers for the invitation!

The Hamachi group welcomes one new research students for Winter quarter research! Welcome to Eric Casey (Materials Engineering). We are excited to have you join the team!

Congratulations to Manuel Huizar-Herrera for winning the CRGI Al Mordy Memorial Scholarship, to Dean Kim for winning the Brooke P. Mead and Rita P. Sayre Scholarship, and to Isabel Gamez for winning the Bill Moore Fellowship. We are very proud of your accomplishments!

Congratulations to Jachin Clarke for winning the 2022 Golden Gate Society for Coatings Technology Scholarship.

The Hamachi group welcomes 5 new research students for Fall quarter research! Welcome to Manuel Huizar (Chemistry), Hannah Negri (Chemistry), Jachin Clarke (4+1 Materials Engineering BS & Polymers and Coatings Science MS), Isabel Gamez (4+1 Materials Engineering BS & Polymers and Coatings Science MS), and Chanh Lam (Mechanical Engineering). We are excited to have you join the team!

Congratulations to 4+1 (Materials Engineering BS + Polymers and Coatings MS) student Alison Chew for winning the 2022 LASCT Scholarship. Thank you to the Los Angeles Society for Coatings Technology for supporting Cal Poly students in their educations.

Congratulations to rising sophomore Alexis Mojica for winning the 2022 Elmer Carvey Scholarship from the Southern California Chapter of AVS (SCCAVS). A big thank you to the SCCAVS for supporting Cal Poly undergraduate students in their studies!

In recognition of everyone’s hard work this summer and contributions to the research group, we celebrated the end of summer research this year by going to Korean BBQ and more boba! What a tasty treat!

We had a blast attending Alex Oanta’s talk at Cal Poly on water purification with Covalent Organic Frameworks and what graduate school is like. Alex is a graduate student in the Dichtel Research Group at Northwestern University. Here is a picture of several Cal Poly students (including some students from the Hamachi group) with Alex at “Boba with the Speaker.”

We are proud of our summer researchers Kyla, Alyssa, Dean, Alexis, and Brandon for presenting three posters and two talks at the 2022 Frost Summer Research Symposium.

Thank you to the FROST fund and the CSU Program for Education & Research in Biotechnology (CSUPERB) for supporting our summer research students.

This year’s summer undergraduate researchers are excited to learn some chemistry and materials engineering: Kyla Carlson (Materials Engineering), Alyssa Chew (Biochemistry), Brandon Ngo (Chemistry & Biological Sciences), Dean Kim (Biochemistry), and Alexis Mojica (Chemistry).

Thank you to the FROST fund and the CSU Program for Education & Research in Biotechnology (CSUPERB) for supporting our summer research students.

Congratulations to 4+1 PCS MS student Kyle Hoff, who is the recipient of the Powder Coatings Institute/Sun Polymers Scholarship. Thank you to the Powder Coatings Institute for their generous support of Cal Poly students.

We are excited to announce the group has received an ACS PRF Undergraduate New Investigator Grant to fund our research. This will help provide new opportunities for Cal Poly undergraduate students to participate in research! A big thank you to the ACS PRF!

The Hamachi Group welcomes five new student researchers for Spring 2022: Kyla Carlson (MATE ’25), Rebecca Winger (MATE ’24), Julie Hostetter (PCS MS ’23), Alexis Mojica (CHEM ’25), and Nathalie Silva (MATE ’23). Welcome and can’t wait to have you join the team!

Undergraduate Student André Lagron coauthors a Mini Review in Frontiers in Materials on Characterization Techniques to Assess Recyclability in Dynamic Polymer Networks. This mini-review is in collaboration with Dr. El-Zaatari at Davidson College.

We are so proud of our senior Materials Engineering undergraduate students for presenting about their Senior Projects at the 2022 Tech Conference hosted by the Materials Engineering Department. Congratulations on completing this major milestone to finish off your undergraduate degrees.

Congratulations to senior undergraduate student André Lagron for winning the Outstanding Graduate in Chemistry Award at the Cal Poly College of Science and Mathematics’ College Awards Ceremony. We are so proud of André’s accomplishments and contributions to our research group!

We had a great time at the 2022 Chemistry and Biochemistry Department Picnic. Thanks to André and Sachi for helping prepare liquid nitrogen ice cream for everyone!

Congratulations to Manuel Huizar for winning the Oustanding Undergraduate Student in Polymers and Coatings Award, to Amanda Tsai for winning the Outstanding MS Student in Polymers and Coatings Award, and to André Lagron for winning the Oustanding Graduate in Chemsitry Award at the 2022 Chemistry and Biochemistry Department Awards. We are very proud of all of your accomplishments!

Undergraduate students Alyssa Chew (Biochemistry) and Alison Chew (Materials Engineering/PCS MS) presented posters, and Donna Tran (Biochemistry) gave a research talk at the Cal Poly’s College of Science and Mathematics (COSAM) research symposium. Thank you to Bill and Linda Frost for generously funding the 2022 COSAM Research Symposium!

Addison Wolfson (4+1 Materials Engineering/PCS MS student) presented about his research on isocyanurate polymer synthesis at the 2022 May LASCT meeting. Thank you to the Los Angeles Society for Coatings Technology (LASCT) for hosting a successful event.

Cal Poly’s chemistry fraternity, Alpha Chi Sigma (AXE) hosted their annual Pie-A-Professor fundraiser. André won the raffle to pie Dr. Hamachi, and she got to “revenge pie” André back! Congratulations to AXE on hosting a successful fundraiser!

Congratulations to Alison Chew (4+1 Materials Engineering/PCS MS student) for winning the Outstanding Woman in Engineering award representing Materials Engineering at the Society of Women Engineers (SWE)’s 2022 Evening with Industry event. Alison, we are so proud of you for being such a great role model for women engineers!

Group members attended the Cal Poly Pilipino Cultural Exchange’s Pilipino Cultural Night (PCN) to see senior lab member Daisy Kamp perform a traditional cultural dance called Tinikling.

The Hamachi Group volunteered to lead a “Chemistry un-Magic Show” at Cal Poly’s 2022 Open House for newly admitted students and their families. Magicians never tell their secrets, but as scientists we do! Welcome to the newest Mustangs and we hope this may have sparked your interest in chemistry!

The Hamachi Group goes to the Spring 2022 American Chemical Society Meeting in San Diego, CA. Undergraduate students Dean Kim and Donna Tran presented posters, and André Lagron gave a talk on their research. Here are a few photos of us enjoying the conference:

We had a great time bowling at the Cal Poly ACS (American Chemical Society) Club’s “Bowling with Professors” event. Thank you to the Cal Poly ACS Club and senior André Lagron for organizing a fun social event.

Congratulations to Alison Chew for winning a Graduate Conference Award from Cal Poly to attend the Spring American Chemical Society Meeting in San Diego. Thank you to Cal Poly for your support of student researchers!

The Hamachi group welcomes new student researchers Alyssa Chew (Biochemistry) and Addison Wolfson (PCS MS) to the team. We can’t wait to do science with you this quarter!

Congratulations to PCS MS students Amanda Tsai and Kyle Hoff for winning the Alfred Apfel and Robert Minuccianni Scholarship from the Golden Gate Society for Coatings Technology (GGSCT). Thank you GGSCT for your support!

Dr. Hamachi coauthors a publication in ACS Nanoscience Au on The Primarily Undergraduate Nanomaterials Cooperative: A New Model for Supporting Collaborative Research at Small Institutions on a National Scale, showcasing the newly formed Primarily Undergraduate Nano Cooperative (PUNC).

Senior chemistry major André Lagron gave an invited student talk and poster on their work titled “Recycling Isocyanurates via Dynamic Covalent Bonding.” Senior materials engineering major Alison Chew presented a poster on “Particle Size Control of Colloidally Synthesized COF-300 Pigments.” Congratulations to Alison for winning first place in the student poster competition! Thank you to WCS for the opportunity to present this work and to the William and Linda Frost Fund and the Golden Gate Society for Coatings Technology for helping fund this summer research!

Congratulations to Kyle Hoff and Amanda Tsai for winning the 2021 Golden Gate Society for Coatings Technology Scholarship.

Congratulations to masters student Amanda Tsai for winning the Dave Kittredge Scholarship from the Los Angeles Society for Coatings and Technology (LASCT). Thank you LASCT for your generosity.

The Hamachi Group welcomes 4th year Materials Engineering undergraduate student Hannah Martin and Polymers and Coatings Science (4+1) masters student, Kyle Hoff (Materials Engineering with a minor in Entrepreneurship), who are joining the Hamachi Group for fall quarter research. We are excited to have you both join the team.

In recognition of everyone’s hard work this summer and contributions to the research group, we celebrated the end of summer research this year with a Taco Tuesday and ice cream! What a tasty treat!

Congratulations to masters student Kathryn Lee for publishing a preview article titled Big Diels: 3D Printing Covalent Adaptable Networks in Matter.

Welcome to three new undergraduate students joining the Hamachi Group for summer research: Alison Chew (Materials Engineering), Brandon Ngo (Chemistry & Biological Sciences), and Ethan Nogle (Chemistry). We are excited to have you join the team.

Thank you to the FROST fund, the CSU Program for Education & Research in Biotechnology (CSUPERB), and the Golden Gate Society for Coatings Technology (GGSCT) for supporting our summer research students.

Congratulations to masters student Brendan Posson for winning the Outstanding Polymers and Coatings Student Award at the 2021 Chemistry and Biochemistry Department Awards. We are very proud of Brendan and his accomplishments!

Congratulations to Brendan Posson for successfully defending his Masters Thesis in the Polymers and Coatings Science MS program. Brendan will be starting a position at Carlisle Construction Materials as an R&D Thermoplastics Chemist! Best of luck in your new position.

The Hamachi group has been awarded a CSUPERB Seed Grant for the project “Mechanical Properties of Bacterial Cellulose/SiO2 Composites.” Thank you to CSUPERB for funding summer undergraduate researchers at Cal Poly and helping us launch this exciting project!

Welcome to three new undergraduate students joining the Hamachi Group for spring quarter research: Donna Tran (Biochemistry), Daisy Kamp (Materials Engineering), and Sachi Ottoes (Chemistry). We are excited to have you join the team.

Congratulations to masters student Brendan Posson for winning the Bill Moore Fellowship. We are very proud of Brendan and his accomplishments!

Welcome to undergraduate student Dean Kim, joining the Hamachi Group in winter quarter 2021.

Congratulations to masters student Brendan Posson for winning the Dave Kittredge Scholarship from the Los Angeles Society for Coatings and Technology (LASCT). Thank you LASCT for your generosity.

Congratulations to masters student Kathryn Lee for being awarded a Graduate Assistant position for the 2020-2021 academic year. Thank you Cal Poly for your support of student research.

The Hamachi Group welcomes its inaugural class of research students for the fall quarter: André Lagron (chemistry), Kathryn Lee (polymers and coatings science), Brendan Posson (polymers and coatings science), and Amanda Tsai (materials engineering).

Dr. Leslie Hamachi accepts a tenure track assistant professor position at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in the Chemistry and Biochemistry department, starting in September 2020. California here we come!