Before I pick up where I last left off I need to digress yet again.\u00a0 If the reader looks (in part 14 of this blog series) at the initial notebook page (notebook 2, page 139) that describes my invention, the first aqueous polymerization system for IB, they will notice in the left hand margin a somewhat cryptic note.\u00a0 This note reads \u201cyet they will try to take credit\u201d and I wrote this immediately after my advisor Scott had signed my notebook (notebook 2, page 141 {see below}) one day later, his signature thereby officially noting my invention (just not on the actual date that I conceived the invention!).\u00a0 All of the other writing contained on these pages are original and were present prior to Scott\u2019s signature which leads to an important point (and he did read them prior to signing).\u00a0 That point is, Scott refused to sign the initial pages detailing my invention as they clearly demonstrate that I was indeed the sole inventor for this polymerization system.\u00a0 This fact is further reinforced by documents\/information that I provide in my next posting (including a full admission by one of the people listed as a co-inventor!).<\/p>\n
Notebook 2 pp 139-141<\/a><\/p>\n Another side digression that I wish to make at this time concerns another method \u201cKennedy\u201d used to extract ideas from students (besides the cabinetry behind his computer desk where he retained all hard copies of documents submitted to him by students).\u00a0 Dr. \u201cKennedy\u201d made it a habit to ask questions on examinations that required the student to devise new methods manufacture for existing materials or to submit details concerning new compositions of matter that would address a need described in the problem he set forth.\u00a0 Good examples of these can be found on test questions written by \u201cKennedy\u201d that appeared on comprehensive exams.\u00a0 The polymer science department at U. Akron kept copies of all of these examinations on hand and thus it should be relatively easy for interested readers to verify this fact (look in the late 90s to early 2000s for the following example).\u00a0 Unfortunately I did not retain these but I do recall one question in particular relating to amphiphilic materials wherein \u201cKennedy\u201d required the student to draw the structure of such a material and then detail its synthesis.*\u00a0 As it turns out, \u201cKennedy\u201d was heavily involved in the development of such materials for use in biomedical applications (e.g. artificial pancreas).\u00a0 My memory is quite vivid due to the fact that my answer was nothing more than a copy of chemistry that my cohort in the \u201cKennedy\u201d group was working on (and I received full credit for the question).\u00a0 This was in fact the same student who had his idea (for a high temperature stable silicone polymer) stolen by \u201cKennedy\u201d as I described earlier in part 14 of this blog series.<\/p>\n As I stated earlier, with the exception of Dr. Jack Pi, no one in \u201cKennedy\u2019s\u201d group and most especially \u201cKennedy\u201d possessed much in the way of knowledge when it came to silicon chemistry.\u00a0 It just so happens that this particular triblock copolymer which formed the basis for the my answer to \u201cKennedy\u2019s\u201d cumulative exam question (polyethylene oxide-polyisobutene-polyethylene oxide) was made by one of the few transformations involving silicon that was well-known in the \u201cKennedy\u201d lab; that is, hydrosilation.\u00a0 Although I do recall this student conducting other methods to make these materials he was involved in making networks derived from these two polymers, and one method involved hydrosilation of pentamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5<\/sub>H) to polyethylene oxide and polyisobutene polymers that possessed terminal unsaturations (e.g. telechelic polymers with \u03b1,\u03c9 allyl groups).\u00a0 These polymers were chosen due to their biocompatibility, the fact that polyisobutene has a low glass transition temperature, and because polyethylene oxide is oxygen permeable.\u00a0 All of these characteristics were deemed necessary to make an artificial pancreas.\u00a0 Regardless, this student\u2019s use of D5<\/sub>H in conjunction with Karstedt\u2019s catalyst in the presence of water led to his invention (accidentally) of a highly crosslinked silicone polymer that had high thermal stability (and which \u201cKennedy\u201d ultimately stole credit for).\u00a0 As we will see, stealing credit for other people\u2019s invention is a recurrent theme in \u201cKennedy\u2019s\u201d life\u2026<\/p>\n * Hopefully this wasn’t in his cationic polymerization class, which appeared to have one exam.\u00a0 I glanced at this and did not see the problem I’m referring to (above) listed on that particular exam.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Before I pick up where I last left off I need to digress yet again.\u00a0 If the reader looks (in part 14 of this blog series) at the initial notebook page (notebook 2, page 139) that describes my invention, the … Continue reading