University of Kansas researcher, Dr. Paulette Spencer awarded Faculty Fulbright Fellowship to Brazil

Dr. Paulette Spencer, an active member of the Dental/Craniofacial SIG and one of the SFB representatives to the International Union of Biomaterials Fellows has received a Faculty Fulbright Fellowship to Brazil.  Dr. Spencer is the Ackers Distinguished Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Bioengineering Research Center at the University of Kansas, School of Engineering.  Spencer and her research team are designing and creating new dental restoration materials that will function better and last longer than those currently used for composite restorations. To create a new dental restoration material that is superior to products already used by dentists, Spencer’s team modifies the chemistry and then tests how the new material functions in the research lab. By adding a carboxylic acid group to the material, they made it easier to mix with water. By adding a vinyl group, they improved mechanical performance. The name of their colorless liquid creation is BMPMOB, which stands for 4-((1,3-Bis(methacryloyloxy) propan-2-yl)oxy)-2-methylene-4-oxobutanoic acid. Learn more here.