On April 14, a record 27 students in the Textile Development and Marketing (TDM) program presented research projects at the SUNY Undergraduate Research Conference at SUNY Maritime College. Marley Ashem Hibbert, Fiona McBride, and Joshua Brown gave a talk about their project comparing the properties of cotton fabric with a cotton/cork blend. Eleven other teams participated in a poster session. Topics included nature-based photoprotective textiles, a comparison of natural and synthetic elastic, stain resistance and repellency, and microplastic waste.
The faculty mentors were TDM assistant professors Preeti Arya, Huipu Gao, and Imran Islam, as well as Sean Cormier, associate professor and chair of the department.
For one research project, “Developing High Performance Fabric for Winter Sports,” students William Meyer and Yigit Ozer tested the insulative properties of various materials to be used in ski pants: Gore Tex, a wool blend, and nylon.
They used an insulation testing device built by Dr. Gao, with support from a Faculty Development Grant. The device can test how well materials of different thicknesses and weights prevent heat transfer—even factoring in wind chill (a fan simulates wind). The device can also test breathability, using a wet test. The students found that while the wool blend was the strongest insulator, layering all three materials made for the warmest, most breathable ski pants.