Rustoleum Coop and Internship Programs

Aliza Yazdani, Research and Development Chemist

Alex Hart, Research and Development Scientist

Rust-oleum Corporation

Hosted By: Dr. Theresa Windus

Abstract:

Ever been curious what goes into a can of spray paint? Ever wondered how to keep the chemicals in a chemistry lab from destroying every surface? Alex Hart and Aliza Yazdani will teach you the basics of what goes into a paint! Covered topics include the composition of coatings, basic definitions of coatings, the types of polymers and chemistries used in coatings, and what goes into scaling up a lab size batch to a 5000-gallon size batch. This seminar will answer the basic questions that you might have wondered into one of oldest sciences in the world. Watching paint dry may not be interesting, but this seminar will give you an interactive journey through the creation of paint.

Bio:

Aliza received her Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry in the Spring of 2019 from Carleton College. She attended graduate school at UIUC, doing research on dual-component systems for storable frontal ring-opening metathesis polymerization resins as method for the production of structural thermosetting polymers. She earned her Master of Science in Chemistry in the Spring of 2022 and began working at Rust-Oleum the following Summer. Her current work focuses on two-component coatings for industrial maintenance applications.

Alex received his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry in the Fall of 2019 from NDSU with a minor in coatings and polymeric materials. After receiving his undergraduate degree, he started working on his doctorate in the Coatings and Polymeric Materials department at NDSU. His research focused on working with biobased materials to make value-added thermosets. During Alex’s graduate studies, he participated in the Rust-Oleum co-op program during the summer of 2022. He returned to NDSU and defended his doctorate in the Spring of 2023. After defending, he started work at Rust-Oleum in the Summer of 2023. His current work revolves around industrial one and two-component coatings.