Applied Mechanics Division of ASME- 2014 Thomas J.R. Hughes Young Investigator Awards

2014 Thomas J.R. Hughes Young Investigator Award - Professor Katia Bertoldi
The Executive Committee of the ASME Applied Mechanics Division is pleased to announce and congratulate Professor Professor Katia Bertoldi, Associate Professor, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, is the recipient of the 2014 Thomas J. R. Hughes Young Investigator Award. 

The Young Investigator Award was established in 1998 and renamed the Thomas J.R. Hughes Young Investigator Award in 2008. The Award recognizes special achievements in Applied Mechanics for researchers under the age of 40.

Katia received this award for her significant contributions to the theory and simulation of the mechanics of soft materials. In particular, she uses large deformation and instabilities to drastically change the properties of soft materials in response to external stimuli such as applied forces and electric fields. Possible applications include acoustic switches, robots capable of changing shape based on the terrain, and waveguides that are switchable between negative and positive refractive indices.

The award, which includes a medal, a plaque, and an honorarium of $1,500, will be presented at the AMD Honors and Awards Banquet, during the ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, to be held in Montreal, Quebec, November 14-20, 2014.

Larry Bergman, Chair
AMD Executive Committee

2014 Thomas J.R. Hughes Young Investigator Award - Professor Ryan Scott Elliott
The Executive Committee of the ASME Applied Mechanics Division is pleased to announce and congratulate Professor Ryan Scott Elliott, Associate Professor & Russell J. Penrose Faculty Fellow, University of Minnesota, is the second recipient of the 2014 Thomas J. R. Hughes Young Investigator Award. 

The Young Investigator Award was established in 1998 and renamed the Thomas J.R. Hughes Young Investigator Award in 2008. The Award recognizes special achievements in Applied Mechanics for researchers under the age of 40.

Ryan received this award for pioneering work in the area of atomistic simulations of shape memory alloys using modern bifurcation theory and stability to quantify the thermally and stress-induced martensitic transformations in shape memory alloys.

The award, which includes a medal, a plaque, and an honorarium of $1,500, will be presented at the AMD Honors and Awards Banquet, during the ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, to be held in Montreal, Quebec, November 14-20, 2014.

Larry Bergman, Chair
AMD Executive Committee