Breaking the Pattern: How Disorder Toughens Materials

In a new paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Nexus, researchers at Penn Engineering, Penn Arts & Sciences and Aarhus University found that adding just the right amount of disorder to the structure of certain materials can make them more than twice as resistant to cracking. “Toughness is a limiting factor in not all, but many 3D-printed mechanical metamaterials,” says Kevin Turner, Professor and John Henry Towne Department Chair of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM) at Penn Engineering and the paper’s senior author. READ MORE

John L. Bassani Awarded the Society of Engineering Science William Prager Medal

John Bassani, Professor Emeritus in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM), has been awarded the 2025 Society of Engineering Science (SES) William Prager Medal for outstanding research contributions in theoretical solid mechanics.

“Being recognized by my community is validation that my nearly 50-year approach to research has been fruitful and, importantly for me, worth continuing,” says Bassani. “I hope that my work inspires my colleagues, especially collaborators in our current research on embolization, which builds on my work on fracture that began in the aerospace industry just after I completed my bachelor’s degree. It’s rewarding to see that my career trajectory has led to this medal in recognition of that.” READ MORE

New MEAM Faculty Member Wensi Wu Brings Innovation to Cardiovascular Research

We extend a warm welcome to Wensi Wu, who joins the MEAM faculty as Assistant Research Professor. Wensi’s research sits at the convergence of applied mechanics, scientific machine learning, and medicine, where she develops predictive virtual models of the heart, grounded in the in vivo principles of tissue mechanics, to tackle critical challenges in cardiovascular research.

“I have always been fascinated by the beauty and interdisciplinary nature of applied mechanics,” Wensi shares. While completing her PhD in Structural Mechanics at Cornell in 2021, a time marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, Wensi was prompted to reflect on the broader significance of her work. These moments inspired her to direct her skills toward research that would both align with her intellectual interests and make a meaningful impact on human lives. READ MORE

Doctoral Student Erica Waters Awarded F31 Grant

Erica Waters, a fourth-year doctoral student, has been awarded the Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F31) from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

The F31 award is a highly competitive grant aimed at supporting promising predoctoral students with the potential to become productive, independent research scientists. Erica’s project, titled “Leveraging Robot-Based Haptic Dyads to Improve Community-Based Stroke Rehabilitation,” was officially awarded on July 23rd and commenced on September 1st. Working under the guidance of Michelle Johnson, Associate Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Erica’s research focuses on enhancing stroke rehabilitation through innovative robotic and haptic technologies. Her project aims to improve community-based care, a critical need as the global population ages and the demand for accessible rehabilitation increases. READ MORE

Nathan Wei on Renewable Energy, Fluid Mechanics and the Shaping of Humble Engineers

With a research career dedicated to atmospheric wind and fluid mechanics, Nathan Wei, Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM), takes his endeavors almost wherever the wind blows. Guided by his desire to make an impact in the realm of energy and sustainability and his commitment to mentoring the next generation of problem solvers, a very intentional wind blew Wei to Penn, where he can do both with creative freedom. READ MORE

First-Year Doctoral Student Recognized with 2024 Presidential Ph.D. Fellowship

Raisa Achiriloaie, a first-year doctoral student in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM), has been recognized as one of the 2024 Presidential Ph.D. Fellowship recipients, an honor awarded to outstanding scholars with exceptional research agendas. Raisa’s past work has focused on movement and transportation at tiny scales within cells. READ MORE