The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded Trevor Jones, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and Yorie Nakahira, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award. A prestigious five-year grant given to junior faculty who show promise of being leaders in their field, the NSF CAREER award supports the integration of research and education.
Jones’ research is inspired by understanding the physics of everyday objects to inform and develop new technologies. At CMU, Jones heads the Mechanically Intelligent Engineered Structures (MInEnS) Laboratory. Reimagining natural phenomena and human expression as tools to build and design materials, his research traverses multiple applications, including soft robotics, wearable technologies, and morphing structures.
With this award, Jones will explore the mechanical properties of beadwork as a new class of programmable metamaterial. Beadwork, a diverse art with cultural significance, comprises weaving thread through beads to form structures typically used for decorative applications. This patterning not only makes beadwork visually stunning but gives rise to emergent mechanical properties with potential functional applications. Beadwork combines the complementary mechanics of granular matter, an ensemble of macroscopic particles that has the potential to resist high loads, with the flexible, woven fibers of textiles, thereby positioning this metamaterial as both flexible and durable.
