Page 7 - Penn State Mechanical Engineering Magazine 2020

Pioneering autonomous materials
Ryan Harne, previously an
associate professor at Ohio State,
has joined the Penn State College
of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical Engineering as the James F. Will Career Development Associate Professor.
Harne leads the Laboratory of Sound
and Vibration Research, which investigates smart and adaptive structures and materials that
could enhance future medical, industrial, commercial, and engineering applications.
“A big part of the lab’s vision is to develop a fundamental basis for soft, autonomous engineered matter,” he said. “These could be engineering semi-biological machines that could do things like clean water automatically in a water supply, assist in performing surgery, or maintain the safety of civil infrastructures.”
By crafting these systems with smart materials, they can potentially become more adaptive and agile. For instance, a building that is constructed with the ability to sense the seismic waves of an earthquake could theoretically brace itself before disaster strikes.
“This grand vision of soft, autonomous engineered matter requires an interdisciplinary skillset,” Harne said, noting that expertise in vibration, acoustics, mechanics, manufacturing, and smart materials are critical in his research program.
“One reason I was drawn to Penn State is because it is world renowned for materials, mechanics, and acoustics research. I see so many opportunities for collaboration.”
Harne was also recently awarded the 2020 C. D. Mote
Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ Technical Committee on Sound and Vibration. His nomination for this award was partially prompted by his previous research pertaining to vibration and noise control, particularly in beam buckling instability.
The Mote award also recognized Harne’s research in developing origami medical transducers. These devices are able to strategically fold to a miniaturized space and expand once it has reached its target. For instance, these can be used to deliver high intensity, focused ultrasounds to better treat tumors.
As a small-business owner manufacturing rubber products, Harne said he feels strongly about grounding the theoretical concepts he will teach in real-world work.
“I have unique perspectives as an educator, a researcher, a scholar, as well as a businessman,” he said. “I use this broad outlook in my teaching to prepare students for what’s actually happening today in the field of mechanical engineering and the challenges they’ll encounter.”
Faculty Profiles
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