Professor Yong Zhu has been selected to receive the 2019 ASME Gustus L. Larson Memorial Award by the American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME) and Pi Tau Sigma. The prestigious award is presented to an engineering graduate who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in mechanical engineering, within ten to twenty years following graduation with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
Zhu is a Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and a University Faculty Scholar at NC State. He holds affiliate appointments in Biomedical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering. Zhu’s research has focused on mechanics and mechanics-related applications of nanomaterials. In addition, he has published nearly 100 peer-reviewed journal papers and 4 book chapters. Zhu has also pioneered developing microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) for in-situ electron microscopy mechanical testing of nanomaterials. He has made important contributions in understanding the size effects and deformation mechanisms of 1D nanomaterials and interface mechanics of 1D and 2D nanomaterials. His work also includes mechanics, manufacturing, and device applications of stretchable electronics using nanomaterials. His past accolades include the Eshelby Mechanics Award in 2016, the ASME Sia Nemat-Nasser Early Career Award in 2015, and the Society of Experimental Mechanics Young Investigator Award in 2013, as well as several awards at NC State.
Zhu graduated with a B.S. in mechanical engineering in 1999 from the University of Science and Technology of China and went on to earn his M.S. and Ph.D. at Northwestern University in 2001 and 2005, respectively. Subsequently, he worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Texas at Austin. He joined the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace engineering as an assistant professor in 2007 and has been a professor since 2017.
The Gustus L. Larson Memorial Award will be presented to Yong Zhu during the 2019 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, to be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, November 8-14, 2019.