Honors across the board
Greetings from Mechanical Engineering Hokies . I am happy to report extraordinary progress and awards from all areas of our ranks : faculty , staff , and students . Their stories are featured throughout this issue .
AZIM ESKANDARIAN
Department Head , and Nicholas and Rebecca Des Champs Chair / Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
On the cover , you saw Jonathan Boreyko ’ s synthetic duck feathers , not the same shape and size as you might spot on the average mallard . These have some fascinating potential applications , holding new developments in marine technology and desalinating water . Michael Bartlett , another rising star , has developed an amazing self-healing soft circuit , the story of which has been picked up by the BBC Science Focus , among others .
It is always a pleasure to hear how graduates of our department have fared in their careers and lives . On page 24 , you ’ ll find Darrell Roberts , who both works in the US nuclear program and devotes much of his free time to his passion for music . The way these two topics fit together is really interesting .
I would be remiss if I didn ’ t mention the return of our teams to in-person meetings following the wide availability of COVID-19 vaccines . We have truly missed seeing one another outside a computer screen since last March , and are very happy to have the opportunity to return to the in-person collaborations we so highly value .
As we look forward to the start of another academic year , I am inspired by the resiliency shown by our team , especially the ways we have rallied to help one another . This is one of the things I like best about being a Hokie , and one of the great defining qualities of our department .
With best regards , Azim Eskandarian