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'Smart' materials investigator named rising research star

William S. Oates

A Florida State University faculty member who is working to develop new "smart" materials with a variety of potential applications has been recognized as one of the nation's top young researchers by the U.S. Department of Defense.

William S. Oates, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, was selected by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA, www.darpa.mil) as one of 33 rising stars at 24 U.S. universities to participate in the agency's Young Faculty Award program for 2009. The 33 participants will receive grants of approximately $300,000 each to develop and validate their research ideas over the next two years.

The objective of Oates' research project, titled "Field-Coupled Mechanics and Nonlinear Control of Photo-Responsive Adaptive Structures," is to optimize special characteristics within a type of material known as photoelastomers — polymers that change their shape in response to light — to create highly adaptable "smart" structures. Among the possible applications for such materials could be using them to:

  • Design flapping-wing, micro-air vehicles — essentially tiny, remotely piloted or autonomous aircraft that could be used for military or law-enforcement surveillance or for safe observation of hazardous environments
  • Provide texture control of adaptive skins, which could increase the maneuverability or efficiency of aircraft under certain conditions
  • Design remote laser control of microfluidic systems and microscale actuators for drug delivery or microelectronic communication devices

"This award will provide a wonderful opportunity to advance our knowledge of these fascinating materials," said Oates, who has served on the faculty of the Florida A&M University-Florida State University College of Engineering since 2006. "I am looking forward to working with DARPA and several Department of Defense organizations to transition these materials to various applications."

The objective of the Young Faculty Award program is to identify and engage rising research stars in junior faculty positions in academia and expose them to Department of Defense needs and DARPA's project development process. The Young Faculty Award program provides funding, mentoring, and industry and Department of Defense contacts to these faculty members early in their careers to develop their research ideas in the context of defense needs. DARPA's long-term goal is to develop the next generation of academic scientists, engineers and mathematicians in key disciplines who will focus a significant portion of their career on defense and national security issues.

Oates was one of only two researchers from a Florida university to be invited to participate in the DARPA Young Faculty Award program this year. The other is David P. Arnold, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Florida. (See the complete list of participants here.)

The Young Faculty Award recipients were chosen through a competitive selection process. Applicants were required to be untenured faculty at U.S. institutions within six years of appointment to a tenure-track position. Research proposals were submitted in the areas of Quantum Science and Technology; Bio-Info-Micro; Mathematics; Structural Materials; Functional Materials; Power and Energy; Micro-/Nano-Electronics; Micro/Nano Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS/NEMS); Photonics/Lasers; Manufacturing Science and Technology; and Neuroscience. (Oates' proposal was in the category of Structural Materials.)

In all, nearly 300 proposals were reviewed for the 2009 awards.

"The complexity of these materials has required us to look at smart materials from a very different perspective," Oates said. "This has already led to the discovery of new fundamental relations that may unify our understanding of a relatively broad class of adaptive materials."

By Barry Ray

"I am looking forward to working with DARPA and several Department of Defense organizations to transition these materials to various applications."

William S. Oates
Florida A&M University-Florida State University College of Engineering