Exploring Nature-inspired Systems and the Importance of Broadening Participation of Early Career Scientists in URM and Non-doctoral Institutions

Origami has emerged as a design paradigm to realize morphing structures with rich kinematic and mechanical properties. Biological examples augment the potential folding design space by suggesting intriguing routes for achieving and expanding crease patterns that traditional origami laws cannot capture. Specifically, spring origami theory exploits the earwig wing's material system architecture and energy storage mechanism. The first part of the presentation discusses exploring the transfer of such mechanics to synthetic engineering systems such as 1. A bistable hybrid gripper leveraging the shape adaptability and conformability exhibited by the biological organism to minimize actuation energy, 2. A bioinspired wing for an aerial-aquatic robot, 3. A class of multistable self-folding origami architectures that are reprogrammable post-fabrication.



In the second part of the presentation, I highlight early career scientist experiences that played a vital role in my position today as an assistant professor. This includes the PhD process, my mentors, and programs I was involved in outside of research, such as MEP (Minority Engineering Program) and TBE (Trailblazers in Engineering) which exploited the need for minorities not only in engineering but also in the classroom. Additionally, I discuss my decision to join the Mechanical Engineering Department at California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) such as the student community, course load and design, and key points about being at a non-doctoral institution. My purpose for pursuing academia at CSULA is to make an impact on students seeking research. I now lead a new research group to develop morphing structures and autonomous systems building a deeper understanding of biological systems and their material system architecture, for example, folding. Specifically, we study marine-inspired systems for offshore and underwater exploration. This research will address the continuous need for aquatic exploration and a deeper understanding of marine life.