School Notes: School of Engineering & Applied Science
January/February 2023

Grad student makes the perfect pitch

Lauren Mazurowski, a second-year environmental engineering PhD student, placed first in the 2022 National Science Foundation Perfect Pitch Competition and received a $5,000 prize for her presentation “Re[Cu]verCopper.” Mazurowski’s talk focused on her work in developing novel membranes that could be used for copper recovery applications. There’s a particularly pressing need to find alternative sources to extract copper as the electronics industry is predicted to grow exponentially in the next decade. Mazurowski competed against finalists from 17 other NSF-funded engineering research centers around the country.

By land or by sea

The lab of Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio, the John J. Lee Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science, developed an amphibious robot inspired by the movements of turtles and tortoises. With morphing limbs that can adapt their shape, stiffness, and behavior to the environment, the robot traverses land with a variety of four-legged terrestrial gaits. Upon reaching a body of water, the robot can then morph its legs into flippers, enabling it to swim with lift- and drag-based aquatic gaits. The device was recently featured on the cover of Nature.

Professor wins FASEB award

Smita Krishnaswamy, associate professor of computer science and genetics, has been awarded the FASEB Excellence in Science Early-Career Investigator Award from the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. With a unique background in mathematics, computer sciences, and computational biology, Krishnaswamy has dual appointments in Yale’s School of Medicine and School of Engineering & Applied Science. FASEB’s Excellence in Science Awards have highlighted outstanding achievements by women in biological science. The award is given to female scientists demonstrating excellence and innovation in their research fields, as well as exemplary leadership and mentorship.