Event
MSE Seminar: Dr. Shu Yang, UPenn
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
3:30 p.m.
Room 2108 Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Building
Sherri Tatum
301-405-5240
statum12@umd.edu
"Design and Manufacturing of Geometric Materials for Sustainability"
Abstract: Our living environment plays a critical role in the quality of our life and well-being. Water and concrete are the two most used materials. However, we face water scarcity and greenhouse emissions. To create a more sustainable world, it requires new solutions that are low-cost, energy-efficient, and highly scalable. In my talk, I will showcase 3D printing of lightweight, high-strength, carbon-absorbing, and storage concrete, kirigami fins for fog collection, and moisture-wicking, desiccant beads for atmospheric water absorption.
Bio: Shu Yang is a Joseph Bordogna Professor of Engineering and Applied Science and Department Chair of Materials Science & Engineering at University of Pennsylvania (Penn). Her group is interested in synthesis, fabrication, and assembly of soft and hybrid materials, and the use of geometry and topology to create highly flexible, super-conformable, shape-changing, and energy-efficient materials. Yang received her B.S. degree from Fudan University, and Ph. D. degree from Cornell University. She was recognized as Inaugural Nat Geo 33 Extraordinary Changemaker, and received American Chemical Society (ACS)’s Langmuir lectureship, The International Liquid Crystal Society Mid-Career Award (LG), and Inventor of the Year at Penn. She is a Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Materials Research Society (MRS), ACS, American Physical Society (APS), and National Academy of Inventors (NAI).
