Yu Wins Powe Research Seed Money

Clark School alumna and Assistant Professor Miao Yu, mechanical engineering and Institute for Systems Research, is the recipient of a Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award.

Yu was recognized for her research attempts to create an artificial sensing mechanism based on the unique hearing organs of a very tiny fly.

These awards provide seed money for research by junior faculty at schools that are a part of the Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) consortium. They are intended for full-time assistant professors within the first two years of their initial tenure track appointment and are meant to enrich the research and professional growth of young faculty, resulting in new funding opportunities.

The awards are $5,000 each and must be matched by an equal amount from each winner’s university.

Both of the nominees from the University of Maryland, College Park, won an award. The other winner was Min Ouyang of the physics department. Universities can submit only two nominations each year.

Yu received her Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the Clark School in 2002. Her research interests include optical sensors, sensor mechanics and material behavior at multiple spatial scales. She is an affiliate faculty member with ISR.

Published May 4, 2006