Professor Ghatu Subhash is Newton C. Ebaugh Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. He obtained his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of California San Diego and conducted post-doctoral research at California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. He joined Michigan Technological University in 1993 and then moved to the University of Florida in 2007. He has received numerous honors for excellence in teaching, research, and professional service, including the Frocht Award from Society for Experimental Mechanics (SEM), Best Paper – Journal of Engineering Materials and Technology; Significant Contribution Award American Nuclear Society – Materials Science and Technology Division; Fellow of SEM, Fellow of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME); Technology Innovator Award, University of Florida; ASME Student Section Advisor Award; Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award; American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Outstanding New Mechanics Educator award; A Distinguished Faculty Member by the Michigan Association of Governing Boards of State Universities; and Commendation Letters from the Governor of Michigan. He has served as an Associate Editor for the Journal of the American Ceramic Society, Mechanics of Materials Experimental Mechanics, Journal of Engineering Materials and Technology, and Journal of Dynamic Behavior of Materials. He has graduated 30 Ph.D. students and is currently advising 6 Ph.D. students in various fields related to multiaxial behavior and microstructural characterization of advanced materials, ultrahard ceramics, composites, and bio materials. He has authored more than 250 scientific articles and 3 patents. He has given numerous invited lectures and seminars at various conferences and universities. His invention of fluid-filled energy absorbing cushions has appeared on several TV networks, radio stations (including NPR), and in articles by Reuters, ASEE Morning Bell, and many newspapers. Most recently, he appeared in a PBS documentary ""Secrets of Spanish Florida"", aired nationwide in December 2017 while discussing the impact response of Coquina, the material with which the oldest fort in the U.S., Castillo de San Marcos, in St. Augustine, Florida was built.
Shannon Ridgeway is an Instructor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Florida. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1987. He was employed as an engineer designing custom contact molded fiberglass reinforced products for Satsuma Inc. following graduation. He then went on to continue his studies and received his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida in 1995.
Mr. Ridgeway has been involved in research in the areas of design, mechanics of materials, spatial mechanisms, robotics, controls systems, and autonomous navigation for over 20 years. He participated in the Center for Intelligent Machines and Robotics (CIMAR) entries into the DARPA Grand Challenges and Urban Challenge, primarily working on hardware integration and system design. Current activities include instructing the Mechanics of Materials Undergraduate Laboratory and the Dynamic Systems and Controls Undergraduate Laboratory for Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, at the University of Florida. Current research interests focus on ground and surface vehicle autonomy.
Dr Kristin Zimmerman's professional career began with the General Motors (GM) Research and Development (R&D) Center in 1993 where she created GM's Satellite Laboratory Network establishing over 100 GM Satellite Research Laboratories across the globe. In 1999, Zimmerman received a Fellowship to the National Academy of Engineering to work on STEM policy. From 2000–2012, she worked in the areas of advanced engineering and design, energy and environmental policy, and was responsible for creating and implementing GM’s energy and carbon management strategies across the globe. From 2008–2009, Zimmerman lived in Beijing, China managing GM China's Automotive Energy Research Center (CAERC) on the campus of Tsinghua University. She continued her energy and environmental policy work as an original member of the Chevy Volt Team, 2006–2012.
Dr. Zimmerman is currently the Executive Director of the Society for Experimental Mechanics and a 30-year member of the Society. Her educational background includes: Physics, Mechanical Engineering, and Engineering Mechanics. Her Ph.D. is in Engineering Mechanics from Michigan State University.
