December 4, 2025 Fall 2025 Faustin-Prinz Research Fellowship Awardees Written By: Kassi Akers Departments: Mechanical Engineering Categories: Research|Students|Undergraduate The Department of Mechanical Engineering awarded the largest group of students in recent years the Faustin-Prinz Research Fellowship, a program that supports undergraduate Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Mechanics students who want to develop a research project with ME or EM faculty. Students who receive this fellowship, gain access to cutting-edge laboratory equipment, work closely with a faculty project advisor, and gain beneficial hands-on experience. Fall 2025 Faustin-Prinz Research Fellowship awardees With almost a full semester under their belt, these 8 undergraduate researchers are excited to continue to dive into their findings in spring 2026. Jung Choi Student: Jung Choi Advisor: Krishnan Suresh Project: Multi-Material Topology Optimization using Variational Autoencoders The objective of this project is to develop a framework for simultaneous multi-material selection and topology optimization of structures. The framework consists of two stages. In the first stage, a variational autoencoder (VAE) is trained on a discrete material database to construct a continuous and differentiable latent space. In the second stage, pseudo-densities and latent representations are optimized jointly using gradient-based methods. Unlike previous approaches that assign a single material to the entire structure or rely on manually defined interpolation schemes, the proposed method combines density-based topology optimization with a learned latent material space, enabling the optimizer to determine spatially varying material properties through continuous decoding of the latent variables. Compliance is minimized under mass and strength constraints using a differentiable finite element solver. Preliminary results indicate that this integrated approach improves structural performance by simultaneously optimizing structural layout and material composition. The proposed work extends prior methods by enabling continuous optimization over both topology and material variables within a unified framework. Max Heirigs Student: Max Heirigs Advisor: Frank Pfefferkorn Project: Investigation of new hemispherical tool for friction stir welding The main objective of this research is to learn as much as I can about a novel friction stir tool design that has the potential to simplify and significantly reduce the cost of friction stir welding: a solid-state welding technique. If this tool proves useful compared to the traditional probe and shoulder friction stir welding tool, production of these tools would lower accessibility and cost of friction stir welding tools. I will be testing different properties of the weld created by the new hemispherical friction stir welding tool. I will create many welds with different input parameters to discover the process window and results for the hemispherical tool. This testing will result in an understanding of the macro and micro properties of a friction stir weld created with a hemispherical tool. I will learn how the hemispherical tool compares to the traditional probe and shoulder tool, and with this knowledge, I learn how viable mass production using the hemispherical tool is. Madelyn Mickiewicz Student: Madelyn Mickiewicz Advisor: Josh Roth Project: Design and evaluation of clinically-relevant, ultrasound-based tool for measuring soft tissue tension Achieving proper ligament tension is critical for successful total knee arthroplasty, yet current assessment methods are subjective, invasive, and/or inaccurate. Our research team is developing a noninvasive device called the Ultrasound Deflection Tension Sensor (USDTS) to quantify real-time soft tissue tension by combining force measurements with ultrasound imaging. Preliminary tests revealed measurement sensitivity to sensor angle and placement along the tissue of interest, which introduces repeatability and reproducibility errors. Accordingly, the first aim is to quantify the effects of different sensor angles and locations of the USDTS along the tissue of interest on measurement errors. I will use a full factorial experimental design with these two factors and perform measurements with phantom ligaments as the model system. The second aim is to fabricate a next-generation USDTS to control sensor angle and placement based on the findings of the full factorial experiments. By constructing a next-generation USDTS, we will be one step closer to translating our sensor into the clinic to enhance clinical assessments of soft tissue tension. Garrison Peak Student: Garrison Peak Advisor: Mark Anderson Project: High-temperature, High-pressure, High-speed gas compressor for research applications Gas Brayton cycles are attractive power conversion systems for advanced energy conversion from high-temperature heat sources. For expected turbine inlet temperatures of greater than 500°C, the cycles offer high plant efficiency and simple operation. sCO2 Brayton cycles can have efficiencies higher than traditional Rankine superheated steam cycles (approaching 50%) [1] by utilizing the low specific volume of fluid near the critical pressure to reduce the back work ratio (BWR) of the cycle. To advance these technologies and test components (typically heat exchangers) requires a high-temperature, high-pressure compressor. Past piston compressors have been used to achieve these conditions, however, they suffer from the fact that the fluid has to be cooled to room temperature before being compressed to high-pressure and reheated for testing [2]. The goal of this project will be to design, build, and test a high-speed motor-driven compressor similar to an automotive supercharger that is capable of generating flows up to 0.12kg/s and differential pressures of 350kPa. Nicholas Rienstra Student: Nicholas Rienstra Advisor: Melih Eriten Project: Utilizing Nonlinear Contacts and Buckling Viscoelastic Materials as Harmonic Dampers Soft materials are becoming vital in structural, robotic, 3D-printing, agricultural, pharmaceutical, and biomedical applications. However, the analysis of soft material-based systems increases exponentially in complexity due to the loss of linear elastic assumptions. All dynamical tendencies – vibration, temporal deformation, and torque free motion – become nonlinear systems that require an increased level of analysis, computation, and experimentation to fully characterize. With this, the ability to leverage these special dynamical characteristics of soft materials opens a new realm of passive systems that utilize these natural tendencies of soft materials to achieve a goal. The objective of this project is to design, manufacture, and test a soft synthetic system. This soft system is meant to serve as a passive vibration isolation chamber, surrounding an important payload, vulnerable to shock and random vibrations. This system will utilize the physical properties of deformed states, such as buckling and nonlinear contacts, to passively dissipate and redirect external forcing, protecting the payload. Cecelia Rowell Student: Cecelia Rowell Advisor: Corinne Henak Project: Meniscus Mechanical Properties and Quantitative MRI Parameters Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease that impacts all joint tissues, including the meniscus. When affected, the constituents are altered, and this can change the mechanical properties of the meniscus. Changes to the structure of the meniscus are detectable with quantitative MRI (qMRI), using T1, T1rho, and T2 relaxation parameters. These parameters correlate with degeneration from OA, and the subsequent degeneration the disease causes. However, correlations that directly link qMRI parameters to mechanical properties are not established. Therefore, this study aims to perform mechanical tests on menisci and correlate properties with qMRI values. These correlations can then be implemented into a larger whole knee model aimed to be a tool in understanding OA in the knee. Zach Rusch Student: Zach Rusch Advisor: Wei Wang Project: AUV3D: A low-cost centimeter-scale robot for modeling complex swarm behavior in three dimensions Aquatic 3D swarms could unlock new possibilities for coordinated, three-dimensional swarm robotics in underwater environments—enabling tasks such as high‑resolution reef mapping, distributed water‑quality monitoring, and collaborative search‑and‑rescue in confined spaces. However, current aquatic robots remain prohibitively expensive and bulky. This proposal addresses those limitations by developing AUV3D: a 100 mm cubic miniature AUV (autonomous underwater vehicle) with eight water‑jet thrusters pitched at compound 30° angles, granting full six‑degree‑of‑freedom maneuverability. Leveraging 3D‑printed hulls and readily available electronics keeps the cost under $100 per unit and promotes ease of manufacturing. Integrated laser rangefinders enable accurate relative positioning, and a bio‑inspired electrocommunication system—built on our previous research—facilitates robust inter‑robot coordination. Together, these design choices make AUV3D an accessible, scalable solution for deploying autonomous, centimeter‑scale swarms in complex aquatic environments. Evan Zhao Student: Evan Zhao Advisor: Thomas Breunung Project: Mechanical Realization of Probabilistic Computing Using Buckled Beams This project aims to design, fabricate, and experimentally validate a mechanical probabilistic computing system using bistable elastic beams. Each unit consists of a buckled beam with adjustable boundary conditions, which can switch between two stable states under random excitation. External vibration is applied via a mechanical shaker, and state transitions are monitored using either high-speed imaging or laser displacement sensors. These units can be coupled mechanically to emulate the behavior of interconnected probabilistic bits (p-bits). The final system will demonstrate how mechanical structures can simulate probabilistic logic at the hardware level and serve as a prototype for scalable, low-power, and physically interpretable computing platforms. Students interested in participating in the Faustin-Prinz Research Fellowship can find more information about the opportunity on the ME Intranet under research opportunities or can reach out to Mark Anderson, manderson@engr.wisc.edu, with questions.