Oct. 28, 2020 – Kevin Huang, an undergraduate student in mechanical and aerospace engineering, won second place recently in the poster competition portion of the Great Minds in Stem conference. Held virtually earlier this month, the national conference seeks to showcase diverse talent in the STEM fields and encourage career development among underrepresented and underserved STEM college students and professionals.

Huang, a senior who works on flapping micro-air-vehicles in the lab of Haithem Taha, MAE assistant professor, said his poster showcased recent research findings about the ability of insects and other animals with flapping wings to stabilize their hovering flight through vibration. The work has important implications in the field of aerial robotics. “This poster talks about the methods we use to try to unlock the secrets of Mother Nature’s ability to fly so well.”

He added that during his poster presentation, the judges didn’t ask many questions, leading him to believe that maybe they weren’t interested. “I was so surprised when I got placed second,” Huang said. “My research team has been working so hard for the past year and I couldn’t have gotten this award without them.”

Great Minds in STEM generates innovative programming designed to create awareness, advocate readiness and celebrate success in STEM. Attendees have the opportunity to network with top leaders from industry, government, the military and academia.  

– Anna Lynn Spitzer