Two professors from Stony Brook University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, Jeff Ge and Shikui Chen, have been recognized by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) for their contributions to the field.
Scott Carney, professor and chair of the department, commented on the recognition: “When one Mechanical Engineering professor and their students are recognized for a great conference paper, it’s an indicator of a great mentor and brilliant students. When two professors are so recognized it’s a pattern of commitment to advising and mentoring endemic to the department. I’m proud to work with Jeff Ge and Shikui Chen and happy to see them so honored.”
Jeff Ge received the A.T. Yang Memorial Award for Theoretical Kinematics for the second time. “I’m honored and humbled to receive this award,” said Ge. The award is given for the best paper presented at ASME’s Annual Symposium on Theoretical Kinematics, established in memory of Professor A.T. Yang from UC Davis.
Ge’s paper was co-authored with his PhD student Huan Liu and Professor Mark Langer from Indiana University. Their research focused on developing a “kinematic hull,” a three-dimensional envelope that encompasses all possible positions an object may take as it moves. This approach helps break down complex motion into simpler components. Liu said, “This award reinforces the importance of advancing theoretical kinematics, which lays the foundation for innovations in fields such as robotics, mechanical design, and radiotherapy. It is exciting to see our work acknowledged by the broader community.” Ge also acknowledged past support from NIH: “This recognition is very much the result of collaboration. I would like to acknowledge the support of NIH that was provided in the past.”
The team’s findings could have practical applications in robotics by helping machines move more efficiently or avoid obstacles, as well as in medicine by improving precision in cancer treatments through better modeling of tumor movement.
Shikui Chen received ASME’s Compliant Mechanisms Award for the second time; he previously won it in 2007 as a PhD student. His collaborators Ran Zhuang, Chander Sadasivan, and Xianfeng David Gu were also recognized. “We humbly think it is a great honor,” said Chen. “The last time I received this award was in 2007 when I was a PhD student. Now receiving the award 18 years later as a faculty, it is a great honor to be recognized by the society.”
The Compliant Mechanisms Award honors significant papers presented at ASME conferences related to compliant mechanisms—a field concerned with flexible structures that transfer force or motion through elastic deformation rather than rigid joints.
Ran Zhuang credited departmental support: “I sincerely thank our department for its strong research support and Professor Chen for his insightful guidance.” The award includes both a cash prize and plaque.
Chen’s team developed new methods for designing structures made from hyperelastic materials—substances that can stretch significantly before returning to their original shape—by using models that more accurately capture their behavior during bending or stretching than previous approaches allowed. Their method was tested on standard problems before being used to create a displacement inverter mechanism capable of converting motion from one direction into another.
“We are trying to push the research toward the generative design of soft robots to make designs not rely on the designers’ intuition, experience and inspiration,” said Chen. “We’re trying to turn soft robot design from an art into a science.”
These advances may benefit fields where precise control over movement is important—including robotics, medical devices, and flexible tools.
