Welcome
The AIMS Lab at the University of Michigan is run by Daniel J. Inman.
We advance the field of aerospace engineering by investigating adaptive, intelligent, and multifunctional systems.
The AIMS Lab at the University of Michigan is run by Daniel J. Inman.
We advance the field of aerospace engineering by investigating adaptive, intelligent, and multifunctional systems.
“If we worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true really is true, then there would be little hope for advance”
It is the culmination of the study of controls, fluid dynamics, structural dynamics, and materials science that make up aerospace engineering as a whole. What makes the AIMS Lab unique is that our research embraces many of these fields. We strive to develop innovative and novel solutions to complex aerospace engineering dilemmas via smart materials and structures. We take a multidisciplinary approach by working at the intersection of simulated and experimental structural dynamics.
Daniel J. Inman received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University in Mechanical Engineering in 1980 and is Chair of the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan, as well as the C. L. “Kelly” Johnson Collegiate Professor. Since 1980, he has published eight books (on vibration, energy harvesting, control, statics, and dynamics), eight software manuals, 20 book chapters, over 330 journal papers and 600 proceedings papers, given 62 keynote or plenary lectures, graduated 62 Ph.D. students and supervised more than 75 MS degrees. He works in the area of applying smart structures to solve aerospace engineering problems including energy harvesting, structural health monitoring, vibration suppression and morphing. He is a Fellow of ASME, AIAA, IIAV and AAM.
Greta Colford is a PhD student in the Mechanical Engineering Department, co-advised by Dr. Inman and Dr. Kon-Well Wang. She graduated with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and minor in Aerospace Engineering from Michigan Technological University in 2018, and before starting graduate school, she worked as a Post-Baccalaureate Engineer at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Her research interests include structural dynamics, energy harvesting, and structural damping through the use of metastructures.
Derek Willis is a PhD student in the aerospace engineering department. He completed his bachelors degree in mechanical engineering with a minor in aerospace engineering from Michigan Technological University in 2021. Derek's research interests include the development of morphing structures for uncrewed aerial vehicles.
Yan Borden is a PhD pre-candidate in the Aerospace Engineering department. He received his B.S. in Engineering Mechanics from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2021 and his M.S.E. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor in 2023. His current research focuses on development of actuators for advanced aerospace applications using smart materials with a focus on piezoelectrics. He is also interested in machine learning techniques for fault detection and fault tolerance in actuators and actuation systems.
Fernando Dapino is a Pre PhD candidate in the Aerospace Engineering Department. His research interests include composite materials, piezoelectric actuators and sensors, and morphing structures. He currently investigates bistable composites for morphing. Fernando holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University.
Piper Sigrest, Novel Whiffling-Inspired Gapped Wings as Control Surfaces, Blue Origin (2023)
Kevin Haughn, Intelligence for Morphing Aircraft. Army Research Lab (2022)
Christina Harvey, Avian wing joints for longitudinal stability. UC Davis (2022).
Lori Groo, Sensing Fiber-reinforced Composites. Air Force Research Lab (2021).
Krystal Acosta. Pyroelectric effects of Macro-fiber Composites. NASA Kennedy Space Center (2020).
Brittany Essink. Mechanical Metamaterials. Exponent Consulting (2019).
Andrew Lee. Smart Bistable Composites. North Carolina State University (2019).
Lawren Gamble. Bioinspired Rudderless Morphing. Exponent Consulting (2018).
Katie Reichl. Metastructure Vibration Suppression. Komatsu Mining (2018).
Alex Pankonien, Avian Inspired Morphing. Air Force Research Lab (2014).
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