Dunn wins STLE Early Career Award

MechSE Assistant Professor Alison Dunn recently won an Early Career Award from the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) for her research on hydrogel interfacial slip. The award honors the outstanding research contributions by young professionals to the field of tribology, and assists the winners with the expense of attending the STLE Annual Meeting and Exhibition.

Dunn’s research, “Mechanics-Driven Energy Dissipation in Soft Matter Lubrication,” focuses on characterizing the mechanics behind energy dissipation in slip at a hydrogel’s surface, such as viscoelasticity and porosity. The research will help build an understanding of the hydrogel surfaces’ response to shear forces. The overarching goal of this project is to develop rules for engineering hydrogels that can perform in a sliding interface – specifically gels that would interface with biological tissues. Dunn’s 2018 NSF CAREER award win was also based on this research. 

As a member of STLE since 2004 when she was an undergraduate student, Dunn was thrilled to receive the award.

“This award is quite meaningful to me because I have participated in the STLE community for 14 years in a variety of roles. The most prominent has been session organizing and presenting, but I have also visited local sections and led outreach activities at the annual meeting. The other talented faculty, students, and industry professionals that I have been able to meet have inspired my research and teaching.” 

Dunn will present her research at the 2019 Annual Meeting and Exhibition in Nashville, Tennessee, this month.