Zhu, Kim receive Alcoa Foundation Engineering Research Awards

The 2015 Alcoa Foundation Engineering Research Awards were presented to Dr. Yong Zhu, associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and Dr. Youngsoo “Richard” Kim, Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, at the spring faculty meeting of the College of Engineering at North Carolina State University.

Zhu was awarded the Alcoa Foundation Engineering Research Achievement Award, which recognizes young faculty members who have accomplished outstanding research achievements during the preceding three years. Kim received the Alcoa Foundation Distinguished Engineering Research Award, made to a senior faculty member for research achievements over a period of at least five years at NC State.

Zhu is a pioneer and leading expert in the field of experimental nanomechanics. He has developed a miniaturized material testing system using microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology to conduct in-situ transmission and scanning electron microscopy (TEM/SEM) testing of nanostructures. His work published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has inspired worldwide interest in MEMS-based nanomechanical testing. Recently, his stretchable/wearable sensors have attracted much interest for healthcare applications. He is collaborating with Samsung, UCSF Medical Center, Intermountain Healthcare and others on wearable/wireless healthcare. These collaborations have led to a phase I research grant from Samsung to further develop the stretchable/wearable strain sensor technology.

Kim is an international leader in characterization and performance modeling of asphalt pavements and pavement preservation. He has more than 30 years of experience in both the laboratory and field aspects of the performance evaluation of asphalt materials and pavements, and is one of the top scholars in the world on asphalt materials. His approach for Visco-elastic damage (VECD) is now considered the best and most effective method to estimate fatigue damage of mixture and pavements. Recently, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials has accepted his method of test for, “Determining the Damage Characteristic Curve of Asphalt Mixtures from Direct Tension Cyclic Fatigue Tests,” as a standard method. These are the primary specifications used by all state highway agencies and most contractors for the fatigue testing of asphalt concrete.