Vibration and Acoustics Engineering Laboratory

Welcome to the Vibration and Acoustics Engineering Laboratory (VAEL). We research how we can control and harness the flow of mechanical energy through the world around us.

Current Projects

Research at VAEL solves engineering problems at the intersection of acoustics, smart structures, and structural dynamics.

Intelligent Acoustic Metamaterials

Metamaterials are architected structures that exhibit exotic effective properties, such as negative dynamic mass or negative dynamic stiffness. These exotic properties dramatically change the ways that energy propagates through the metamaterial, allowing waves to be blocked, filtered, or redirected in a designed way. This research aims to develop active, intelligent metamaterial systems with reconfigurable and self-adapting effective properties. These systems have significant applications in vibration control, sensing and healthcare, among others.

Wave Devices

Recent research has developed unprecedented levels of control over the way that waves propagate through different media. This research aims to develop and explore reconfigurable wave devices in impactful engineering applications, such as biomedical ultrasound, non-destructive testing and implantable medical devices.

People

Christopher Sugino (csugino)Dr. Christopher Sugino is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the Schaefer School of Engineering and Science at Stevens Institute of Technology. His research focuses on elastic and acoustic wave propagation in smart structures and metamaterials, with applications in noise/vibration control, aerospace engineering, and biomedical ultrasound. His recent work has considered metamaterials with digitally programmable material properties and wave propagation in the human skull. He is a recipient of the 2020 Sigma Xi Best Ph.D. Thesis Award from Georgia Tech. He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2019 and his B.S. in Engineering from Harvey Mudd College in 2015.

Publications

News

Current Openings

We are looking for motivated students interested in vibration and acoustics research. Background in vibration, acoustics, mechatronics, control theory or electrical engineering is a plus. If you are interested in joining our group, please email your resume/CV to Christopher Sugino at [email protected]. Prospective graduate students should follow Stevens' application process, requirements and deadlines at the graduate admission webpage.