2nd Prize Micheal Sutton International Student Competition, SEM Conference 2021

Robin Martens, PhD student in the Mechanics of Materials section, has won the 2nd place in the prestigious Michael Sutton International Student Paper Competition for his work on the design and optimization of the Multi-Beam optical stress sensor (MOSS). The competition is run by the Society for Experimental Mechanics (SEM) at its Annual Conference and Exposition

The competition draws graduate students from around the world, and this year after abstracts were selected, finalists had to give a ten-minute video presentation and answer live questions from the competition committee.

Martens’ paper focuses on the design and optimization of the Multi-beam optical stress sensor (MOSS). In a wide variety of technologies, thin films are of substantial importance to obtain high performance and reliability. Internal stresses in thin films may cause a loss of functionality. To control the internal stresses, first an accurate stress measurement is required. For this purpose, the MOSS is a highly reliable and sensitive system for in-situ real-time stress measurements.

As well as earning the second place title, Martens takes home a cash prize of $200 and a SEM student membership.