Shu Yang, PhD, the Joseph Bordogna Professor of Engineering and Chair of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) in Penn Engineering, is collaborating on a project led by Masoud Akbarzadeh, PhD, Associate Professor of Architecture at Penn’s Weitzman School of Design, to create artificial reef structures inspired by the topography and porosity of oyster, coral and shell reefs. Funded by a National Science Foundation grant, this research will bring together a team of architects, wave engineers and materials scientists.
Dr. Yang’s focus is developing low-cost and recycled carbonated materials that are safe for, and tolerant of, the marine environment, which are then 3D printed on the meter scale in Akbarzadeh’s lab. Colleagues UC Berkeley will then test the structures’ ability to harness and mitigate wave energy under various conditions, including high-intensity waves that result from hurricanes and storms. By designing structures aligned with nature, this research aims to significantly improve the efficiency of wave energy conversion to electricity. It has the potential to vastly reduce the number, size, cost and deployment area of wave energy capturing devices in the ocean, provide new habitats for marine organisms and promote natural reef growth. Read more here.
To learn about Shu Yang’s available technologies, click here.