MATT BENNETT MATT BENNETT
Office: 310 Durham Hall Mechanical Engineering Department Tel: (540) 231-2910 Virginia Tech Fax: (540) 231-2903 Blacksburg, VA 24061-0261 E-mail: mabenne2@vt.edu
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Page Last Updated: 1/11/02
I grew up and attended high school in Greenville, South Carolina and enrolled at Virginia Tech in the fall of 1995. I entered the mechanical engineering department the following year and graduated Cum Laude in May 2000. As a senior at Tech I was the propulsion design crew chief for the human-powered submarine team and contributed to the team's victory at the 2000 international competition. During my undergraduate career I worked as an engineering co-op for two companies: Credence Systems Corp. in Portland, Oregon and ITT Night Vision in Hollins, Virginia. Credence is a leading manufacturer of automated IC test equipment and ITT manufactures night vision goggles, predominantly for the US military and its allies. I am currently seeking my master's degree from the mechanical engineering department at Virginia Tech under the advisement of Dr. Don Leo and plan to graduate in August 2001. My research area is in the field of electro-active polymers. Specifically, I am working with ionic polymer-metal composites, which are either anionic or cationic selectively permeable membranes with conducting electrodes plated on either side. When hydrated, these membranes can be actuated by a small electric field and large displacements with low forces can be obtained. My graduate coursework has focused largely on control system design, but has included such diverse classes as Neural Networks and Fuzzy Logic, Finite Element Modeling for Machine Design, Structural Optimization, and Strategic Leadership in Technology-Based Organizations.