Stacy Ashlyn
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Fall 2018 – present
PhD in Mechanical Engineering
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
My favorite part of being a graduate student at FSU has been being a supervisor for FSU's UROP (undergraduate research opportunities program). The two undergraduate students I supervise are some of the most intelligent passionate hardworking people I have ever met. Together we have done some incredible things like taking CT scans and turning them into 3D printed penguin skeletons! (shoutout to the innovation hub for their 3D printers) Elle, the public relations student working with me, received funding from FSU's Robert and Mary Frappier's Sustainability and Environmental Protection Research Award for our upcoming event "Penguin Palooza". It is an honor to get to work with her to bring crucial knowledge about protecting the environment to the public and we are both so thankful to have FSU's support on it.
I absolutely love the Fellows Society! It is so fulfilling to get to connect with graduate students from other departments. All the members I have met have been extremely nice and I love hearing about research from other departments. There are so many cool things going on at FSU that I wouldn't have known about it had it not been for the Fellows Society.
Educational/Professional Background
I received a Bachelor of Science in Applied and Computational Mathematics along with a Physics minor at West Chester University. I am a mechanical engineering PhD Student, national science foundation fellow, and director of The Penguineering Team. Recently, my research team was chosen to represent FSU at the Smithsonian's ACCelerate festival. My research team consists of undergraduate and graduate students along with professors from biology, engineering, statistics, paleontology, geology, public relations, and more. By running this team, I have gained insights into research across a variety of fields and also developed strong communication skills. When I am not doing research, I am conducting outreach to help educate people on conservation. I run fun hands-on family friendly events that encourage people to learn about STEM and give them opportunities to be creative. You can check out my last event "Walking in Robotic Wonderland" which was featured in the local newspaper Tallahassee Democrat (article title: FAMU-FSU's Penguineering Team gives robot a turn as Santa). I am passionate about my research and embrace opportunities to share and learn from others.
Research and Teaching Interests, or Professional Field
My research is all about penguins and robots! It might seem like an odd combination but engineers commonly gain insights from animals to aid in the development of more agile energy efficient robots. Two big problems in robotics is energy efficiency and stability. I conduct noninvasive experimental studies on penguins to understand how they balance on ice and conserve energy while waddling. Then I build robots that mimic this movement. My research team does a lot of outreach through our website (penguineeringteam.org), social media platforms, and in person events. We work hard to create inclusive environments that encourage people to take care of our planet.
Future Plans/Aspirations
After graduation, I plan to pursue a career in the development of devices that assist people with disabilities such as rehabilitation devices and exoskeletons. I aim to make contributions that will give freedom to people with physical limitations.
Unique Awards/Achievements
During my graduate career so far I had the honor to win the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. In addition, I got an incredible internship at Trice medical where I assisted in the development of diagnostic devices and tools for neurological procedures. Furthermore, I also had my research titled “Alternating direction ghost-fluid methods for solving the heat equation with interfaces” published in Computers with Mathematics and Applications.
I would like to thank my advisor Dr. Christian Hubicki and my primary collaborator Dr. Monica Daley. I also want to thank NSF and Moody Gardens aquarium. I have learned so much in my first two years at FSU and I am grateful for the education, funding, support, and encouragement.