Anette E. "Peko" Hosoi is an American

mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations of ...

biophysicist Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that applies approaches and methods traditionally used in physics to study biological phenomena. Biophysics covers all scales of biological organization, from molecular to organismic and populations. ...

, and

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

, currently the Neil and Jane Pappalardo Professor of Mechanical Engineering and associate dean of engineering at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

Contributions

Hosoi's research interests include fluid dynamics, unconventional

robotics Robotics is an interdisciplinary branch of computer science and engineering. Robotics involves design, construction, operation, and use of robots. The goal of robotics is to design machines that can help and assist humans. Robotics integrate ...

, and bio-inspired design. For instance, one of her projects developed a robot that moved like a

snail A snail is, in loose terms, a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name ''snail'' is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class G ...

by extruding artificial

snail slime Snail slime (''mucopolysaccharide'') is a kind of mucus (an external bodily secretion) produced by snails, which are gastropod mollusks. Land snails and slugs both produce mucus, as does every other kind of gastropod, from marine, freshwater, ...

and rippling over it. She has also studied how razor clams turn sand into quicksand while digging themselves in, and designed

wetsuit A wetsuit is a garment worn to provide thermal protection while wet. It is usually made of foamed neoprene, and is worn by surfers, divers, windsurfers, canoeists, and others engaged in water sports and other activities in or on water. It ...

s using materials that mimic the

thermal insulation Thermal insulation is the reduction of heat transfer (i.e., the transfer of thermal energy between objects of differing temperature) between objects in thermal contact or in range of radiative influence. Thermal insulation can be achieved with ...

properties of otter fur. She is the founder of a sports engineering program at MIT, which she started in 2011 after frustration at the performance of her cross-country bicycle on a downhill bicycling course.

Early life, education, and career

Hosoi was given her nickname "Peko" by her Japanese grandmother, because of her resemblance to Peko-chan, a girl depicted on the packaging for Fujiya Japanese candy. She studied physics at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

and completed her doctorate in physics at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

in 1997, under the joint supervision of Todd F. Dupont and

Leo Kadanoff Leo Philip Kadanoff (January 14, 1937 – October 26, 2015) was an American physicist. He was a professor of physics (emeritus from 2004) at the University of Chicago and a former President of the American Physical Society (APS). He contributed t ...

. She came to MIT in 1997 as an instructor of mathematics. After postdoctoral studies at the

Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences The Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences (commonly known as Courant or CIMS) is the mathematics research school of New York University (NYU), and is among the most prestigious mathematics schools and mathematical sciences research cente ...

and taking as a position as an assistant professor of mathematics at Harvey Mudd College in 2001, she returned to MIT as a regular-ranks faculty member in 2002. She has held a joint appointment in the mathematics department at MIT since 2010. At MIT, she has also been involved in mentorship of women in engineering, and became the first woman there to be given an associate chair position in mechanical engineering. Anette also appeared in two episodes of ''

Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman ''Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman'' (sometimes shortened as ''Fetch!'') is an American live-action/ animated television series that aired on PBS Kids Go! and is largely targeted towards middle school children. It is a reality-game show that is hosted b ...

''; "Gearing Up for Getting Ruff's Goat", and "Eureka is Not a Brand of Dog Food".

Awards and honors

In 2012 Hosoi became a

fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the American Physical Society "for her innovative work in thin fluid films and in the study of nonlinear interactions between viscous fluids and deformable interfaces including shape, kinematic and rheological optimization in biological systems".

References

External links

Home page
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hosoi, Anette Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American academics of Japanese descent Engineers from California American biophysicists Women biophysicists 20th-century American mathematicians Women mathematicians Princeton University alumni University of Chicago alumni Harvey Mudd College faculty MIT School of Engineering faculty Fellows of the American Physical Society Scientists from California 21st-century American mathematicians