Dr. Donatus Oguamanam

Donatus Oguamanam has been asking a version of the same question his entire life: “How does it work, and why does it behave that way?”

These days, he partly directs that curiosity toward the design of intelligent structures – systems that can sense and respond to their environment. Take a bridge, for example, that can sense vibrations and then apply forces through an actuator to dampen the movement, or an aircraft wing that can change shape in response to the forces or stresses it encounters.

Oguamanam’s inquiring mind also seeks answers about energy harvesting – the conversion of mechanical energy to electrical energy. Imagine a shoe that can convert the vibration from walking into electrical energy, which is then stored in a battery. Or a medical device powered by the body’s movement. Or street lights powered by car vibrations. “This is the future,” he says.

As leaders in that future, Oguamanam’s students are a priority. “My primary goal is to engage them. Engaged minds are active, questioning, problem-solving minds. That’s what engineering is all about.”