Jacob Wang, Branford ‘25 & Diana Cao, Benjamin Franklin ‘27

ENGINEERING PASSION: BUILDING INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS THROUGH UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

WRITTEN BY Alex Popescu

EDITED BY JIYOUNg BAE

Jacob Wang has long been fascinated by hands-on problem-solving, spending his childhood experimenting with gadgets and contraptions—from building Lego creations to engineering Rube Goldberg-style machines. A senior at Branford College majoring in Mechanical Engineering and hailing from San José, California, Jacob first became involved in research at Yale when he joined the GRAB (Grasping & Manipulation, Rehabilitation Robotics, and Biomechanics) Lab during his freshman summer.

The following spring, Jacob joined the Faboratory, eager to work on a project at the intersection of mechanical engineering and materials science. He explained that while research opportunities often arise unexpectedly—such as through taking a course with a lab's principal investigator (PI)—he also reached out to professors in mechanical engineering by sending several “cold emails.” When he did not receive a response right away, Jacob took the initiative to stop by the office of the lab’s PI, Prof. Kramer-Bottiglio.

Another student in the lab, Diana Cao, a sophomore at Benjamin Franklin College, emphasized that while there are plentiful undergraduate research opportunities at Yale, being proactive can be especially beneficial, given the many teaching and research responsibilities that professors often juggle. She suggested that students interested in pursuing research explore lab publications and reach out to graduate students whose research looks interesting; most importantly, “do not be discouraged if you do not receive a response immediately.”

At the Faboratory, as in many research groups at Yale, undergraduates are paired with graduate student mentors to discuss potential research projects. Both Jacob and Diana described the Faboratory as a close-knit community that fosters an open, supportive environment—offering lab lunches as well as guidance not just on research but also on career planning and professional advice. Diana explained that this support system was especially valuable when working on her project for the First-Year Summer Research Fellowship program. For both, their lab-mates are more than colleagues—they are friends. “It is rare to find a group of lab-mates that are so close,” Diana said.

One of the lab's core research areas is soft robotics, a discipline within robotics that explores the use of flexible, deformable materials, like silicone, to create adaptive robots. Jacob’s research focuses on developing stretchable liquid metal sensors for “tensegrity” (tensile integrity) robotics with the aid of a universal testing machine, used to evaluate the electromechanical response of materials. During his first semester in the lab, he studied the effects of stretching forces on the machine as systematic errors, and since then, he has worked on building the sensors for a tribar robot. The idea behind the sensor design and testing process, Jacob explained, is to explore how the robot might “perform in harsh real-world environments.”

Also mentored by graduate student Will Johnson, a Ph.D. student in the lab, Diana described what an average day looks like when she walks into the Mason Laboratory building on Hillhouse Avenue. A significant portion of the roughly seven hours per week she spends in the lab is devoted to prototyping new “variable stiffness” tendons for the tensegrity robot that handles external loads better than the existing “passive” tendons. She then uses silicone casting and a 3D printer to design and assemble the custom 7-inch by 1-inch tendons.

Neither Jacob nor Diana had prior research experience in soft robotics, but both have found their time in the Faboratory to be an enriching experience. Jacob emphasized that research driven by inquiry and passion has been key to his growth, and he views the pursuit of research as following questions that genuinely interest him. “I have come to embrace the curiosity of research and diving into rabbit holes,” he said. Diana echoed this sentiment, explaining how the lab has helped her develop stronger critical thinking and problem-solving skills, particularly through the process of ideation and decision-making. As for their future plans, both Jacob and Diana see potential paths in either academia or industry.

While some engineering students choose to join research labs, others become involved in clubs like the Yale Undergraduate Aerospace Association or Bulldogs Racing. In either case, students apply what they learn in the classroom to tackle real-world challenges and refine their engineering skills.