Thomas Draper '23 '24 Nominated for 2025 MAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Thesis Award
Thomas Draper ’23 ’24 (B.S. Mechanical Engineering M.S. Engineering Mechanics) has been selected as Michigan Tech's nominee for the 2025 MAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Thesis Award in the field of Mathematics, Physical Sciences, and Engineering.
Draper's master's thesis is titled “Directional Dependent Fracture Characteristics of 3D Printed Mechanical Metamaterials.” He was advised by Susanta Ghosh (MAE/ICC/CAMS).
“My research centered on understanding the fracture characteristics of 3D-printed lattice metamaterials,” Draper writes. “Advances in manufacturing techniques, material synthesis, and microstructure design have opened up boundless possibilities in material design. One of the critical properties that can be fine-tuned through these innovations is fracture toughness, essential for structural applications. My work sought to explore how variables such as relative density and build orientation affect the fracture toughness of octet lattice metamaterials through experimental fracture testing.”
Read more about Draper’s journey at Michigan Tech on the Graduate School Newsblog.