UBC Mechanical Engineering doctoral student Juuso Heikkinen has won first place in the prestigious Michael Sutton International Student Paper Competition for his work on “Remote Surface Motion Measurements using Multi-Wavelength Defocused Speckle Imaging”. The competition is run by the Society for Experimental Mechanics (SEM) at its Annual Conference and Exposition, which was held virtually this year. The competition draws graduate students from around the world, and this year after abstracts were selected, finalists had to give a ten-minute video presentation and answer live questions from the competition committee.
Heikkinen’s paper focuses on his work developing a remote non-contact inspection tool that measures distance, surface angle and microscopic motion, under supervisor Dr. Gary Schajer. The tool is designed for use in hazardous situations where an item can’t be safely reached, or for monitoring large structures such as bridges.
As well as earning the first place title, Heikkinen takes home a cash prize of $300 US, a hardbound copy of Handbook on Experimental Mechanics, and an SEM student membership.