UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)’s mechanics and robotics division has selected Jared Butler, Penn State associate professor of engineering design and of mechanical engineering, to receive the Freudenstein Young Investigator Award.
The award is meant to “encourage young investigators in accomplishing high-quality research” and is given each year to one individual who “makes a significant original contribution to the theory or practice of mechanism and/or robotics and has the potential to enhance the public good,” according to ASME’s website.
“Dr. Butler is a recognized expert in compliant mechanism design and origami engineering,” said Mary Frecker, Penn State department head of mechanical engineering and Riess Chair of Engineering. Frecker also served as the chair of the ASME Design Engineering Division and was a co-presenter of the award to Butler. “His research is positively impacting broad applications from medical devices to additively manufactured components. I am so pleased to see his significant contributions to the field being honored with this award.”
Butler’s research focuses on developing mechanically intelligent systems that achieve functionality through geometry, elasticity and structural design. A major area of his work has been the development of the AxiFLEX fracture plate technology, which creates a more favorable mechanical environment for bone healing. This work was conducted in conjunction with colleagues in the College of Medicine, including April Armstrong, Gary Updegrove and Greg Lewis, as well as Connor Huxman, a Penn State alumnus who worked with Butler while receiving his doctoral degree.
The Freudenstein Young Investigator Award also recognizes contributions to compliant mechanisms and origami-inspired engineering systems. Butler said his group has developed new design approaches for thick-folding origami structures that retain desirable deployment and motion characteristics while addressing practical engineering constraints and manufacturability. This work has been advanced through collaborations with Nick Meisel, associate professor of engineering design and of mechanical engineering, and doctoral student Evelyn Thomas.
“Receiving the Freudenstein Young Investigator Award is especially meaningful to me because Ferdinand Freudenstein's work helped establish the foundations of modern mechanism design,” Butler said. “As someone whose academic lineage traces back to Freudenstein, I feel a unique connection to that legacy and a sense of stewardship to help advance the field and support the community he helped build. This recognition reflects the creativity and dedication of outstanding students, collaborators and colleagues across Penn State and beyond, and it motivates us to continue developing engineering solutions that improve people's lives.”
Butler earned a bachelor's degree in physics from Utah State University and both his master of science and doctorate in mechanical engineering from Brigham Young University. Since joining Penn State in 2020, he has establisheda research program that combines compliant mechanisms, origami-inspired design and additive manufacturing to address challenges in healthcare, aerospace and advanced engineering systems. In 2019, he received the ASME Design Engineering Division Compliant Mechanisms Award for his contributions to self-deploying thick-folding origami mechanisms. His research has produced advances in medical devices, deployable structures and engineering design methodologies that translate fundamental mechanics research into practical technologies with societal impact.