Prestigious NDSEG Fellowship to Support Alum’s Microrobotics PhD Research
Jennifer Shum, a 2018 summa cum laude graduate of Northeastern University and current doctoral student in Harvard University’s Microrobotics Lab, has earned the highly competitive National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship. The NDSEG Fellowship will support Shum’s graduate study for three years with full tuition and fees plus a generous stipend. The award, which is funded by the research agencies within the United States Department of Defense, recognizes the potential of Shum’s research to contribute to US national security interests.
Shum credits her extensive research experiences at Northeastern—both on campus and through research-oriented co-ops—with shaping her interest in pushing the boundaries of knowledge, developing new technologies, and increasing the technological competitiveness of the United States. Shum began her research career at Northeastern as a Gordon-CenSSIS Scholar, using big data techniques to glean insights into housing in Boston. Later, in the lab of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Professor Sandra Shefelbine, Shum researched the geometric foundations of the special biomechanical properties of bats’ bones.
Taking natural physiology as inspiration, Shum completed co-ops at iRobot and then at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where she helped prepare robots for the extreme pressure environments of the Mars2020 rover mission. Through these experiences, Shum developed an appreciation for projects that advance the national interest, whether through robots probing the outer reaches of space or scouting the front lines.
In her doctoral research and beyond, Shum plans use bioinspired microrobotics to develop new modes of soft actuation and sensing that extend beyond the capabilities of traditional robotics and provide lightweight, adaptable, and human-compatible robotic technology. By developing soft but strong actuator technologies, she hopes to expand versatility for soft robotics and define design guidelines for what is currently an experimental field.
Shum also aims to inspire the next generation of engineers and scientists. Crediting her own mentors including Professor Shefelbine and her capstone advisors Professors Carol Livermore and Bridget Smyser with guiding her toward a research career, Shum is already a dedicated mentor herself, having volunteered with youth-focused STEM outreach programs including Project Destiny, Jersey STEM, and E^3 Mentoring.