Retirement
Professor Gibson retired in January 2022 and is no longer accepting new graduate students or postdocs.
News
November 2017 Professor Gibson gives Wulff Lecture, Fantastic Feathers: Form and Function
When we think of birds, we think of feathers. Feathers give birds their color, from the bright red of a male Cardinal to the iridescent reds and greens of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. Feathers keep birds warm and dry: down provides excellent insulation against heat loss and water really does roll off a duck’s back. Feathers form the aerodynamic shape of the wing, enabling flight. A Barn Owl’s flight feathers suppress sound, allowing it to fly nearly silently, while its ruff feathers reflect and focus sound into its ears, enabling the owl to hunt in total darkness by sound alone. This talk describes how the microscopic structure of feathers gives rise to their remarkable properties. A video of the lecture is available in the "Video" menu.
2017-18 Online edX subjects from Professor Gibson
In the fall term of 2017, Professor Gibson's subject, 3.032x Mechanical Behavior of Materials, is being offered online on edX in 3 parts:
3.032x - Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Part 1: Linear Elastic Behavior
3.032x - Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Part 2: Stress Transformations, Beams, Columns, and Cellular Solids
3.032x - Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Part 3: Time Dependent Behavior and Failure
May 2017 Patrick Dixon successfully defends his PhD thesis
Patrick Dixon successfully defended his PhD thesis "The Structure and Mechanical Behavior of Bamboo and Bamboo Products" on May 12. Congratulations, Patrick!
April 2017 Professor Gibson wins Bose Award for Excellence in Teaching
The Bose Award for Excellence in Teaching was established in 1990 by the School of Engineering to recognize outstanding contributions to undergraduate education by members of its faculty.
March 2017 Professor Gibson awarded Ellen Swallow Richards Diversity Award
The award was presented at the Annual TMS meeting "For her public role in creating a culture of equality and diversity and her private support of those facing adversity in their field." Professor Gibson said "I am delighted to accept the TMS 2017 Ellen Swallow Richards Diversity Award. Ellen Swallow Richards had a long-time association with MIT as its first woman student in 1871, and as an instructor of chemistry for over 30 years. She was a strong advocate for the education of women, especially in science, and was well-known for her own contributions to evaluating water quality and to public health. She also collaborated with her husband, Robert H. Richards, professor of mining engineering at MIT, and was elected as a member of the American Institute of Mining Engineers. It is a special honor to be selected as the recipient of the TMS 2017 Ellen Swallow Richards Diversity Award."
April 2016 Professor Gibson wins MIT's Teaching with Digital Technology Award.
The Office of Digital Learning awarded Professor Gibson the 2016 Teaching with Digital Technology Award, a student-nominated award for instructors who have effectively used digital technology to improve teaching and learning at MIT. The goal is to recognize instructors for their innovations and to give the MIT community the opportunity to learn from their practices. The awards are co-sponsored by The Office of Digital Learning (ODL), the Dean of Undergraduate Education (DUE), and the Office of the Dean for Graduate Education (ODGE).
February 2016 Built to Peck: How Woodpecker Avoid Brain Injury when Pecking online
Lorna Gibson’s twin passions for birding and innovative instruction have generated a “first” for MITx: an eight-part, short-form video series designed for public viewing. “I’ve long wanted to do a project on how birds work from an engineering perspective,” says Gibson, a MacVicar Fellow and the Matoula S. Salapatas Professor of Materials Science and Engineering. “I hope this series will be a way to reach people who might not be interested in picking up an engineering book.”
VIDEO SERIES
Patrick Dixon Awarded Fellowship from Martin Family Society of Fellows for Sustainability (2015-16)
Patrick Dixon, a PhD student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, was awarded the fellowship to pursue his study of structural bamboo products, analogous to wood oriented strandboard and plywood. This project is a collaboration between the Gibson group at MIT, studying the structure and mechanical properties of bamboo, the Smith group at the University of British Columbia, studying processing of structural bamboo products, and the Ramage group at the University of Cambridge, studying the structural mechanics of the bamboo products and codes for building with bamboo.
March 2015 Professor Lorna Gibson awarded MacVicar Faculty Fellowship MIT's highest award for undergraduate teaching
Lorna Gibson’s enthusiasm for teaching is a common theme among nominators. One described her lecture style as “mesmerizing,” adding that “her passion for the wonders of engineering and how it solves problems are obvious. She is crystal clear in her thinking and explanations, totally organized, utterly engaging, and shows such respect for the students.”
Students also single out Gibson’s keen interest in students. One student wrote, “Not only is Professor Gibson an excellent teacher and mentor, she truly fosters the success of her students and cares about us as individuals.” Another noted, “I will remember her as a teacher and mentor because of that personal care and personal connection she made with me and my peers.”
DMSE: Professor Gibson named a MacVicar Fellow
MIT News: Four professors named 2015 MacVicar Fellows