The article, “Dynamics of Phononic Materials and Structures: Historical Origins, Recent Progress, and Future Outlook” has garnered 110 citations since it was first published in 2014. Ruzzene’s co-authors are Georgia Tech mechanical engineering professor Michael J. Leamy and University of Colorado professor Mahmoud I. Hussein.

“We are very happy with the response, because not only was it an addition to the literature, but colleagues have told us that they have used the tutorial in the article to introduce the field of phononics to their graduate students,” said Ruzzene. “That’s what we wanted to see happen. “

A phononic medium is a material or structural system that usually exhibits some form of periodicity, --  in the constituent material phases,  the internal geometry, or even the boundary conditions. The study of phononic materials and structures explores the intersection of vibration and acoustics engineering and condensed matter physics. The overall dynamical characteristics of phononic materials are compactly described by a frequency band structure, in analogy to an electronic band diagram.

Ruzzene said he worked extensively on that tutorial, which he put together using material he had developed for his own students.

The trio’s work was selected from among 36 papers published in the journal over the last two years by a committee consisting of the journal’s editorial board and the ASME Applied Mechanics Division vice chair, Pradeep Sharma.

Ruzzene, Leamy, and Mahmoud have been invited to formally receive their honor at the ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition (IMECE) which will be held in Phoenix this November.