Alexandra Hughes Techet is an American mechanical and marine engineer whose work involves experimental and image-based studies of hydrodynamics. She is a professor of mechanical and ocean engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology department of mechanical engineering.[1]

Education and career

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Techet grew up as a sailor and diver in coastal North Carolina.[2] She studied mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton University, graduating in 1995. She then studied oceanographic engineering through a joint graduate program between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, earning a master's degree in 1998 and completing her Ph.D. in 2001.[3]

After postdoctoral research at Princeton, she returned to MIT as Doherty Assistant Professor of Ocean Utilization in the department of ocean engineering.[3] In 2005 she became an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, as part of a broader merger of MIT's ocean engineering and mechanical engineering departments.[2] She was promoted to full professor in 2019.[4]

Contributions

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Techet's research contributions include a study of the ability of archerfish to jump out of water in search of prey,[5][6] and high-speed video capture of sneezes.[7]

During the COVID-19 lockdown, she has also been active in providing home gardening advice to the MIT community through the MIT Office of Sustainability.[8]

Recognition

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Techet was named a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 2018.[9]

References

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  1. ^ "Alexandra Techet, Professor", Faculty, MIT MechE, retrieved 2020-07-24
  2. ^ a b Techet, Alexandra, Bio, retrieved 2020-07-24
  3. ^ a b Curriculum vitae (PDF), MIT MechE, 2012, retrieved 2020-07-24
  4. ^ Departmental News & Awards, MIT MechE, Summer 2019, retrieved 2020-07-24
  5. ^ Weisberger, Mindy (20 April 2017), "Taking the Leap: Archerfish Snag More Prey with Amazing Jumps", LiveScience
  6. ^ Butterman, Eric (19 October 2017), Biomimicking the Archer Fish, American Society of Mechanical Engineers
  7. ^ American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics (19 November 2015), "The Complex Sneeze, Caught on Tape", Newswise
  8. ^ Morell, Nicole (15 July 2020), Building a more sustainable MIT — from home
  9. ^ List of all ASME Fellows (PDF), American Society of Mechanical Engineers, retrieved 2020-07-24
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