Montana State mechanical engineering professor wins prestigious NSF CAREER Award

BOZEMAN - An assistant professor of mechanical and industrial engineering at Montana State University recently won the National Science Foundation's most prestigious award for early career researchers. The NSF's Faculty Early Career Development Program, or CAREER Award, will provide Sarah Morris approximately $600,000 over five years to further her work in experimental fluid dynamics. Morris joins 25 other MSU faculty members who have received CAREER Awards since 2000.

"Dr. Morris is the 12th faculty member [from the engineering college] to be recognized through the NSF Career Award during my tenure as dean," said Brett Gunnink, who became dean of the Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering in 2014. "The CAREER Award is perhaps the most significant recognition of excellence that a faculty member can receive early in their career. Dr. Morris and those outstanding young faculty that precede her are the foundation for future excellence in the NACOE. I am very proud of Dr. Morris and excited to see what she will accomplish over the course of her career."

Morris' research involves studying the propulsion mechanisms of siphonophores, sea creatures that use a system of jets to eject water to facilitate their mobility. Siphonophores, which are distant cousins of jellyfish, are individual polyps that link together to form a chain. Similar to coral beds, the polyps are individual life forms that combine to form a colony, hence the term "colonial" in the title of Morris' research project funded by the NSF CAREER Award, "Fluid-structure interactions and vortex dynamics of multi-jet propulsion inspired by colonial swimmers."

Though Morris doesn't conduct experiments directly with siphonophores themselves, she instead uses what she describes as their "highly efficient" propulsion system as inspiration for the experiments she designs and conducts in her Experimental Fluids Research Laboratory.

"We study fundamental fluid flows in the lab," Morris said. "Siphonophores have multiple jetting units along their body that can jet either simultaneously or independently." This gives the animals not only mobility but control of where their movements take them, she said.

To facilitate these experiments, she and her team use custom underwater nozzles made in her lab. The rigid nozzles, she said, are 3D printed, while the flexible ones are molded using silicone. She and her team use these nozzles to create "vortex rings" in the water similar to those generated by the sea creatures. In this context, vortex rings refer to the shape of the water after it's expelled from either the animal or the nozzle. The researchers put dye in the water that allows them to visualize the fluid's flow, and they track tiny particles in the water to measure the flow velocity.

Potential applications for the research include bio-inspired mobility systems for underwater vehicles, robotics and advancing knowledge of fluid-flexible structure interactions, Morris said.

Morris joined the MSU faculty in 2022 after a two-year post-doctoral fellowship at Auburn University. She earned her Ph.D. and M.S. in mechanical engineering from Cornell University and did her undergraduate work at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.

"Montana State was my first choice when applying for faculty jobs," Morris said. "I love the [Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering] and the engineering college - it's a really friendly and supportive environment. I also love living in Bozeman and the close access to outdoor activities."

Morris' CAREER Award will fund up to two graduate researchers over the five years and at least one undergraduate researcher for each year of the grant cycle. There are two distinct education components to the CAREER Award, as well.

"One of them is specifically to help MSU students enhance their scientific communication skills by using visual media," she said. "The other is to help support K-12 science education by developing teacher partnerships and teacher research experiences, and by creating classroom-ready learning materials to distribute to schools."

Morris' laboratory has won numerous awards since she joined Montana State, including the Milton van Dyke Award from the American Physical Society Gallery of Fluid Motion. Her research has received funding from the NSF, NASA and U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory.

"Dr. Morris' accomplishments bring a great distinction to our department, and we are proud of her work," said Dilpreet Bajwa, head of MSU's Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering. "The CAREER grant will help expand the body of knowledge on vortex dynamics. It reinforces the department's commitment to excellence in research."

NSF CAREER Awards support early career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education, and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization, according to the NSF website.