Rate My Professor Diann Brei

Brei's career is marked by pioneering contributions to smart materials and adaptive structures, translating research into practical technologies such as the Michigan ENdoluminal Distraction (MEND) device, which provides life-saving treatment for children with Short Bowel Syndrome, and foundational work for Liftware, a self-stabilizing spoon aiding individuals with Essential Tremor and Parkinson’s Disease. She has held national leadership roles, including co-founding the ASME Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures, and Integrated Systems (SMASIS) division, serving as its Technical Chair, past chair of the AIAA Adaptive Structures Technical Committee, and Past Associate Editor of the ASME Journal of Mechanical Design. Her accolades include the 2022 ASME Machine Design Award—the first woman recipient—the 2019 Smart Structures and Materials Lifetime Achievement Award, 2018 ASME Adaptive Structures & Materials Award, ASME Fellow in 2011, AIAA Associate Fellow in 2008, and election to the National Academy of Inventors 2026 class of Senior Members. In education, she directed the Design Science graduate program, established the undergraduate RISE program, and received awards like the Ruth and Joel Spira Outstanding Teaching Award in 2001 and Rackham Master’s Mentoring Award in 2018. Her work has advanced experiential design education and built collaborative communities across industry and academia.