Rate My Professor Larry Howell

Larry L. Howell is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Associate Academic Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies at Brigham Young University. He received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Brigham Young University in 1987, M.S. degree from Purdue University, and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University in December 1993, with a dissertation titled 'A Generalized Loop-Closure Theory for the Analysis and Synthesis of Compliant Mechanisms.' Howell joined the faculty at Brigham Young University in 1994, was promoted to full Professor in Fall 2005, served as Department Chair of Mechanical Engineering, Associate Dean in the Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering, and assumed his current administrative position on July 1, 2019. Prior to his academic career, he worked as an engineer on the design of the YF-22 Raptor fighter aircraft at Lockheed Martin and as a visiting professor.

Howell's research focuses on compliant mechanisms, including origami-inspired mechanisms, mechanisms for space applications, microelectromechanical systems, and medical devices. He directs the Compliant Mechanisms Research Group at Brigham Young University and has significantly influenced the field through his authorship of the book Compliant Mechanisms published by John Wiley & Sons in 2001 and as co-editor of the Handbook of Compliant Mechanisms in 2013. His scholarly work has amassed over 26,000 citations according to Google Scholar. Howell has received numerous honors, including election as a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 2004, the BYU Distinguished Faculty Award in 2016, the ASME Machine Design Award, and recognition as the Karl G. Maeser Distinguished Faculty Lecturer. He holds multiple U.S. patents, such as U.S. Patent 9,867,631, and has contributed to editorial roles and committee leadership in professional societies. Howell has delivered public lectures, including the BYU Forum address in 2016.