Our research focus is in the mechanical characterization of solids and structures in challenging environments, and at high temperatures in particular. We are especially interested in the role that environment plays on a material's ability to withstand heterogeneous failure mechanisms such as fracture, fatigue, and creep.

Our lab uses advanced imaging techniques to extract full-field, in situ strain and temperature measurements across multiple length scales. These techniques are applied to a wide variety of advanced high temperature materials (including metals, ceramics, and composites), with applications geared towards the energy, aerospace, and nuclear industries.

News

December 20, 2024: Brayden Monson was 1 of 4 undergraduate researchers profiled in the Utah State Magazine to celebrate 50 years of Undergraduate Research at USU.  He was also featured in the cover photo. Great job Brayden!

April 30, 2024: Jacob Rigby defends his MS thesis titled "Tradeoffs in Lighting for DIC Strain Measurements in Vibration-based Fatigue Testing." Congratulations Jacob!

April 27, 2024: Brandon's paper "Sensor Synchronized DIC: A Robust Approach to Linear and Nonlinear Modal Analysis with Low Frame Rate Cameras" is available at the Journal of Sound and Vibration.

April 11, 2024: Prasenjit Dewanjee wins best poster by a PhD student in MAE at the USU College of Engineering spring poster competition. Congratulations Prasenjit!

April 8, 2024: Jeff Wagner is awarded a fellowship from the US Department of Energy's University Nuclear Leadership Program (UNLP). Congratulations Jeff!

March 27, 2024: Dr. Berke is recognized again as the university-wide Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year. He is the first recipient ever to win the award twice.

March 8, 2024: Prasenjit's paper "Digital Image Correlation at Extreme Temperatures using Shortwave Ultraviolet (UV-C) Lights and Filters" is available at Experimental Mechanics.

March 8, 2024: Happy International Women's Day! Dr. Berke is recognized as a Distinguished Male Ally of Women in Advanced Manufacturing by the Utah Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Initiative (UAMMI)

March 6, 2024: Dr. Berke is awarded a prestigious fellowship from the US-UK Fulbright Commission and the US Department of State.

News Archive