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Background
Ainissa G. Ramirez is a self-proclaimed “science evangelist” and professor of mechanical engineering at Yale University. She received her training in materials science and engineering at Brown University (ScB) and Stanford University (PhD).
Interests
Ramirez’ work includes the development of thin film NiTi shape memory alloys for microelectro-mechanical systems (MEMS), as well as generating enthusiasm for STEM fields among young people. Before joining the faculty at Yale in 2003, she worked for four years as a member of technical staff at Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies in New Jersey, where she developed a universal solder (a reactive solder that bonds to glass), now commercialized by Adhera Technologies, a company she founded. She holds six patents and has written over 50 technical articles.
As a leader in science education who is especially passionate about showing young people that science is fun, Ramirez has been an advisor to several science museums. At Yale, she founded and directed the award-winning science lecture series for children, “Science Saturdays,” and hosted two popular-science video series, “Material Marvels” and “Science Xplained”. Along with Allen St. John, Dr. Ramirez co-authored Newton’s Football and is the author of Save Our Science, which is based on her TED talk about the importance of STEM education.
News Items
MLK materials scientist developed solder’s ‘holy grail’
Ainissa G. Ramirez is a materials scientist who has developed novel materials for microelectromechanical systems, as well as the creator of...
MLK, MIT, and Me: A Personal Essay
Ainissa G. Ramirez writes about her time as an MLK Visiting Professor for the Faculty Newsletter.
Sample Work
Publication
Effects of Crystallization Temperature on the Stress of NiTi Thin Films
Effects of Crystallization Temperature on the Stress of NiTi Thin Films, H. –J. Lee, X. Huang, K.P. Mohanchandra, G. Carman, A. G. Ramirez; Scripta Materialia 60 (2009) pp. 1133–1136.
Publication
Incomplete Martensitic Transformations in NiTi Thin Films
Incomplete Martensitic Transformations in NiTi Thin Films, X. Huang, H. –J. Lee, A. G. Ramirez; Scripta Materialia, Vol. 59, (2008) pp. 1067-1070.
Publication
Nanoindentation of Ni-Ti Thin Films
Nanoindentation of Ni-Ti Thin Films, P.D. Tall, S. Ndiaye, A.C. Beye, Z. Zong, W. O. Soboyejo H. –J. Lee, A. G. Ramirez and K. Rajan Materials and Manufacturing Process, Vol. 22, (2007) pp. 175-179.
Publication
Informatics for Combinatorial Experiments: Accelerating Data Interpretation
Informatics for Combinatorial Experiments: Accelerating Data Interpretation, Stukowski, M. Suh, C.; Rajan, K.; Tall, P.D.; Beye, A.C.; Ramirez, A.G.; Soboyejo, W.O.; Benson, M.L.; Liaw, P.K. Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings, v 894 (2006) p 301-306.