Diann Brei, Ph.D., is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She received her BSE degree in Computer Systems Engineering and her Ph.D Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Arizona State University. She co-directs the General Motors/University of Michigan Multifunctional Vehicle Systems Collaborative Research Laboratory. She is the Technical Chair of the ASME Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems and past chair of the AIAA Adaptive Structures Technical Committee. She is an AIAA Associate Fellow and recipient of the Hartwell Award, Univ. of Michigan Ruth and Joel Spira Outstanding Teaching Award, and National Multiple Sclerosis Society DaVinci Award.