Valeria La Saponara

Applied mechanics of composite structures, aerospace structures

Professor La Saponara and her students investigate the durability of fiber-reinforced composites for aerospace, civil, naval and wind energy applications. She has investigated several and diverse aspects of durability, from performance under impact to fatigue through destructive testing and structural health monitoring. She has built national and international collaborations throughout the years, which have resulted in strong multidisciplinary research across materials science, mechanics and, most recently, astrophysics. Undergraduate and graduate students in the Advanced Composites Research, Engineering and Science (ACRES) Laboratory learn about manufacturing, testing and characterizing fiber-reinforced polymer composites.