Carlos Portela named Junior Bose Award winner

Carlos Portela, the Robert N. Noyce Career Development Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering (MechE), is a recipient of this year's Junior Bose Award.

Portela’s research interests include architected materials, nanomechanics (static and dynamic), and metamaterials. He leads the Portela Group at MIT, which is “interested in designing, fabricating, and testing novel types of materials from the nanoscale to the macroscale.”

“Much like the novel architected materials developed in his research, Carlos’s contributions to education have been strong, innovative, and resilient,” cited the MechE department in its nomination.

Portela’s approach to teaching “revolves around one key objective: I want students to get excited about what they are learning (specifically mechanics!), understand why it is relevant to their career as engineers, and understand how to apply these concepts while remaining rooted in the fundamentals.”

He makes his lectures interactive, with demonstrations, and always encourages student participation.

Portela credits several teachers and mentors with making an impact on his own approach as an educator.

“My Ph.D. co-advisor, Professor Dennis Kochmann, served as a role model during my formative scientific years,” Portela said. “At MIT, I have continued to learn from exceptional educators (now my colleagues and mentors) such as Ken Kamrin and Rohan Abeyaratne.”

Portela’s favorite class to teach is 2.002: Mechanics and Materials II, since “it delves into deep mechanics concepts that often lead to ‘aha!’ moments for students.” He also values the hands-on experiments the class allows for, especially through new lab experiences in partnership with the MIT.nano facilities on campus.

His engaging lectures and lab activities have been widely appreciated by mechanical engineering students, and he is known for his dedication and excellence in teaching among his colleagues.