Raffaella De Vita, professor of mechanical engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, has been honored with the Kevin P. Granata Faculty Fellowship by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors
The Kevin P. Granata Faculty Fellowship was established in 2007 in memory and in honor of Kevin P. Granata, who lost his life in the April 16, 2007, tragedy at Virginia Tech. The Kevin P. Granata Faculty Fellowship in the College of Engineering was established by a generous gift from members of the Virginia Tech community, supporters of Virginia Tech, and friends and family of Kevin P. Granata. The creation of this fellowship enables Virginia Tech to support the field of engineering mechanics
A member of the Virginia Tech community since 2005, De Vita is an established leader in reproductive biomechanics. Her work has provided fundamental insights into the microstructure and mechanical properties of reproductive tissues while maintaining strong connections to clinical relevance
She has contributed 76 journal publications, four book chapters, and more than 175 conference proceedings and other professional presentations. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and industrial
She has taught a broad range of courses, including Mechanics of Deformable Bodies, Solid Mechanics, Mechanics of Biological Materials and Structures, Theory of Elasticity, Variational Methods, and Data-driven Science in Mechanical Engineering. In all her courses, she emphasizes strong foundations in continuum mechanics, constitutive theory, and mathematical modeling
She has advised 16 Ph.D. students and eight master’s degree students to degree completion
De Vita’s contributions to outreach have been recognized with many awards, including the College of Engineering Award for Outreach Excellence and the Alumni Award for Outreach Excellence
De Vita received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Naples Federico II in Italy and her master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh
Contact:
540-231-2108
