Larry Howell

Key takeaways

Larry Howell belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Larry Howell to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Larry Howell from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Larry L. Howell is a professor and Associate Academic Vice President (AAVP) at Brigham Young University (BYU). His research focuses on compliant mechanisms, including origami-inspired mechanisms, microelectromechanical systems, medical devices, space mechanisms, and developable mechanisms. Howell has also conducted research in lamina emergent mechanisms and nanoinjection. He received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from BYU and master's and Ph.D. degrees from Purdue University. His Ph.D. advisor was Ashok Midha, who is regarded as the "Father of Compliant Mechanisms."

Biography Howell joined the BYU faculty in 1994 and served as chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering from 2001 to 2007 and as Associate Dean of the Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering from 2016 to 2019. In addition to research, he has been a BYU AAVP since 2019. Prior to joining BYU, he was a visiting professor at Purdue University, a Finite-Element Analyst for Engineering Methods, Inc., and he was an engineer on the design of the YF-22, the first prototype of the U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor. His patents, technical publications, and research focus on compliant mechanisms, including origami-inspired mechanisms, space mechanisms, microelectromechanical systems, and medical devices. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, NASA, Department of Defense, and industry. He is the author of the book 'Compliant Mechanisms and co-editor of the Handbook of Compliant Mechanisms, which are available in English and Chinese. His lab's work has also been featured in popular venues such as the New York Times, CNN, Newsweek, Scientific American, The Economist, Smithsonian Magazine, and the PBS documentary program NOVA. His outreach efforts include making files available for 3D printing compliant mechanisms, and working with STEM influencers such as Mark Rober and Derek Muller. He presented "Anatomy of Invention" as a BYU Forum and earlier gave a BYU Devotional both broadcast on BYU TV. Howell is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the Past Chair of the ASME Mechanisms and Robotics Committee, and a past Associate Editor for the Journal of Mechanical Design. His research has been recognized by the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the Theodore von Kármán Fellowship, and the ASME Mechanisms and Robotics Award, the 2015 "Vizzies" Overall People's Choice Award, the ASME Machine Design Award, and the Purdue University Outstanding Mechanical Engineer (alumni award) among others. Howell is originally from Portage, a small city in northern Utah with a 2010 census population of 245 people. As a young man, he served as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Finland.

Books Howell, L.L., Compliant Mechanisms, John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY, 2001. Morgan, D.C., Halverson, D., Magleby, S.P., Bateman, T., and Howell, L.L., Y Origami?: Explorations in Folding, American Mathematical Society (AMS), 2017. Howell, Larry L., Spencer P. Magleby, and Brian M. Olsen, eds. Handbook of Compliant Mechanisms. John Wiley & Sons, 2013.

Selected articles Howell, L.L., Brigham Young University Google Scholar Howell, L.L., and Bateman, T., “Extending research impact by sharing maker information,” Nature Communications, 14, article 6170, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-41886-3, 2023. Rubio, A.J., Kaddour, A.S., Pruett, H., Magleby, S., Howell, L.L., Georgakopoulos, S.V., “A Deployable Volume-Efficient Miura-Ori Reflectarray Antenna for Small Satellite Applications,” IEEE Access, vol. 11, pp. 119313–119329, doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3327057, https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10292669, 2023. Sargent, B., Varela, K., Eggett, D., McKenna, E., Bates, C., Brown, R., Garcia, V., Howell, L., “Modeling of the chest wall response to prolonged bracing in pectus carinatum,” PLOS ONE, Vol. 18, No. 8, e0288941, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288941, 2023. Nelson, T., Zimmerman, T., Magleby, S., Lang, R., and Howell, L., “Developable Mechanisms on Developable Surfaces,” Science Robotics, Vol. 4, Issue 27, DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.aau5171, 2019. Howell, L.L., “Complex Motion Guided without External Control,” Nature, News & Views, Vol. 561, pp. 470–471, 2018. Lang, R.J., Tolman, K., Crampton, E. Magleby, S.P., Howell, L.L., “A Review of Thickness-Accommodation Techniques in Origami-Inspired Engineering,” Applied Mechanics Reviews, Vol. 70, 010805–1 to 010805–20, DOI: 10.1115/1.4039314, (second-most downloaded AMR papers in 2019), 2018. Yellowhorse, A., Lang. R.J., Tolman, K.A., Howell, L.L., “Creating Linkage Permutations to Prevent Self-Intersection and Enable Deployable Networks of Thick-Origami,” Scientific Reports, Vol. 8, paper 12936, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-31180-4, 2018. Nelson, T.G., Lang, R.L., Pehrson, N., Magleby, S.P., Howell, L.L., “Facilitating Deployable Mechanisms and Structures via Developable Lamina Emergent Arrays,” ASME Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics, Vol. 8, pp. 031006–1 to 031006–10, DOI: 10.1115/1.4031901, 2016. Homer, E.R., Harris, M.B., Zirbel, S.A., Kolodziejska, J.A., Kozachkov, H. Trease, B.P., Borgonia, J.C., Agnes, G.S., Howell, L.L., and Hofmann, D.C., “New Methods for Developing and Manufacturing Compliant Mechanisms Utilizing Bulk Metallic Glass,” Advanced Engineering Materials, Vol. 16, No. 7, PP. 850–856, DOI: 10.1002/adem.201300566, 2014. Zirbel, S.A., Lang, R.J., Magleby, S.P., Thomson, M.W., Sigel, D.A., Walkemeyer, P.E., Trease, B.P., Howell, L.L., “Accommodating Thickness in Origami-Based Deployable Arrays,[1]” Journal of Mechanical Design, Vol. 135, paper no. 111005, DOI: 10.1115/1.4025372, 2013. Aten, Q.T., Jensen, B.D., Tamowski, S., Wilson, A.M., Howell, L.L., Burnett, S.H., “Nanoinjection: Pronuclear DNA Delivery using a Charged Lance,” Transgenic Research, DOI: 10.1007/s11248-012-9610-6, Vol. 21, No. 6, pp. 1279–1290, 2012. Howell, L.L. and Midha, A., “A Method for the Design of Compliant Mechanisms with Small-Length Flexural Pivots,” Journal of Mechanical Design, Trans. ASME, Vol. 116, pp. 280–290, March 1994.

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Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Larry Howell

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Larry Howell claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Larry Howell before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Larry Howell ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Larry Howell

In research: Larry Howell appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Larry Howell in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Larry Howell is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics American mechanical engineers, Brigham Young University alumni, Brigham Young University faculty, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Larry Howell outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Larry Howell in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Larry Howell means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Larry Howell out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Larry Howell in simple terms?

Larry L. Howell is a professor and Associate Academic Vice President (AAVP) at Brigham Young University (BYU).

Why does Larry Howell matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Larry Howell?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Larry Howell.