Two faculty members from the Wilson College of Textiles Department of Textile Engineering, Chemistry and Science (TECS) have recently received the Outstanding Engagement Award. This means they have exhibited a partnership with the people and companies of North Carolina beyond what is possible merely within the classroom. 

The NC State Office of Outreach and Engagement grants these awards to exceptional collaborators who positively impact the needs and well-being of the community. Award recipients were honored at a ceremony and luncheon, at which Provost Warwick Arden commended awardees for being “thinkers and doers” who were seeking out and solving problems.  

Xiaomeng Fang

Whether through yarn spinning, weaving or knitting technologies, Assistant Professor Xiaomeng Fang finds and creates wearable everyday solutions, particularly for applications in health and well-being. 

Her programs address critical needs in biomedical and assistive technologies, including assistive knee braces, haptic sleeves for lower-limb amputees, wearable heartbeat and blood-pressure monitoring cuffs, noninvasive 3D-printed soft robots for drug delivery, and fibrous scaffolds for tissue engineering.

“Her work bridges fundamental textile engineering with real-world applications benefiting industry partners, healthcare collaborators, educators, students and community stakeholders,” TECS Department Head Emiel DenHartog wrote in his recommendation letter. “This commitment to societally relevant research and engagement was recognized through her selection as one of NC State’s inaugural Strengthening the Impact of Research (STIR) Scholars in 2021.”

Fang wrote, “Early internal awards from NC State and the Wilson College of Textiles enabled the development of fiber-shaped soft robotic systems, biomedical textile scaffolds and hydrogel-based functional fibers, supporting rapid prototyping and proof-of-concept demonstrations that directly informed subsequent external engagement efforts.”

She goes on to say, “Building on this foundation, I successfully led and expanded industry-partnered extension programs with LiteFighter Systems and Small World Sciences, resulting in two phases of funded projects focused on cooling textiles for energy efficiency and thermal comfort, which are critical needs for both military and civilian applications.”

This momentum led to where she is today. 

After receiving her Ph.D. in fiber and polymer science from the Wilson College, she stayed as a lecturer and then faculty member. Her mentorship extends beyond NC State students as she also leads a one-week textile-based robotics summer camp annually for high school students. 

“Her mentoring model empowers students as disseminators of knowledge, multiplying the reach and impact of her engagement efforts,” DenHartog wrote. 

Amanda Mills 

With a strong focus on smart and e-textiles, Amanda Mills is all about innovation. 

“I collaborate with industry and federal agencies to deliver innovative e-textile solutions through fundamental research and workforce development. Integrating electronic functionality into soft textile platforms presents a significant manufacturing challenge, which often prevents start-up companies and traditional manufacturers from successfully penetrating the wearable market,” Mills wrote. “My efforts provide industry partners with the technical expertise and proof-of-concept prototyping necessary to bridge this gap. My portfolio of research includes support from corporate sponsors and multiple federal agencies, totaling more than $2.6 million in funding.” 

In addition to her work as assistant professor in TECS, she is co-director of the Senior Design program and is the principal investigator of the Smart Holistically Integrated and Functional Textiles Research Group (SHIFT). SHIFT focuses on medical device engineering and textile manufacturing with the ultimate goal of developing affordable health monitoring solutions. 

Her background in engineering includes a bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State University in mechanical engineering, and both a master’s degree and Ph.D. from NC State University in mechanical engineering. That foundation in engineering perfectly complements her work with these textile components. 

“She has continued to develop research tracks that are relevant to the textile and electronics industries and address currently ongoing challenges to connect the electronics and textiles industries,” TECS Department Head Emiel DenHartog wrote in his recommendation letter. “She has clearly demonstrated excellent skills in understanding and addressing industry issues and has very strong communication skills to help industry understand the technological challenges, as well as her approaches to resolving them.”