{"690757":{"#nid":"690757","#data":{"type":"news","title":"From Fossils to Function: Armita Manafzadeh Honored by Scientific American","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EScientific American\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E has named\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/qbios.gatech.edu\/user\/275\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EArmita Manafzadeh\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E to the inaugural class of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/report\/young-american-scientists-2026\/\u0022\u003EYoung American Scientists\u003C\/a\u003E, recognizing a new generation of leaders and innovators in science, technology, and medicine. The 2026 cohort includes 28 early-career scientists based in the United States who are changing the world with their work.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s a tremendous honor to be recognized alongside such an inspiring group of scientists,\u201d Manafzadeh says. \u201cI\u2019ve always been motivated by big, fundamental questions, and it\u2019s exciting to see that kind of curiosity-driven research celebrated.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EManafzadeh will join Georgia Tech in August 2026 as an assistant professor in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E. Her research investigates how joints function and how they evolved, using advanced technology to create animations of moving skeletons with sub-millimeter precision.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cMy research is aimed at understanding how joints work and where they come from,\u201d she explains. \u201cPhysicians can repair ACL injuries and perform hip replacements, but we still don\u2019t fully understand joint mechanics at a fundamental level.\u201d Because joints are a shared feature of virtually all vertebrates, she adds, nearly all movement \u2014 from slithering to sprinting to soaring \u2014 depends on them.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EManafzadeh first applied these methods to pterodactyls, \u201creanimating\u201d the extinct animals to study how they flew. Now, her research could also open doors to personalized surgical treatments for people and new designs for bio-inspired robots.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe 2026 cohort includes 28 early-career scientists based in the United States who are changing the world with their work.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The 2026 cohort includes 28 early-career scientists based in the United States who are changing the world with their work. "}],"uid":"35599","created_gmt":"2026-06-16 15:23:38","changed_gmt":"2026-06-16 20:38:32","author":"sperrin6","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680460":{"id":"680460","type":"image","title":"Armita Manafzadeh (Credit: Scientific American)","body":"\u003Cdiv\u003EArmita Manafzadeh (Credit: \u003Cem\u003EScientific American\u003C\/em\u003E)\u003C\/div\u003E","created":"1781530791","gmt_created":"2026-06-15 13:39:51","changed":"1781530994","gmt_changed":"2026-06-15 13:43:14","alt":"Armita Manafzadeh (Credit: Scientific American)","file":{"fid":"264725","name":"saw070826YAS-21-Armita-Manafzadeh.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/06\/15\/saw070826YAS-21-Armita-Manafzadeh.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/06\/15\/saw070826YAS-21-Armita-Manafzadeh.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":499752,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/06\/15\/saw070826YAS-21-Armita-Manafzadeh.jpg?itok=8DV0mp8m"}}},"media_ids":["680460"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/report\/young-american-scientists-2026\/","title":"The Young American Scientists (Scientific American)"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/armita-manafzadeh\/","title":"Armita Manafzadeh Profile in Scientific American"},{"url":"https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/news\/joints-motion-armita-manafzadeh-receives-carl-gans-young-investigator-award","title":"Joints in Motion: Armita Manafzadeh Receives Carl Gans Young Investigator Award"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"192249","name":"cos-community"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"193653","name":"Georgia Tech Research Institute"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:sperrin6@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESelena Langner\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETechnical Research Writer \/ Editor\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech College of Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}