NCAME doctoral student sweeps ICAM 2025 student competition with fatigue modeling breakthrough
Published: Jan 15, 2026 3:30 PM
By Jeremy Henderson
Krista Dyer apparently brought a broom to the ASTM ICAM 2025 conference.
The mechanical engineering doctoral student won first place in both the student oral and poster competitions, beating out 56 others from 11 countries. The sweep at what has become the premier event for the additive and advanced manufacturing industry is yet another spotlight on the student research coming out of Auburn’s National Center for Additive Manufacturing Excellence (NCAME).
It feels pretty good, too.
"It's very exciting for my work to be recognized on this scale," Dyer said. "I put in a lot of time and energy to ensure meaningful impact and progression of the additive manufacturing (AM) community. I am honored that others could see the value and effort I put into my research."
Dyer’s work focuses on additively manufactured Triply Periodic Minimal Surfaces (TPMS), a type of metallic lattice structure used in biomedical implants and aerospace components. TPMS structures are valued for their high strength-to-weight ratio and ability to mimic bone properties. The tradeoff? Their complex geometries make fracture paths next to impossible to model and, consequently, fatigue life difficult to predict.
Or at least it used to be difficult.
Dyer's oral presentation introduced a new, highly successful model that combines stress-based and fracture mechanics approaches for unprecedented predictive accuracy.
"The result is that we can estimate the fatigue of the TPMS structures without the need for extensive local stresses," Dyer said. "Combining stress-based and fracture mechanics approaches for fatigue life estimation, the model had excellent results with nearly all experimental results falling within acceptable error."
As her poster presentation demonstrated, the model also holds up under torsional loading. If you want to know more about it, you can check out the August 2025 issue of the journal Additive Manufacturing, where her findings have already been published.
"Earning first place in both the oral and poster categories is an exceptional accomplishment," said NCAME Director Nima Shamsaei, Phillips WestPoint Distinguished Professor. "Krista's success reflects the outstanding quality, rigor and clarity of her research, as well as her ability to communicate her research results effectively. It's also a testament to the excellent mentorship and guidance of Dr. (Reza) Molaei and Dr. (Shuai) Shao, whose advisement plays a critical role in Krista’s continued success.
Dyer began her research as an undergraduate at the University of Memphis under Molaei, former director of UM's Metal Additive Manufacturing Lab who joined NCAME as an assistant mechanical engineering professor in 2024. Dyer transferred to Auburn to continue her doctoral with Molaei at NCAME.
"It has been a privilege to mentor Krista since her undergraduate years and to watch her grow into a strong and independent researcher," Molaei said. "Her dedication, persistence and strong work ethics have consistently translated into high quality research and publications. This recognition is well deserved."
And it likely won’t be the last.
“I am also grateful for an excellent support system from my advisor and colleagues,” Dyer said. “I hope to continue to make valuable contributions to the fi Media Contact: , jdh0123@auburn.edu, 334-844-3591
From left to right: Mohsen Seifi, vice president of global advanced manufacturing programs at ASTM International, Krista Dyer and NCAME Director Nima Shamsaei at the ASTM ICAM 2025 conference in Las Vegas.
