Aeronautics professor Jinkyu ‘JK’ Yang informs design, medicine and the future of space travel with a single sheet of folding paper.
A prototype of origami design in Jinkyu "JK' Yang's lab at the University of Washington in Seattle. The aeronautics and astronautics professor uses origami as a creative way to design foldable structures. (Sarah Hoffman/Crosscut)
You can republish articles in print or online. Simply copy the HTML below, which includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline, and credit to Cascade PBS. Republishing of the photos or videos embedded in an article can occur only if the photo or video is a copyright of Cascade Public Media ("CPM") and not of a third party. Photos and videos that are a copyright of CPM are not required to appear in the republished article, but if they are used, they must be embedded where they appear in the original article and must include the attribution to the CPM photographer.
You may reprint in any medium
You may edit only for tense and timeliness
If republishing in print you can edit for length if you follow our print republishing guidelines.
You may write your own headline
Include a byline and shirttail with credit and link to Cascade PBS
Include our tracking pixel
Remove if we ask
Jinkyu “JK” Yang sees endless possibilities in a single sheet of paper. The aeronautics and astronautics professor at the University of Washington uses origami as a creative way to design foldable structures. The resulting shapes could inform new designs for a rocket’s landing gear, medical devices or solar panels — all while pushing the boundaries of where art and science meet.
Our members' donations make local journalism happen.
Sarah Hoffman is a senior video producer at Cascade PBS, focusing on science and the environment. Previously she worked as a visual journalist for the Omaha World-Herald and The Dallas Morning News.
Sarah Hoffman is a senior video producer at Cascade PBS, focusing on science and the environment. Previously she worked as a visual journalist for the Omaha World-Herald and The Dallas Morning News.
