Prof. Hutchens received funding for work entitled “Experimental Measurement of Tearing and Cutting in Highly Deformable Solids Relating to the Mechanical Origin of Crack Blunting-Mediated Toughness.” This work aims to elucidate crack-tip mediated mechanisms governing fracture in rubbery materials by controlling the geometry of the crack-tip using experimental cutting techniques. Work will be extended to needle-mediated cutting and puncture. These experiments will provide undergraduate students the opportunity to learn cutting-edge mechanical testing techniques.