Research Scientist Zhao Qin and McAfee Professor of Engineering and Department Head Markus Buehler received a Most Cited Paper Award for their co-authored paper, “Robustness-Strength Performance of Hierarchical Alpha-Helical Protein Filaments” published in the International Journal of Applied Mechanics (IJAM). It was selected by the editor-in-chief as the journal’s inaugural Most Cited Paper Award among all papers published between 2009 and 2015. This paper has been previously selected as the cover story and also has also received accolades as the best paper award of the journal in 2010. The research shows that by using the hierarchical nanostructures found in biology’s construction materials, engineers can create synthetic materials with new properties, such as combining exceptional strength and robustness.