Ann Marie Sastry believes that engineering can change the world. As
CEO of Sakti3, a startup lithium-ion battery company in Ann Arbor,
Michigan, she is putting her belief into action. At the University of
Michigan College of Engineering where she served as the Arthur F.
Thurnau Professor of Mechanical, Biomedical, and Materials Science and
Engineering and the director of the Energy Systems Engineering Program,
she is training the next generation of change agents.
Sastry grew up in an environment that encouraged a love of tinkering
and exploration. She credits her parents with teaching her to "never
overlook an opportunity to learn from someone." At Sakti3, she has put
together a diverse team of people "from all over the planet" who, like
her, value the openness and freedom that America offers to take risks,
fail, and start over. Former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm has
called Sastry "a visionary who can make ideas happen."