Department Features

 drone, yellow, flying in the sky

Dreams for the Sky

drones target severe storms to improve tornado forecasts. Brian Argrow, professor in aerospace engineering sciences , approached Eric Frew, associate professor of aerospace engineering sciences, about his interest in using unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to study severe storms. “It was fascinating and I knew I was on board,” says...

close up of micro chip

The Light Stuff

Computing speed takes a giant leap forward thanks to a new photonics-based microchip When it came to building a better microchip, Miloš Popovic and his fellow researchers turned to an unusual, but powerful, ally: light. The groundbreaking result, which debuted in 2015 after nearly ten years of development, is the...

iphone conversation close up

Researchers Tackle Cyberbullying

For many teens, cruel digital messages are a disturbing part of their daily social experience. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 15 percent of high school students were cyberbullied in the past year, and more than 55 percent of LGBT students experienced cyberbullying. Unlike face-to-face bullying,...

Kristi Anseth working in her lab with a student

Getting Personal

Everyone knows that no two humans are alike, but Kristi Anseth, the Tisone Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, is focusing her recent workon making sure biomaterials “know” it also. It’s this kind of thinking that has helped lead Anseth and her group on an odyssey to transform the medical...

Jacob Sigel with prosthetic hand

A Helping Hand

Prosthetic limb designer helps clients get back to the business of life. Jacob Segil meets some interesting people in his line of work. Segil, an instructor in the Engineering Plus Program and the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has been collaborating with research groups around the world in recent years to...

wave of water

Waste Not, Want Not

-Boulder engineers aim to turn America’s dirty water into cleaner air, energy for industry Cleaning up municipal and industrial wastewater can be dirty business, but Zhiyong (Jason) Ren and his colleagues have developed the ultimate presto chango: an innovative treatment method that mitigates carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and creates renewable...

pile of elephant tusks

Tech for Trunks

Tourism brings in billions of American dollars for the East African country of Tanzania. It accounted for nearly 13 percent of the country’s economy, totaled nearly $2 billion in 2013, and continues to rise. But a sophisticated and well-funded enemy threatens Tanzania’s tourism: big game poachers. According to a report...

Profiles

Mark Matossian working in his lab

Matossian's Search

As an Apollo generation kid in the Washington D.C. area, Mark Matossian (AeroEngr MS ’93, PhD ’95) remembers watching the live moon landings on television, then wandering outside at night squinting at that very same celestial body, trying to see the lunar module. “That time ignited…wonder,” says Matossian, head of...

Photo of chemical engineering graduate, Amy Kramer, smiling outside the engineering center.

Saving Businesses from Patent Trolls

All in a day’s work for chemical engineering grad-turned-lawyer Amy Kramer Intellectual property attorneys don’t bask in the spotlight, but they are a company’s best friend when it comes to protecting IP rights. Instead of taking victory laps for defending against increasingly common infringement cases, intellectual property attorneys are likely...

David and Debbie DeCook smiling and posing for the camera in front of a lake out back of their home in Georgia.

Pay it Forward

Alumnus funds up to 20 architectural engineering scholarships a year Every year, David DeCook (ArchEngr ’71) hosts a dinner for new recipients of his architectural engineering scholarship. When he meets them, he likes to issue a challenge. “We want you to try to do the same we’re doing for you,”...

manikin with wearable technology devise pinned to chest area

Wearable Technology

Halley Profita and Dana Hughes could have spent spring break playing outside. Both were drawn to Colorado’s outdoor activities when choosing -Boulder for their doctoral studies. Hughes and his wife like mountain biking; Profita and her boyfriend enjoy hiking Colorado’s lofty peaks. But these computer scientists spent their 2014 break...

Haley Smith on the basketball court holding a basketball looking into the distance

Competing for -Boulder

Twenty-six students in the College of Engineering and Applied Science are also NCAA athletes who compete in -Boulder sports. We checked in with five of them to see what it’s like to be in a demanding sport in the Pac-12 Conference while navigating through challenging engineering courses and projects. Haley...

College News

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Chevron Corporation Labs Dedicated

Engineering has strong associations with the business community, as demonstrated by two undergraduate labs that are made possible with generous support from Chevron Corporation. The Chevron Chemical Engineering Teaching Lab is located in the Jennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology Building on -Boulder’s East Campus, while the Chevron Mechanical Engineering Design...

yellow and orange airplane photo

Math Teams Shine in International Competition

-Boulder once again came out on top, this time in the February 2015 International Mathematical Contest in Modeling. -Boulder won two top prizes, two meritorious designations and an honorable mention. Out of the 10 papers designated as “outstanding,” -Boulder students authored two of them, earning the meritorious designations. Seven -Boulder...

close up of a small device being held between a few fingers, blurred background of people.

Outreach

-Boulder hosted a full-day professional learning event for Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) science teachers in fall 2015 at the Idea Forge. The focus was on how to teach engineering to middle and high school students. Presentations and breakout sessions were given by faculty and staff from BVSD and -Boulder,...

ice cubes

Transformation Power Plant Cooling Technology

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) has awarded -Boulder a three-year, $3 million grant to develop cooling technology that will enable efficient, low-cost supplementary cooling for thermoelectric power generation. -Boulder’s research team, led by Ronggui Yang, associate professor of mechanical engineering, will develop cold storage modules...

cyber hand

$2.8 Million in Cybersecurity Research

As defensive technologies against cyberattacks mature, adversaries are forced to find new ways to attack computer systems. One of these methods is to create “inputs of coma,” which cause a system to exhaust its processing resources and leave it unavailable for legitimate users. The attackers also can observe network traffic...

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Interdisciplinary Telecom Program Develops Skilled Workforce

A recently renovated lab is giving graduates of the Interdisciplinary Telecom Program (ITP) a competitive edge. The lab provides students access to state-of-the-art, enterprise-grade networking equipment, allowing them to combine theory with extensive hands-on experience. And the lab is paying dividends for the more than 3,000 students who have completed...

rocket

Launching Ideas at AeroSpace Ventures Day

Over the past 25 years, innovations in aerospace science and technology have influenced the way we live our daily lives. These technologies have transformed how we sleep, eat, communicate, get our news, navigate our environment and engage in local, regional and global commerce. AeroSpace Ventures facilitates collaboration among campus units,...