Spring

The National Science Foundation has awarded two Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering students with Graduate Research Fellowships and two students with honorable mentions.

The global shortage of semiconductors – the computer chips that products such as smartphones, laptops, cars and even washing machines rely on – are motivating engineers to improve the inspection of the silicon wafers that semiconductors are fabricated from. To help accomplish that, Department of Mechanical Engineering students have built a silicon wafer center-finding improvement device

PhD student Aniya Khalili was looking for a research lab that would match her values. She found that match in 2019 with Professor Shelly Miller and was introduced to the practice of community-engaged scholarship.

Professor Robert MacCurdy has developed a new way to 3D-print liquid and solid materials together, potentially leading to more dynamic and useful products—from robots to wearable electronic devices.

Department Chair Michael Hannigan and Research Associate Daniel Knight will be using the $24,000 grant to expand their outreach program that engages K-12 students to conduct their own soil quality research.

The Marinus Smith Award recognizes faculty and staff members who have had a particularly positive impact on our students. Debbie Yeh, the Area Director in Student Support & Advising Services, was nominated for the award by mechanical engineering undergraduate student Dario Garcia.

The seniors are working with Medtronic to design a soft robot that would give physicians more control as they examine the deepest part of a patient's lung and make the procedure less abrasive for the patient.

Since August 2021, more than 200 mechanical engineering students have been working through the design process from start to finish and have engineered solutions to real-world problems. 

The students' device makes the disposal of scrap metal safer and more efficient. They completed the design as part of their Senior Design project sponsored by Accu-Precision, a Littleton-based manufacturer of custom parts for customers in aerospace and industrial sectors.

The 2022 Research & Innovation Seed Grants are funding 25 new projects in all for up to $50,000 each. The seed grant program is designed to stimulate new and exciting areas of research and creative work on campus.