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Sat, 08/19/2017 | GeekWire

Inside UW’s cutting-edge Clean Energy Testbeds, researchers seek breakthroughs to help the planet

GeekWire visited the UW’s Clean Energy Testbeds to learn how the Testbeds are speeding up the process by which discoveries are transformed into scalable products. Mechanical engineering associate professor Devin MacKenzie, who is technical director of the Testbeds, stressed how difficult it is to make money in clean energy and how the open-access infrastructure provided the Testbeds is key in reducing the cost involved in turning innovative ideas into working prototypes. The Testbeds have attracted users ranging from startups to Microsoft—innovators large and small, all striving to create breakthroughs in clean energy.

Thu, 08/17/2017 | Q13 Fox

UW researchers working to revolutionize power production

Mechanical engineering associate professor Devin MacKenzie has developed a new way to make solar cells using a material called perovskite. Perovskite takes much less energy to produce than the silicon chips used in today’s solar cells, but it is just as effective at turning sunlight into energy. Pervoskite is also lightweight and flexible, meaning it could be used to turn nearly any surface into a solar cell.

Fri, 08/11/2017 | GeekWire

Researchers spy on marine energy machines using data analysis and a raft packed with ocean monitors

GeekWire visited ME associate professor Brian Polayge and graduate student Emma Cotter to learn about their work measuring the impact of tidal and wave energy machines on marine life. The monitoring system used to capture animal interactions with the machines produces an immense amount of low-value data, so Cotter developed machine learning tools to help capture data only when marine life is nearby. The data will help advance the design of more benign marine energy systems.

Wed, 08/09/2017 | Popular Mechanics

The Preposterous World of Human-Powered Submarine Racing

Popular Mechanics covered the 2017 International Submarine Races, where students from across the globe competed in the unique challenge to build a human-powered submarine. The story features the University of Washington’s submarine, Knotty Dawg, which was built with wood from the Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building.

Sat, 07/29/2017 | The Seattle Times

UW students create innovative devices to solve vexing medical problems

The Seattle Times profiled the Engineering Innovation in Health program, which was founded in the Mechanical Engineering department, as part of their Education Lab spotlight. The Times highlighted projects like EpiForAll that got their start as part of the year-long program but have developed into ongoing endeavors as they progress on the path toward commercialization.

Thu, 07/27/2017 | UW Today

Dayong Gao elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences

Congratulations to ME Professor Dayong Gao on his election to the Washington State Academy of Sciences, which elects members based on their outstanding record of scientific achievement and willingness to work on behalf of the academy in bringing the best available science to bear on issues within the state of Washington. The Washington State Academy of Sciences election announcement lauds Gao as a major contributor in the field of cryobiology and the science and technology of artificial organs.

Wed, 07/26/2017 | Department of Mechanical Engineering

AMPing up underwater environmental monitoring

UW researchers are developing devices to answer some of the trickiest questions about marine energy’s environmental effects. Working as part of the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center, researchers have developed a detection system that captures important data about interactions between marine life and marine energy converters — but only when marine life is present. This detection system drastically reduces the extreme amount of low-value data that researchers would otherwise need to store and inspect.

Mon, 07/10/2017 | Department of Mechanical Engineering

Class of '67 grads honored at ME's 2017 graduation

At this year's mechanical engineering graduation ceremony, in addition to awarding nearly 160 bachelor's degrees, 80 master's and 20 doctoral degrees, the department honored ME grads from the Class of '67 in a 50-year reunion.

Wed, 07/05/2017 | National Institutes of Health

Tumor scanner promises fast 3D imaging of biopsies

Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), reported on Jonathan Liu’s new light-sheet microscope for the NIH Director’s Blog. Collins lauds the potential the microscope presents for improving patient outcomes in cancer treatments.

Mon, 06/26/2017 | UW Today

Microscope can scan tumors during surgery and examine cancer biopsies in 3-D

A versatile light-sheet microscope, developed by a UW team including ME associate professor Jonathan Liu, can provide surgeons with real-time pathology data to guide cancer-removal surgeries and can also non-destructively examine tumor biopsies in 3-D. The microscope provides surgeons with proof that they have removed all cancerous tissue, preventing the need for further surgeries to remove cancerous cells that were missed during the initial procedure.

Mon, 06/26/2017 | Department of Mechanical Engineering

Engineering Innovation in Health

The Engineering Innovation in Health (EIH) program is transforming education in health technology design and entrepreneurship by providing a framework for engineering students and faculty to partner with clinicians and develop affordable solutions to today’s pressing health needs. Highlighted are five projects that originated through EIH and are still building momentum.

Mon, 06/19/2017 | Department of Mechanical Engineering

From idea to innovation

ME graduate student Jessica Zistatsis shares her journey through the commercialization process at the UW, thanks to Engineering Innovation in Health. Jessica is one of the innovators of PlayGait™, a pediatric exoskeleton that helps kids with cerebral palsy get more walking practice outside of therapy so they can learn to walk independently.

Wed, 06/07/2017 | Department of Mechanical Engineering

UW researcher joins world leaders across science and medicine in call to transform transplantation, preserve and cryobank organs

Professor Dayoung Gao is one of more than 40 world leaders in science and medicine who are calling for a modern-day "Apollo Program" to advance organ and tissue preservation research. Gao works at the forefront of cryobiology and views cryopreservation as having the potential to transform transplantation by extending the preservation window for organs.

Fri, 05/26/2017 | EcoCAR 3

EcoCAR team picks up four awards at national competition

Congratulations to UW EcoCAR 3 for picking up a number of awards at this year's national competition, including the NSF Innovation Award, Most Creative Outreach Event Award, and Best Fall Swimlane Report! Special shout-out to ME undergrad Rachel Krause, for receiving the General Motors Women in Engineering Rookie Award!

Thu, 05/25/2017 | Foster School of Business

ME student teams win prizes at UW Business Plan Competition

Congratulations to the ME student teams that won prizes in the UW Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship's 2017 Business Plan Competition! They all originated out of ME's Engineering Innovation in Health program and include LC-Tourniquet (3rd place), EpiForAll (4th place) and PlayGait (Best Health/Healthcare Idea Prize).

Mon, 05/22/2017 | UWTV

UWTV’s "UW 360" program profiles ME teams

UW 360 featured teams from this year’s Hollomon Health Innovation Challenge that are moving forward to bring their innovations to market. Among the projects featured were Epi4All and PlayGait, both of which got their start in ME’s Engineering Innovation in Health program.

Tue, 05/16/2017 | GeekWire

Startup Spotlight: Phoresa is creating a ‘pregnancy-style’ test for infectious diseases

Phoresa is developing a quick, accurate test for infectious diseases that will allow clinics to diagnose and treat patients in a single visit. Phoresa grew out of work conducted in ME associate professor Jonathan Posner's research group, and the company is growing with the help of a National Science Foundation Small Business Technology Transfer grant.

Mon, 05/15/2017 | Department of Mechanical Engineering

VIP and EcoCAR: A framework for project-based learning

EcoCAR is multi-phase challenge in which students work to convert a Camaro into a hybrid-electric car. UW Engineering’s Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) program supports multidisciplinary, long-term projects like EcoCAR that present real-world, experiential learning opportunities to students.

Wed, 05/03/2017 | University of Washington

Sheri Imsdahl, MSME ’09, Ph.D. ’15, travels the globe as a Bonderman Fellow

Sheri Imsdahl, who recently earned her Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, had the opportunity to spend eight months traveling to Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Malawi, Ethiopia, South Africa, Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Brazil as a Bonderman Fellow. Bonderman Travel Fellowships enable UW students to partake in independent, eye-opening travel where they explore unfamiliar cultures and places.

Tue, 04/25/2017 | College of Engineering

Steve Brunton and Keshia Peters receive College of Engineering Awards

Congratulations to Steve Brunton and Keshia Peters on receiving 2017 College of Engineering Awards! Steve Bruton receives the Faculty Award for Teaching, while Keshia Peters receives the Professional Staff Award. The College of Engineering will celebrate this achievement in an award ceremony on Thursday, May 25, 2017 at 3:30 p.m. in the South Ballroom of the Husky Union Building.

Mon, 03/27/2017 | Department of Mechanical Engineering

Robotics reboot

The Department of Mechanical Engineering profiled Husky Robotics, a student team involved in the University Rover Challenge, where teams from across the globe design and build remote-controlled space exploration vehicles. In its sixth year at the UW, the Husky Robotics team has turned its attention inward. By focusing on creating a solid foundation, the team hopes to set future generations of UW student roboticists on a path to success.

Fri, 03/17/2017 | National Science Foundation

ME grad students receive NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

Congratulations to ME grad students Michael Rosenberg and Andrew Bender on receiving National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships! This fellowship program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines.

Tue, 03/14/2017 | Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering

Neural Engineering Tech Studio

The Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering hosts a yearly Tech Studio course that allow students to apply engineering principles from their coursework to independent projects. At the end of the quarter, students presented their projects to CSNE industry affiliates. This year’s winning project was NEOGrasp, a low-cost neural orthosis that would allow users who are quadriplegic or tetraplegic to use another muscle to control a device that can grasp and release objects. The NEOGrasp team was composed of CSE sophomore Aishwarya Mandyam, ME Ph.D. student Gaurav Mukherjee, and BioE senior Lok "Larry” To.

Mon, 03/06/2017 | STAT

‘Stat madness’ contest builds excitement around the best life science innovation from top US research institutions

STAT news, an online project of the Boston Globe focused on medical news, has launched a March-Madness-inspired online voting competition to find the best innovation in science and medicine of 2016. One of the competitors is a real-time microscopy tool developed by Jonathan Liu. Liu's handheld microscope can identify cancer cells and tell surgeons how much to cut out, while leaving the healthy part of the organ intact. In brain cancer, finding those margins can be tough, and every millimeter of tissue matters. Vote for Jonathan Liu here!

Mon, 03/06/2017 | Department of Mechanical Engineering

A formula for success

For 28 years, UW Formula Motorsports has brought together students to design, build and compete formula-style vehicles. The College of Engineering spoke with Formula about the lasting dedication that students bring to the team. Team members credit their culture of student leadership and mentorship as key to the team’s stability and success.