The Year's Top CU Engineering Moments

Graphic reading "Top 10 Highlights of 2020"

Looking back, 2020 was a year unlike any other (some might even say, “unprecedented”), but that didn’t stop us from doing what we do best: engineering.

We gathered our top 10 engineering moments to wrap up 2020.

Top Social Highlight

When we tweeted “engineering” on a whim, we hoped the humor of a random (and seemingly pointless) fourth wall break wouldn’t be lost on our followers.

It wasn’t. In fact, it quickly became the go-to response. 

engineering tweet

Have a question and need an answer?

Answer: engineering

What’s your favorite college at CU Boulder?

Answer: engineering

Why am I awake and on my second cup of coffee at 2 am?

Answer: engineering

Tweet 2

Joking aside, 2020 made one thing especially apparent as the pandemic began: the importance of keeping it real. 

We also witnessed how endearing our community is after showing up in full force to wish Aerospace Engineering Sciences Professor Emeritus Carlos Felippa a happy (socially-distant) 80th birthday.

Birthday

We don’t know what next year will bring, we do know what we’re bringing to 2021 — and are eager to keep building with this community that makes us so proud.

#1 Summer of Centers!

The College of Engineering and Applied Science has made tremendous gains in our pursuit of accelerating research activity. From new center-scale collaborations to sharing our expertise in national media outlets, these are a few of our accomplishments. We couldn’t pick just one story, so read all six!
 

#2 Standing in Solidarity

Many voices came together this year to speak out in support of diversity, equity and inclusion. This collection of messages, resources, events and announcements became a hub of information for the college and an inspiration for continuing action. 
 

#3 Naming of Rady Mechanical Engineering Department

Our highly-ranked Department of Mechanical Engineering was named after Colorado philanthropist and businessman Paul M. Rady, thanks to his generous support of the college.

#4 Unmask the Racism

Jaheen Ahsan (MechEngr'21), along with other students of Asian heritage at CU Boulder, created the social media campaign Unmask the Racism to spread awareness about xenophobia and racism against people of Asian heritage around the country and to support local Asian businesses.

#5 Karl Linden on Bill Nye

Professor Karl Linden joined famed scientist and engineer Bill Nye and science writer Corey Powell on their "Science Rules!" podcast to discuss using ultraviolet light to kill the airborne coronavirus.

#6 Big Year for the Mortenson Center 

A gift of $2 million from the Mortenson family caps an impressive year of growth for the Mortenson Center in Global Engineering, including new federal and nonprofit funding totaling more than $11 million and significant research findings.

#7 Alumni Engagement from a Distance: Buff Brewers

Meet a few of our local alumni craft brewers who apply their engineering skills to creating a better brew.

#8 College Response to COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic presented a great challenge. Our students and faculty met that challenge by providing clear and accurate information for the public, by solving key research questions rapidly, and by collaborating with everyone at the table. Read this roundup of stories about the contributions made by our researchers and students. 

#9 DARPA Sub T

A CU Engineering-led team is competing in the Subterranean Challenge, a competition launched by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to stimulate and test ideas around autonomous robot use in difficult underground environments.

#10 BOLD Center Renovation

A gift from CU Boulder alumnus Marco Campos (CivEngr'98) and his company, Campos EPC, enabled a transformative renovation of the BOLD Center to enhance support and connection among first-generation and underrepresented students.