See the latest happenings in research, programming and education at Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering. Learn how students, alumni, faculty, and staff are redefining what it means to be a mechanical engineer. 

The student chapter poses for a group photo behind a SASE sign in a hotel lobby

Networking, job fair highlights of SASE student conference

March 13, 2024

The Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE) student chapter won a travel grant through the Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering. After they traveled to Atlanta for the national conference, we caught up with them about their takeaways. What was the SASE conference like? Attending the SASE National Conference 2023...

The oSTEM students in front of a Mickey Mouse statue at Disneyland

Students use DEI travel grant to attend oSTEM national conference

March 11, 2024

CU Boulder's Out in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (oSTEM) student chapter won a travel grant through the Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering. After they traveled to Anaheim, California, for the national oSTEM conference, the DEI Working Group asked them about their experience: What was the oSTEM Conference like? It...

Side-by-side view of two kinds of yellow foam, one with a traditional design and the other with the team's new "honeycomb" design

New kinds of padding could make football gear, bike helmets safer than ever

Feb. 5, 2024

In recent research, engineers at the University of Colorado of Boulder and Sandia National Laboratories have developed a new design for padding that can withstand big impacts. The team’s innovations, which can be printed on commercially available 3D printers, could one day wind up in everything from shipping crates to football pads—anything that helps to protect fragile objects, or bodies, from the bumps of life.

An illustration of how the patch connects to skin to capture electrical impulses

Engineers unveil new patch to help people control robotic exoskeletons

Jan. 31, 2024

In a new study, engineers from the United States and Korea — including Jianliang Xiao of Rady Mechanical Engineering — have developed a wearable, stretchy patch that could help to bridge the divide between people and machines, with benefits for the health of humans around the world.

Logan Thomspon

A winding path to Tesla engineer: Logan Thompson

Jan. 16, 2024

Logan Thompson (MechEngr'17), took seven years to get through undergrad. He said he's grateful for the variety of experiences he's had.

An avalanche rescue dog tugs on a ski patrol member during avalanche training at Copper Mountain in Colorado

What causes seemingly safe snow slopes to collapse? A researcher and avid skier explains

Jan. 12, 2024

In an article in the Conversation, Nathalie Vriend, a skier and mechanical engineer at the University of Colorado Boulder who studies avalanches, explains what happens in the snowpack when an avalanche begins.

Palmer Dick-Montez at the Grand Canyon

Triple honors for mechanical engineering graduate

Dec. 20, 2023

Palmer Dick-Montez is receiving major kudos as he graduates with a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Colorado Boulder. He is a 2023 recipient of three separate College of...

Sean Ding and Kaushik Jayaram

Two mechanical engineering faculty named Research & Innovation Faculty Fellows

Dec. 18, 2023

Campus program supports will support Xiaoyun "Sean" Ding and Kaushik Jayaram in achieving their research and innovation goals and promotes collaboration through tailored training, experiential learning and leadership development opportunities.

Nicole Xu

Xu's 'cyborg jellyfish' highlighted in Nature

Dec. 7, 2023

Nicole Xu and her collaborators discuss their exploration of controlling how jellyfish swim, with the goal of using swarms of sensor-carrying jellyfish to monitor the effects of climate change and other ecological shifts in large expanses of ocean.

Mechanical engineering graduate students with mountains in background.

Q&A with November graduate students of the month Samuel Lamont & Amiy Yadav

Nov. 30, 2023

The Kenneth Johnsen Graduate Student of the Month awards recognize outstanding students who excel academically and are an exemplar for the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Samuel Lamont What is your hometown? My hometown is called Bristol and is located in the beautiful Finger Lakes Region of upstate New York. What...

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