MechE News - August 2020

Alumni, Industry Partners & Friends: 

This summer, Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering has been hard at work planning the best possible educational experience for fall 2020. Though the semester will look different, we are committed to delivering a high-quality engineering experience. A great example of this has been the birth of the ME Summer Design Intensive and ME SPUR programs which have given our students opportunities to learn and grow as engineers despite challenges of canceled internships and working remotely. If you would like to partner with us in supporting students, we encourage you to complete our alumni volunteer survey to indicate your interest in events and volunteer opportunities that will take place virtually this semester. 

Sincerely,

Mike Hannigan
Department Chair

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Artimus Robotics, a spinout company of the mechanical engineering department, recently received $225,000 through the National Science Foundation’s Small Business Innovation Research Phase I program. 

Researchers are gradually and safely returning to campus to continue their work in the lab. Read about Assistant Professor Kaushik Jayaram and graduate student Parker McDonnell's return to research.

Researchers are gradually and safely returning to campus to continue their work in the lab. Read about Assistant Professor Nicole Labbe's return to research.

Researchers Philipp Rothemund and Christoph Keplinger in the mechanical engineering department recently uncovered new information that could revolutionize the design of electrohydraulic soft actuators to enable robots to perform at faster speeds.

The novel coronavirus may be able to travel from person to person through tiny particles floating in the air, according to a recent letter signed by 239 scientists from across the globe.

Mohammed Alwakeel, Jonathan Bosnich, Morgan Kauss, Luke Pagni, Gabe Rodriguez, Paul Salame and Sam Simons-Wellin received honors for their service, international engagement, research, and academic achievement.

The challenges of COVID-19 have inspired innovation among staff, faculty and students, leading to the development of two summer programs for 38 participating students: the ME Summer Design Intensive and ME SPUR.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Greg Potts, Idea Forge machine shop coordinator, joined many others in pursuing a new hobby: mask-making. He has made over 250 masks and plans to sew at least 100 more.

Nathan McNeill, a mechanical engineering instructor in the program for the last eight years started his new position leading the CMU-CU Engineering Partnership Program on July 1.

Our students and faculty meet the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic as they provide accurate information for the public, take on and solve key research questions rapidly and collaborate with everyone at the table to solve problems. 

• NPR: Coronavirus sparks new interest in using ultraviolet light to disinfect indoor air
• Denver Post: Kids and COVID-19: What experts do (and do not) know about how the virus affects children
• AAAS Science: Is it safe to strike up the band in a time of coronavirus?
• Denver CBS: Thousands volunteer to be infected with coronavirus to possibly speed up vaccine
• Denver CBS: CU Boulder engineering students come up with a way to keep NBA players warm
• ​9News: How many germs are spread when a band plays?
• WBUR: What you should know about COVID-19, air conditioning and indoor air quality
• IEEE Spectrum: HAMR-Jr is a speedy quadrupedal robot the size of a penny

Alumni are invited to participate in our fall 2020 volunteer survey
ME Summer Design Intensive Online Showcase - now live
First day of fall semester - Mon, 8/24
Virtual Careers in ME Symposium - 9/7, 9/9, 9/11 from 12–12:50 p.m.
ME Alumni Connect Day (virtual format planning underway) - October
2020-21 design project sponsorship full
Help with mock interviews - October
Help with informational interviews - November

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