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Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering

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MechE News - February 2022

Alumni, Industry Partners & Friends,

I am thrilled to announce that the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering has elected a new chair. Professor Peter Hamlington will step into his new role this July. He and I are working closely this semester for a smooth transition. The department is also gearing up for a new entryway in the Engineering Center. Construction on the entryway remodel began on Monday, Feb. 14 and is anticipated to be completed in June. I look forward to you all visiting our new space.

Despite these announcements, I do not want us to forget how difficult this semester has been for so many. The new year began with the Marshall Fire destroying many of our friends and families’ homes. Then the omicron variant forced us to start the semester remotely for safety. Those who are suffering from the fire and pandemic are in my thoughts. While we are still feeling this grief and frustration, we as a department are moving forward together. This semester is further proof of how resilient our community is, and I am humbled to be a part of it.

Sincerely,

Mike Hannigan
Department Chair

Department Highlights

Entrway art

Mechanical Engineering Entryway Remodel

The department is remodeling its entryway in the Engineering Center - adding a new front desk, community center and dedicated career space. The renovations will give mechanical engineering community members another place to gather and provide students improved access to resources to achieve their academic and career goals.

In-person commencement

Celebrating Commencement 2022 in person

The chancellor announced that the spring 2022 commencement will return to the traditional in-person format. We are excited that our students and their families will be able to join together with our faculty and staff to celebrate the many achievements of the class of 2022. 

Fall 2021 graduation

Video: College of Engineering and Applied Science Fall 2021 Graduation

Undergraduate Students Graduate Students Education
In case you missed it, watch the Dec. 16 ceremony from inside Macky Auditorium and view photos of the in-person event. Congratulations to all of the fall 2021 University of Colorado Boulder Engineering graduates!
Sean Humbert

Sean Humbert to serve on the DARPA Microsystems Exploratory Council

Honors & Awards Robotics and Systems Design
Professor Sean Humbert, an expert in micro robotics and systems design, will help the Microsystems Exploratory Council identify new research avenues as it relates to Department of Defense and national security issues.
Rong Long and Maureen Lynch

Long and Lynch named 2022 Research & Innovation Office Faculty Fellows

Honors & Awards
The Research & Innovation Office has announced the 2022 RIO Faculty Fellows cohort, comprised of 17 of the most promising faculty from across CU Boulder. The group reflects the diversity of expertise, research and scholarship taking place across campus.

Announcements

Interns

2022 Summer Internship-for-Credit Program

The Department of Mechanical Engineering is excited to announce the return of the MechE Summer Internship-for-Credit Program – an opportunity for start-ups, small businesses and non-profits to welcome an engineering intern to their team. Partner companies provide meaningful work and high-quality mentorship, with a stipend and academic credit provided by CU.

Proposals from prospective partner companies are due Tuesday, March 1. Learn more about the program and read intern stories from summer 2021 on the program website. Questions can be directed to katherine.mcconnell@colorado.edu.

Students listening

New MS Industry Skills Course needs alumni insight

The department is looking for alumni interested in engaging and connecting with students in the new MS Industry Skills course. While all mechanical engineering alumni are welcome to volunteer, we are especially interested in connecting current students with alumni who have graduated with a master's degree. There are two opportunities to volunteer:

  • Informational interview
    • Volunteer to be contacted by students interested in getting advice and learning about your career path.
    • Option to only volunteer as a contact for MS students in Industry Skills or as a potential contact for any ME student.
  • Join the career exploration and growth panel
    • Happening on Thursday, April 21 from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. over Zoom.
    • The department is seeking two or three MS graduates to serve on this panel.

Interested? Fill out your volunteer preferences through this link. Questions can be directed to vera.sebulsky@colorado.edu.

Upcoming Events

Seminars

Rocky Mountain Mechanics Seminar Series
Fridays | 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. | In-person at the Discovery Learning Center

Seminar: Can biological materials inspire better engineering materials?
Wednesday, Mar. 16 | 12 p.m. | Virtual event

 

Alumni Events

CU Engineering - 2022 Ring and Pin Ceremony
Tuesday, February 22 | 5 p.m.

CU Engineering - Women in Engineering Panel & Networking Event
Tuesday, March 8 | 6:00 - 8:30 p.m. | Rustandy Building - Room ECCS 201

 

More News and Events

Alumni Spotlight

Elle Sandifer

Elle Sandifer - Sanergy

Elle Sandifer (MechEngr'20) worked as a process engineer with Sanergy to address urban sanitation challenges in Nairobi, Kenya after graduation.

Kevin Martin

Kevin Martin - unspun

Kevin Martin's (MechEngr'16) startup earned the accolade for its 3D-weaving machine used to produce a seamless pair of jeans. The technology was first prototyped in the Department of Mechanical Engineering's Senior Design course.

Michael Lewis

Michael Lewis - From mechanical engineer to heart surgeon

Michael Lewis (MechEngr’00) took an interdisciplinary education to the next level. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and working at Boeing for a year, he discovered another way to help people – through medicine.

Will and Connie Brown

Will Brown donates engineering scholarship in honor of his mother

Will Brown (MechEngr’92) has established the Connie Faye Brown scholarship to benefit mechanical, chemical or electrical engineering students.

Research News

Inside the researcher's lab

How does Marshall Fire smoke affect indoor, outdoor air quality?

Air Quality
Professors Michael Hannigan and Marina Vance join scientists from CIRES and NOAA to install instruments in surviving houses to understand the smoke impacts on indoor air quality.
LA traffic

As Los Angeles traffic slowed amid pandemic, researchers gained air pollution insights

Air Quality
A team of scientists led by the Department of Mechanical Engineering are using the once-in-a-lifetime event to answer an unusual question: How much do vehicles in a city like Los Angeles add to the ammonia emissions that can hang in the air and sicken residents?
Exoplanet mapping instrument

Bringing space inside the lab: Researchers replicate the climates of exoplanets to help find extraterrestrial life

Thermo Fluid Sciences
Professor Greg Rieker and Ryan Cole (PhDMechEngr’21) have developed an experiment that recreates the climates of planets beyond our solar system right in the lab. By reaching the same high-temperature and high-pressure conditions found on many exoplanets, the instrument can map their atmospheres, which could help humanity detect life outside our solar system.
Tissues

Nuclear deformation research could advance artificial tissue engineering

Graduate Student Research Biomedical Graduate Students Education
Professor Corey Neu and Benjamin Seelbinder's (PhDMech’19) work, now published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, looks at how cells adapt to their environment and how a mechanical environment influences a cell. Their research has the potential to tackle major health obstacles.

More Research News

Student Features

Ahmed Ashmaig

An inside look: Completing a co-op at Tesla

Professional Development Undergraduate Students Education
Ahmed Ashmaig is a junior majoring in mechanical engineering and co-president of the National Society of Black Engineers Boulder Chapter. He spent the fall semester participating in a co-op at Tesla in Fremont, California.
Mitch Fulton

PhD student Mitchell Fulton won international medical imaging challenge

Graduate Students Graduate Student Research Honors & Awards Education
Mechanical engineering student Mitchell Fulton won 'Best Performing Method' for a paper detailing his novel approach to autonomously identify regions of the heart using MRI scan images at the M&Ms-2 Challenge.

MechE Education & Outreach

Flaticon icon image

ME Course Column: Design for Inclusion

Education Undergraduate Students Graduate Students
The racial reckoning in summer 2020 led to an awakening in our consciousness – a need for everyone to look inward and tackle our own unconscious biases. Professor Janet Tsai is asking students to question these preconceived notions when it comes to mechanical engineering as well.
Climate action

In 2022, consider these 5 climate resolutions

Air Quality
When possible, choose electricity over gas at home. Using natural gas makes your home a hidden source of air pollution, according to research from mechanical engineering faculty.

MechE in the News

  • The Conversation: Here’s where (and how) you are most likely to catch COVID—new study
  • Scientific American: A devastating blaze hit climate and fire scientists where they live
  • NSF: Insights could advance artificial tissue engineering and ultimately lead to novel medical treatments
  • Interesting Engineering: Researchers replicate exoplanet climates in lab to help look for life
  • Popular Mechanics: Solid-state batteries are here and they're going to change how we live
  • Washington Post: Inside the Pentagon's $82 million Super Bowl of robots
  • Marketplace: Stepping up the technology to find methane leaks
  • U.S. News & World Report: Pandemic data suggests cars spew more ammonia than suspected
  • NewScientists: Scientists invent ways for pigs to breathe with oxygen microbubbles
  • Boulder Weekly: A recent partnership between CU, Western Colorado University and Blister takes outdoor gear testing to a technical new level

 

More Highlights

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Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering

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UCB 427
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