MechE Student News - October 2020

MechE Students,

We are now more than halfway through the fall semester, and while these times are not without constraint, we continue to be encouraged by the way our students, faculty and staff have been both flexible and creative. We want you to know we are committed to supporting you through this time, and we are here to listen and help where we can. Your dedication to learning has never been so important, and we believe many good things will come of the time you are investing now to make our world better in the future. Thank you!

Go buffs,

Mike Hannigan
Department Chair

Air Quality Inquiry project extends from rural Colorado into Mongolia

For three years, Air Quality Inquiry has been reaching K-12 students across rural Colorado. This year, despite COVID-19, the program is reaching across the globe and has partnered with Public Lab Mongolia, a nonprofit whose mission is to make data available to the Mongolian public.

Student Spotlight

An inside look: Interning with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Before his internship with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kyle McDonnell didn't know cost engineering was a career path. He said his internship gave him a taste of what working at the Corps and the construction field would be like.

Undergraduate Student of the Month - Wesley Schumacher

When Wesley Schumacher thinks of engineering, he thinks of people’s lives and believes it’s essential to recognize that our advancement in technology is not simply for our own benefit but largely for the people around us and society’s improvement.

A new challenge: Stories of resilience in the COVID-19 era

Ahmed Ferjani was gearing up for an in-person internship at L3Harris Technologies in Rochester, New York. When the pandemic had other plans, he took it as an opportunity to prove to future employers that he's nimble and up for anything.

Alumni Spotlight

Honoring Duane Chesley as students receive gift of education

Duane Chesley (MechEngr’58) valued education because of how it impacted his life, taking him from humble beginnings to full colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves. After his passing, we honor his support of mechanical engineering students.

It’s 2020 and we need universal design literacy

Alumna Carlye Lauff shares that she envisions a future where everyone considers themself part “designer” and where they have access to design tools to improve the world around them.

Research Spotlight

Aerosol research instrumental in getting musicians back to playing safely

A CU-Boulder research team of scientists and musicians seek to find out how musical ensembles around the world can continue to safely perform music together during the pandemic.

New technology diagnoses sickle cell disease in record time

Diseases of the blood have traditionally taken a full day, tedious lab work and expensive equipment to diagnose, but researchers have developed a way to diagnose these conditions with greater precision in only one minute.

Dynamic tattoos promise to warn wearers of health threats

Researchers are developing tattoo inks that do more than make pretty colors. Some can sense chemicals, temperature and UV radiation, setting the stage for tattoos that diagnose health problems.

Singing unmasked, indoors spreads COVID-19 through aerosols, new study confirms

A peer-reviewed study of a March choir rehearsal which became one of the nation's first superspreading events confirms that singing indoors, unmasked can swiftly spread COVID-19 via microscopic airborne particles known as aerosols.

Scientists win grant to unravel mystery of how animals track scent

Seeking to understand how animals follow scent, a team of scientists won a grant to peer deeply inside the brain using a powerful microscope as the process takes place.

New engineering research center aims to electrify transportation, expand education

CU Boulder will play a major role in ASPIRE, a new center focused on developing infrastructure and systems that facilitate the widespread adoption of electric vehicles.

Spinout Aspero Medical receives NSF SBIR funding for endoscopic balloon with more grip

Spinout company Aspero Medical was recently awarded $225,000 through the National Science Foundation’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. This award will allow the company to further technologies in the field of gastroenterology.

Education & Outreach Spotlight

CU mechanical engineering commits to active learning

Though the pandemic has made the semester more challenging, faculty and staff have been daily innovating to make their courses as hands-on as possible.

Undergraduate researchers learn valuable lessons from remote research

Undergraduate researchers share their experiences as participants in ME SPUR, a program that enabled undergraduate students to work with mechanical engineering faculty on research that could be conducted remotely.

In the News

CNBC: How using an air purifier in your home can and can’t prevent the spread of Covid-19
The Today Show: How to reduce COVID-19 spread indoors: Expert tips on airflow, precautions
The Colorado Sun: Oil and gas companies must monitor fracking emissions as Colorado adopts first-in-the-nation rules to reduce air pollution
The Times: Is your house Covid-ready? Scientists offer their top tips
The New York Times: At in-person choir rehearsals, a balance between joyful and careful
Daily Camera: Plant-based meat startup Emergy raises $28.2M in funding
NPR's Science Friday: How your indoor air ventilation affects coronavirus spread
The Conversation: How to use ventilation and air filtration to prevent the spread of coronavirus indoors
IEEE Spectrum: Robotic tank is designed to crawl through your intestine
The New York Times: Your hot-weather guide to coronavirus, air-conditioning and airflow