What's Current in

Mechanical Engineering

image of lab instrument
Photo Credit
Matt Perko
The scanning ultrafast electron microscope in the Bolin Liao lab

Researchers create the first ever visualization of photoexcited charges traveling across the interface of two semiconductor materials

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two women on stage
Photo Credit
James Badham
Yangying Zhu (right), assistant professor in the UCSB Mechanical Engineering Department, receives her award certificate from ARPA-E Program Director Dr. Evelyn Wang at the National Academy of Sciences, in Washington, D.C.

Making desalination more efficient, by way of renewable energy
lfireflies looking like yellow circles in the early evening
A long-exposure shot of fireflies in Thailand

Rhythms of nature: understanding synchrony in oscillatory systems
concept illustration of turning heat into electricity

Investigating the extraordinary thermoelectric properties of cadmium arsenide thin films
young woman smiling
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Courtesy
College of Creative Studies biology student Ashley Yeh '24

Creative Studies student earns coveted Knight-Hennessy Scholarship for neuroscience
the cellular development of an embryonic tooth
Photo Credit
Neha Pincha Shroff and Pengfei Xu
Tooth epithelium (cell surface; yellow) and mesenchyme (cell surface; magenta). Proliferating cells (cyan) expand the tissue, generating a mechanical pressure at the tissue center that drives the formation of the main tooth signaling center or organizer, the enamel knot.

Pressure determines which embryonic cells become ‘organizers’
concept photo of a green building amid regular buildings

This adaptive roof tile can cut both heating and cooling costs
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Nine early-career faculty members receive 2023-24 Hellman Fellowships
a pink-colored droplet between yellow-bordered cells
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Courtesy Image

Researchers can now visualize osmotic pressure in living tissue
University students and professor flank an adult in a wheelchair in front of a weight machine
Photo Credit
Lilli McKinney
Capstone project client Steve Ferreira (center) with (from right): Professor Tyler Susko and team members James Freda, Carlos Rivera, Janna Crocker, Joseph Byun and Cannon Crow.

An innovative, student-designed weight machine makes working out more accessible to people who use wheelchairs
blue lab coat with UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA in yellow stitching
Photo Credit
Matt Perko

A University of California multi-campus initiative strives to boost diversity within its STEM teaching faculty ranks
Two researchers, one male against exterior foliage background, one female against yellow studio background
Photo Credit
Courtesy Image
Carlos G. Levi and Thuc-quyen Nguyen

Professors Thuc-Quyen Nguyen and Carlos G. Levi are elected to the National Academy of Engineering
A leaf covered in water droplets
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Courtesy Photo
A superhydrophobic surface, such as lotus leaf, repels water due to tiny air pockets that prevent water from adhering to the surface

Researchers find the key to reducing drag on superhydrophobic surfaces can come down to a single parameter
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