In response to a growing demand for researchers and developers in the fields of aviation, defense and space exploration, Berkeley Engineering has added a new aerospace engineering major to its portfolio of academic disciplines. The full undergraduate program will include a bachelor of science degree in aerospace engineering — with requirements that will allow students to pursue …
Team CERBERUS Wins DARPA Subterranean Challenge
Team CERBERUS won the DARPA Subterranean Challenge and a $2,000,000 prize reward that comes along! Team CERBERUS is an international consortium involving the University of Nevada Reno (prime contract), ETH Zurich, NTNU, University of California Berkeley, University of Oxford, Flyability, and Sierra Nevada Corporation. The Team Leader is Prof. Dr. Kostas Alexis – of NTNU’s …
‘Extremely cutting-edge’: UC Berkeley scientists revive frozen heart tissue
UC Berkeley researchers completed a study successfully reviving human heart tissue after preserving it in subfreezing conditions for one to three days. The study was conducted by Boris Rubinsky, Professor of the Graduate School in the department of mechanical engineering, and Kevin Healy, professor of bioengineering, materials science and engineering. Other contributors include Matthew Powell-Palm, …
Cold-hearted science: Supercooling technique advances preservation of human tissue
Researchers at UC Berkeley successfully revived human heart tissue after it had been preserved in a subfreezing, supercooled state for 1 to 3 days. By preserving the cardiac tissue at a constant volume in a rigid isochoric chamber, researchers were able to prevent the formation of ice crystals that could have damaged the micro heart …
With a damp TV, Berkeley engineers demonstrate the potential of a green energy harvester
Watching television in the shower might not rank terribly high on the scale of today’s available personal-tech indulgences. But imagine if the TV — or other small electronic device — was powered by water vapor billowing up from the marble floor tiles. Such moisture-induced energy harvesting is what UC Berkeley researchers, led by mechanical engineering …
Humans of Fung: Jack Miller, MEng ’15
Jack Miller graduated from the Berkeley MEng in 2015 where he studied Mechanical Engineering. Since graduation, he co-founded Move2Play, an interactive technology company whose mission is to inspire kids to be active and engaged. Now, he returns to the MEng program as an advisor for an industry-sponsored capstone project. Here, he shares more about his …
Humans of Fung: Priyaj Mehta, MEng ’20
Priyaj Mehta graduated from the Berkeley MEng in 2020 where he studied Mechanical Engineering with a focus on sustainable energy. Here, Priyaj speaks about his capstone experience and how networking within MEng helped him land his current role as Associate Mechanical Design Engineer at Tesla.
MEng students launch a campus-based marketplace
The Treasure Exchange or TreasureX is an online marketplace intended to connect buyers and sellers within the UC Berkeley student community to encourage resale of working, functional items and to alleviate problematic waste during move-out season.
New food freezing concept improves quality, increases safety and cuts energy use
Shifting to a new food freezing method could make for safer and better quality frozen foods while saving energy and reducing carbon emissions, according to a new study. A complete change over to this new method of food freezing worldwide could cut energy use by as much as 6.5 billion kilowatt-hours each year while reducing …
ME Emeritus Professor Ronald Yeung Presented With Distinguished Achievement Award at OTC-2021
ME Emeritus Professor Ronald Yeung was named to receive the OTC 2020 Distinguished Achievement Award. A belated presentation ceremony, due to the pandemic, at NRG Center, Houston, was made on August 15, 2021. Professor Yeung was recognized “for his 45-year career in educating a generation of naval architects and ocean engineers, as well as, his fundamental …
A Framework for a Hydrogen Economy
Ravi Prasher is an Adjunct Professor at the University of California, Berkeley. He has more than 20 years of experience in working in R&D in large industry, startup, government, and academia. He was one of the first program directors at ARPA-E in the US Department of Energy. Prasher has published more than 100 papers on …
Seaweed Farms in River Estuaries Significantly Reduce Nitrogen Concentrations and Prevent Environmental Pollution
A new study by Tel Aviv University and Berkeley University proposes a model according to which the establishment of seaweed farms near river estuaries significantly reduces nitrogen concentrations in the river and prevents environmental pollution in streams and oceans. The study was headed by doctoral student Miron Zulman, under the joint counseling of Prof. Alexander …
National Science Foundation awards $10M to alliance of Native American institutions, UC Berkeley, and UArizona to increase Indigenous participation in higher ed
BERKELEY, CA – August 5, 2021 – The UC Berkeley Blum Center for Developing Economies announced today that a wide range of academic programing around food, energy, and water systems (FEWS) designed by and for Native Americans and other underrepresented student groups will expand substantially as a result of a new $10 million National Science …
UC wildfire symposium focuses on wildland-urban interface
UC scientists and researchers discussed fire in the wildland-urban interface, or WUI, at the second UC wildfire symposium Wednesday. UC President Michael Drake began by explaining what was discussed in the first wildfire symposium before touching on the WUI, where the built environment comes in contact with the natural lands. “Here in California, we are seeing firsthand …
Nature’s unsung superheroes? Mushrooms!
While Fiat Vox is on summer break, we have been revisiting some of our favorite episodes. In this episode, first released in 2018, we talk with then-Ph.D. candidate Sonia Travaglini, who is now on staff at the Fung Institute for Engineering Leadership at Berkeley, about how we could use fungi to mitigate all sorts of …
The Art of Engineering: Berkeley Engineering alum blurs the line between art and science
Is engineering an art or a science? Most of us would place it firmly in the latter camp: with the careful application of specific rules and factors, it’s a broad discipline based on scientific and mathematic principles. But at least one Berkeley Engineering alumnus sees it differently. Alireza Lahijanian (B.S.’09, M.S.’10 ME) is the co-founder of …
Humans of Fung: Hector Gomez, MEng ’21
Hector Gomez is a recent Berkeley MEng graduate who studied Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Controls of Robotic and Autonomous Systems. For his undergraduate degree, he studied Mechanical Engineering at San Jose State University. Here, he shares what inspired him to pursue a Master of Engineering degree as a first-generation student, DACA recipient, and …
Insect-sized robot navigates mazes with the agility of a cheetah
Many insects and spiders get their uncanny ability to scurry up walls and walk upside down on ceilings with the help of specialized sticky footpads that allow them to adhere to surfaces in places where no human would dare to go. Engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, have used the principle behind these some …
ME Assistant Professor Hannah Stuart Named One of Six 2021 Johnson & Johnson WiSTEM2D Scholars
Garnering more than 650 applications from 40 countries, the Company recognizes female researchers for their groundbreaking work in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, Manufacturing and Design (STEM2D). Each recipient will receive $150,000 in funding and three years of mentorship from Johnson & Johnson to investigate optimizing cancer immunotherapy, reducing health and climate impacts of plastic, promoting …
Join Us as We Celebrate the 2021 Berkeley Engineering Graduates!
Congratulations 2021 graduates! The College of Engineering is hosting virtual commencement ceremonies for eligible students, their family and friends on Thursday, May 20. All undergraduate and graduate students graduating in Fall 2020, Spring 2021 and Summer 2021 are eligible to participate.
Fung Feature: Shreyas Bhayana, MEng ’19
Shreyas graduated from the Berkeley MEng program in 2019 with a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering and concentration in product design. Here, he shares about his journey through the MEng program, his current work, and his advice for future students.
Tam Union Board Renames Drake School for ME Alum Archie Williams
The trustees of the Tamalpais Union High School District have approved Archie Williams High School as the new name to replace Sir Francis Drake, the San Anselmo high school’s moniker for the past 70 years. The 5-0 vote on Tuesday, after more than an hour of public comment, followed last Thursday’s near-unanimous choice of Williams by the …
ME Ph.D. Student Yakira Mirabito Receives NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
Among universities across the nation, UC Berkeley has historically topped the list of National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellows. This prestigious and competitive fellowship provides significant funding over one to three years, allowing students to pursue important research in fields ranging from cognitive neuroscience and bioengineering to public policy and particle physics. Since 2015, the …
Announcing Sharjeel Laeeq as 2021 Jengyee Prize Recipient
Congratulations to Sharjeel Laeeq for winning the 2021 Jengyee Prize, Leadership for a Better World scholarship. Sharjeel is a graduating senior in Mechanical Engineering who recently helped a neglected town in Pakistan to install a Reverse Osmosis (RO) system to provide more clean drinking water to residents utilizing his own funds. He plans to further expand his efforts this summer. Sharjeel also serves as …
Introducing UC Berkeley’s interim head of undergraduate education: ME Professor Oliver O’Reilly
Chancellor Carol T. Christ and Paul Alivisatos, executive vice chancellor and provost, sent the following message to the campus community on We are pleased to announce that Oliver M. O’Reilly has agreed to serve as interim vice provost for undergraduate education. This appointment is effective on July 1, 2021. Oliver is a professor in the …