The September/October 2015 issue of American Scientist tackles the subject of Ocean Cloaking in the cover article “A Protective Cloak Against Earthquakes and Storms,” referencing the research of ME Professor M. Reza Alam. The article discusses a novel type of cloaking device proposed by Professor Alam back in 2012, which would help protect against damaging …
ME PhD Students’ Research from the Laser Thermal Laboratory Published in Nature Materials
Dr. Hojeong Jeon and doctoral student Sangmo Koo of the Laser Thermal Laboratory LTL reported their work on the functionalization of the surface of biological devices by ablative direct laser writing in the August 20 issue of Nature Materials. Patterned surfaces with nanoscale craters can control the cell ability to stick to surfaces. This in …
ME alumnus Christopher Ategeka Partipates in First-Ever White House Demo Day
On August 4, 2015, President Obama hosted the first-ever White House Demo Day, which “”focused on inclusive entrepreneurship, welcoming startup founders from diverse walks of life and from across the country to showcase their innovations.”” Christopher Ategeka, who graduated with a BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley, was one of the lucky entrepreneurs …
ME PhD Student Zi Jing Wong Wins Best Paper Award at SPIE Conference
ME Professor Xiang Zhang’s PhD student Zi Jing Wong, has won the Best Student Paper award at the 2015 SPIE Active Photonic Materials Conference. Wong’s award winning paper, “Single Mode Parity-Time Laser,” discusses: “The concept of parity-time PT symmetry exploits the interplay between the material loss and gain to attain novel optical phenomena such as …
Special Issue of “Continuum Mechanics and Thermodynamics” Honors ME Professor David Steigmann
The July 2015 issue of Continuum Mechanics and Thermodynamics celebrates the award of the International Levi Civita Prize 2013 and the Engineering Science Medal conferred by the Society of Engineering Science 2013 to ME Professor David Steigmann. The issue highlights Professor Steigmann as “a distinguished scholar having made fundamental contributions to diverse areas of continuum …
ME Chair David Dornfeld named Faculty Director of the Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation
Congratulations to our department chair, ME Professor David Dornfeld, on being named the faculty director of the new Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation!  S. Shankar Sastry, dean of engineering at Berkeley, calls Professor Dornfeld “”that rare individual who can work at the intersection of technology design, manufacturability and real-world impact to spark creative problem-solving and innovation.”” The …
ME Students in the Lin Lab Featured on ABC7 News
Students in ME Professor Liwei Lin’s Lin Lab were featured this week on ABC7 KGO, talking about their work on the “”Smart Cap.”” The 3-D printed cap uses electronics to sense spoiled food, for instance, in that carton of milk that’s been sitting in your refrigerator for too long… or is that just us?!   To view the …
ME Professor Dennis K. Lieu Wins EDGD’s Distinguished Service Award
At the June 2015 annual meeting of the American Society for Engineering Education ASEE in Seattle, ME Professor Dennis K. Lieu was presented with the Distinguished Service Award DSA by the Engineering Design Graphics Division EDGD. The Distinguished Service Award is a the highest award given by EDGD, which is the oldest division within ASEE.
ME Professor Kameshwar Poolla Receives Siebel Energy Institute Grant
ME Professor Kameshwar Poolla has received a grant from the Siebel Energy Institute, a global university consortium focused on smart energy. The institute marked its debut on Monday by announcing 24 research grants nearing $1 million. The winning proposals, many of them led by Berkeley faculty, will accelerate improved performance in modern energy systems. Professor …
ME Lecturer Marcel Kristel Wins PSOW Essay Contest
Congratulations to ME Lecturer Marcel Kristel on winning the Protocol School of Washington’s alumni essay contest. The contest aligned with National Business Etiquette Week, and awarded the winner a day with Pamela Eyring, the president of the PSOW. Kristel has chosen to share the prize with UC Berkeley’s College of Engineering students, and has arranged for Eyring to provide …
‘Dean of Engineering, and ME Professor, S. Shankar Sastry Discusses Women in Engineering’
The Dean of Engineering, and ME Professor, S. Shankar Sastry discusses increasing the representation of   women in engineering, and highlights the Girls in Engineering program ME Professors Lisa Pruitt and Grace O’Connell participate in. Dean Sastry says, “”We are moving beyond good intentions with proven strategies for attracting more women to the field, sustaining their interest and fostering their leadership.””   Click …
‘ME Professor Alice Agogino Named an “Engineering Trailblazer” by UC Berkeley’
UC Berkeley calls ME Professor Alice Agogino an “”engineering trailblazer,”” and talks with her about gender, minorities and STEM for social justice in this latest article featured on the Berkeley.edu homepage. The article quotes Professor Agogino as saying, “”When I started at Berkeley, I would occasionally have classes in which there not a single woman. In required classes, there …
‘How to Grow the Back’ with ME Professor Grace O’Connell
UC Berkeley talks with ME Professor Grace O’Connell about “how to grow the back,” and the research happening in her Soft Tissue Biomechanics Lab. Professor O’Connell has been “at the heart of this research since graduate school. Now in her second year as assistant professor of mechanical engineering, she is adapting the technology with the aim of growing …
National Academy of Engineering Selects ME Professor Grace O’Connell for Symposium
Congratulations to ME Professor Grace O’Connell on being selected to participate in the National Academy of Engineering’s NAE 21st annual U.S. Frontiers of Engineering USFOE symposium! Engineers who are performing exceptional engineering research and technical work in a variety of disciplines were selected to come together for the 2 1/2 day event in September.   Click here to read the full …
American Society of Mechanical Engineers Features ME Professor Xiang Zhang in New Video
Our YouTube page now features a video by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers ASME, featuring ME Professor Xiang Zhang, who was awarded their Nancy DeLoye Fitzroy and Roland V. Fitzroy Medal last Fall. Professor Zhang was honored for his “pioneering contributions in metamaterials and the creation of the first optical superlens to overcome the …
ME Undergraduate Lavanya Jawaharlal Participates in Girls in Engineering Summer Camp
ME undergraduate Lavanya Jawaharlal and ME Professor Grace O’Connell were featured by Berkeley News for their participation in Girls in Engineering, a camp that gives middle school girls hands-on experience in engineering. The article says Jawaharlal ””insisted that the girls master the proper names and functions of the robotic parts they were about to assemble. They went over terms like chassis, micro-controller and breadboard, …
ME Professor Alice Agogino & Students Win Best Paper Awards at ICED15
Congratulations to ME Professor Alice Agogino, and her students, on winning two Reviewer’s Favourite “”Best Paper”” Awards at this year’s International Conference on Engineering Design! Professor Agogino presented a paper on Euiyoung Kim’s doctoral research, “Design Roadmapping: Challenges and Opportunities” by Euiyoung Kim, Shun Yao, and Agogino. The paper won the first Reviewers’ Favourite Award, which are the top 10% of reviewed …
ME Professor Liwei Lin’s 3D-Printed Smart Cap in the News
ME Professor Liwei Lin, and fellow UC Berkeley engineers, have developed a 3D-printed “smart cap” to help you keep track of spoiling foods. Berkeley News quotes Professor Lin as saying, “Our paper describes the first demonstration of 3D printing for working basic electrical components, as well as a working wireless sensor. One day, people may …
ME Professor Tarek I. Zohdi Appointed Co-Chairman of the National AmeriMech Symposium Series
ME Professor Tarek I. Zohdi has been appointed by the U. S. National Academy of Sciences and the National Research Council as a Co-Chairman with John Dabiri of the National AmeriMech Symposium Series for the U. S. National Committee for Theoretical and Applied Mechanics USNCTAM. AmeriMech symposia are intended to promote interactions among researchers in …
Alice Agogino in the Special Design Issue of Berkeley ENGINEER
“”What are we designing? Are we designing for those in extreme poverty? Are we designing for the human condition? I hope so, and I hope that becomes part of the Jacobs Institute story.”” –ME Professor Alice Agogino in the Special Design Issue of Berkeley ENGINEER.
Spring 2015 Commencement and ME Reception photos
Pictures from the Spring 2015 Commencement and the ME Reception are now up on our Facebook page!
Professor George C. Johnson receives Berkeley Faculty Service Award for 2015
Congratulations to ME Professor George C. Johnson on receiving the Berkeley Faculty Service Award for 2015. The award honors a member of the Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate who has given outstanding and dedicated service to the Berkeley campus.
Behind the scenes look at the ME Student Machine Shop
Ever wonder what kind of work goes into the projects and inventions that come from the Department of Mechanical Engineering? Well, all that magic happens in our ME Student Machine Shop, here in Etcheverry Hall. Take a behind-the-scenes look at the shop, and meet some of our students, faculty and shop staff that make it …
Grant awarded from Peder Sather Center for Advanced Study
ME Professor Alice Agogino, along with Dr. Sohyeong Kim and Professor Henry Chesbrough from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, recently won a grant from the Peder Sather Center for Advanced Study. This award will seed research on “Open Innovation in Food Innovation and Design: Comparative Case Study of California Cuisine and New Nordic Cuisine.
Aaron Wienkers selected as finalist to receive prestigious UC Berkeley’s University Medal
Aaron Wienkers, a recently graduated senior from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, was selected as one of five finalists to receive UC Berkeley’s prestigious University Medal, an honor that requires a 3.96 GPA and goes to those who have overcome challenges and are making a difference in people’s lives.