Photo: Emmanouela Filippidi with one of the iron-enriched samples A marine bivalve inspires researchers to find a new way to make stronger, more stretchy polymers A wide range of polymer-based materials, from tire rubber and wetsuit neoprene to Lycra clothing and silicone, are elastomers valued for their ability to flex and stretch without... read more »

The Department of Mechanical Engineering held its annual Convocation Ceremony on Wednesday, October 4th, 2017. At this special event, our community had the great pleasure of honoring the winner of our Distinguished Alumnus Award, Dr Modjtaba “Moji” Ghodoussi class of ’91 in recognition for outstanding contributions to telemedicine and medical robotic systems and welcoming... read more »

A transit pod prototype designed and built by a team of student engineers from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) demonstrated the potential for active magnetic levitation during the second round Hyperloop competition last weekend. The California Chamber of Commerce is among the supporters of the UCSB Hyperloop II team, which was among 25 chosen from 150... read more »

Roy Lunn, member of the Automotive Hall of Fame and friend to UCSB students, passed away on August 5th, 2017. In the spring of 2017, Roy was a mentor to a team of mechanical engineering students in the design of his electric “Peoples Car” intended to meet the needs of sustainability. Roy was a warm person and accomplished professional, and his ME197 Independent Studies... read more »

UC Santa Barbara mechanical engineer Paolo Luzzatto-Fegiz was frustrated. Once again, the delicate tip of the instrument he was using to measure water density — a conductivity probe — had broken, rendering the setup useless and his work in temporary limbo. Consisting of four small platinum electrodes housed in glass, the probe tip was thin and highly sensitive, capable... read more »

Imagine rescuers searching for people in the rubble of a collapsed building. Instead of digging through the debris by hand or having dogs sniff for signs of life, they bring out a small, air-tight cylinder. They place the device at the entrance of the debris and flip a switch. From one end of the cylinder, a tendril extends into the mass of stones and dirt, like a fast-... read more »

UCSB engineer shows how minimizing fluid friction can make oceangoing vessels more fuel-efficient and reduce harmful emissions. Imagine walking from one side of a swimming pool to the other. Each step takes great effort — that’s what makes water aerobics such effective physical exercise. The resistance you feel is caused by fluid friction — or drag — and it is the same... read more »

Graduate student Aimal Khankhel in the Biomolecular Science and Engineering Program at UCSB has won the prestigious and competitive NSF Graduate Research Fellowship for his research on developing new fundamental understanding of the role of mechanical signals in tissue development and maintenance. NSF Fellows are anticipated to become knowledge experts who can contribute... read more »

Every year, the Capstone Design Project program offers senior undergraduates throughout the College of Engineering the opportunity to work in teams to solve real-world problems over the course of their senior year at UCSB. Many of these projects are developed in collaboration with industry partners or UCSB research labs. At our Design Fair & Showcase, the student... read more »