News

  • Apr 20
    2023
       COE machine shop superintendent, Marty Ramirez (left), sets up a new CNC lathe, while semi-retired superintendent Andy Weinberg pauses beside a new CNC milling machine. Thanks to donor support, the College of Engineering (COE) Machine Shop, a source of valuable support to labs, faculty, and students, is undergoing a major renovation that will transform it into... read more »
  • Mar 24
    2023
    Mechanical Engineering PhD student Younghoon Kwon was recognized at the recent American Physical Society (APS) March Meeting in Las Vegas as a finalist for the Emerging Soft Matter Excellence (ESME) Award. This award of the APS Division of Soft Matter Physics (DSOFT) recognizes exceptional graduate students pursuing research in soft matter physics. Younghoon Kwon, who is... read more »
  • Mar 24
    2023
    Two papers from the UC Santa Barbara Mechanical Engineering Department have been selected by the Soft Matter Editorial Board as part of their 2022 Highlights Collection.  According to the journal: this online collection of twenty papers “features some of the most exciting articles published in Soft Matter during 2022.”  Al Crosby (Editor in Chief)... read more »
  • Mar 14
    2023
    The Future of Touch Researchers uncover physical limitation in haptic holography By Sonia Fernandez Wednesday, March 1, 2023 - 09:15 Santa Barbara, CA haptic-hologram-istock-uc-santa-barbara.jpg Yon Visell.png Yon Visell shock-waves-reardon.jpg The formation of shock waves creates a trailing wake pattern Photo Credit... read more »
  • Mar 13
    2023
    Professor Sauret's video "To Clog or Not to Clog?" won the American Physical Society Gallery of Soft Matter competition this year at the APS March Meeting.  The Gallery of Soft Matter showcases the aesthetic appeal and elegance of soft matter systems, to be shared both with fellow researchers and the public. Check out the video:
  • Feb 11
    2023
    Congratulations to Professor Irene Beyerlein for being named a 2023 Fellow of The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS). Beyerlein's citation reads "For seminal contributions to multi-scale modeling of deformation of polycrystalline metals, severe plastic deformation and interface-driven plasticity.” This award recognizes members of TMS who are qualified for... read more »
  • Feb 7
    2023
    Carlos Levi among elected 106 new members and 18 international members to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) on February 7, 2023. This brings the total U.S. membership to 2,420 and the number of international members to 319. Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Academy membership... read more »
  • Feb 6
    2023
  • Feb 2
    2023
    Streamlining the Situation Researchers find the key to reducing drag on superhydrophobic surfaces can come down to a single parameter By Sonia Fernandez Thursday, February 2, 2023 - 09:15 Santa Barbara, CA lotus-effect-superhydrophobic-surface-uc-santa-barbara.jpg A superhydrophobic surface, such as lotus leaf, repels water due to tiny air... read more »
  • Jan 19
    2023
    A BRITE Future Beth Pruitt receives a five-year NSF award to study sex-differentiated heart-cell responses to stress By James Badham Thursday, January 19, 2023 - 06:00 Santa Barbara, CA 22_9_20_BioECohort-03 (1).jpg Beth Pruitt Photo Credit:  COURTESY PHOTO Aiming to advance understanding of the different ways that male and... read more »
  • Jan 4
    2023
    A Multifaceted Sensation Researchers reveal an added layer of nuance in our sense of smell By Harrison Tasoff Wednesday, January 4, 2023 - 05:00 Santa Barbara, CA Jasmine.jpg Jasmine’s delicate fragrance becomes a pungent odor at high concentrations, illustrating the complexities of our sense of smell. Photo Credit:  SWILMOR VIA ISTOCK... read more »
  • Dec 28
    2022
    A Stem Cell’s Sense of Touch Researchers uncover how embryonic cells sense their mechanical environment to collectively form tissues By Sonia Fernandez Wednesday, December 28, 2022 - 08:00 Santa Barbara, CA stemcell-differentiation-naturecover-uc-santa-barbara.jpg Photo Credit:  BRIAN LONG Otger Campas.png Otger Campas Photo... read more »
  • Oct 31
    2022
    The Next Wonder Semiconductor With scanning ultrafast electron microscopy, researchers unveil promising hot photocarrier transport properties of cubic boron arsenide By Sonia Fernandez Monday, October 24, 2022 - 10:30 Santa Barbara, CA SUEM-uc-santa-barbara.jpeg The scanning ultrafast electron microscope (SUEM) couples a femtosecond pulsed... read more »
  • Sep 22
    2022
    In the summer of 2021, atop the coastal cliffs of Santa Barbara, California, Chris Keeley, then an undergraduate at the nearby university, crouched to pull a bundle of metal and rubber out of his backpack. It was a robot, which he spent several minutes winding up. When he was done, he hit record on his iPhone’s camera and watched the robot launch itself high into... read more »
  • Sep 12
    2022
    2022 Incoming Grad Series: Shantal Adajian by Chava Nerenberg, Graduate Programming Assistant Monday, September 12, 2022 7:27 AM   The 2022 Incoming Grad Series continues, featuring backstories and fun facts about 8 students who... read more »
  • Sep 1
    2022
    Professor Elliot Hawkes and group have been featured on the YouTube channel Veritasium highlighting their world's highest jumping robot. Congratulations to the whole team that contributed to this project.  Hawkes, E.W., Xiao, C., Peloquin, R., Keeley, C., Begley, M.R., Pope, M.T., & Niemeyer, G. (2022). Engineered jumpers overcome biological limits via work... read more »
  • Aug 22
    2022
    Assistant Professor, Yangying Zhu, has won a 2022 NASA Early Career Faculty Award for her project entitled "Characterization of Lithium-Ion Battery Cycling Through the Freeze-thaw Process". The extreme range of temperature oscillation (50 K – 350 K) in the lunar environment poses unique challenges to lithium-ion batteries, which need to hibernate during the lunar night (... read more »
  • Aug 17
    2022
    A deep dive into the relationship between cohesion and erosion By James Badham Tuesday, August 2, 2022 - 06:00 Santa Barbara, CA Comparisons_Grains.jpg The polymer-covered spherical glass beads used in the experiments. The grains at the top have a very thin coating and no cohesion; those at the bottom have a much thicker coating and are cohesive... read more »