News

A Top Ten Robot Hawkes' Soft, Growing Robot Among Science Robotics' Top Robotics Technologies

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

When you think of robots, it’s likely the image that pops into your head is one of a rigid, perhaps humanoid metallic machine with electro-mechanical actuators and calculated movements. Which is all the more reason why, when UC Santa Barbara mechanical engineering assistant professor Elliot Hawkes’ pliable, pneumatic-powered soft robot came along, it was considered so innovative. And it’s now been named one of Science Robotics’ “Ten robotics technologies of the year.”

'Tremendous Contributions' Professor Otger Campas receives New Investigator Award

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

For his “tremendous contributions to our understanding of the mechanics of tissue and organ formation,” the Society for Developmental Biology (SDB) has honored Campàs with the 2019 Elizabeth D. Hay New Investigator Award.

Professor Irene Beyerlein named the Mehrabian Interdisciplinary Professor in the College of Engineering

Thursday, February 14, 2019

The Mechanical Engineering Department is pleased to announce a new professorship, the Mehrabian Interdisciplinary Endowed Chair.  This Chaired Professorship was established by Robert and Victoria Mehrabian, longtime friends and benefactors of the UCSB College of Engineering, to support the scholarly activities of a faculty member jointly appointed between the Materials and Mechanical Engineering departments.

UCSB Experiment Included in First 8k Video in Space

Friday, November 2, 2018

UCSB’s experiment, from the Luzzatto-Fegiz Laboratory, has been included in the first 8k video filmed in space, which showcases the broad range of research aboard the ISS. The experiment appears around the 1:30 mark. Below you can find a video and the full article from NASA or check out the NASA website: https://www.nasa.gov/8k-science.

Professor Paolo Luzzatto-Fegiz develops ways to improve wind farm productivity

Monday, October 8, 2018

You’ve probably seen them, perhaps on long roadtrips: wind turbines with enormous, hypnotic rolling blades, harnessing the clean power of wind for conversion into electric energy. What you may not know is that for the explosion in the number of wind turbines in use as we embrace cleaner sources of energy, these wind farms are quite possibly not as productive as they could be.

5th Annual Southern California Micro and Nanofluidics Symposium was held on Friday August 24th at the Los Angeles Arboretum

Thursday, October 4, 2018

The 5th annual Southern California Micro and Nanofluidics Symposium was held on Friday, August 24th, 2018 at the Los Angeles County Arboretum. This year’s symposium, generously sponsored by Amgen and UCLA California NanoSystems Institute, brought together students and faculty from UC campuses to share research ideas and progress, seek opportunities for collaboration, and learn more about recent developments in the field of micro- and nano-fluidics.

Professor Campas' lab uncovers how tissues and organs are physically sculpted in a recent work published in Nature

Thursday, September 6, 2018

Ever wondered how groups of cells managed to build your tissues and organs while you were just an embryo?

Using state-of-the-art techniques he developed, UC Santa Barbara researcher Otger Campàs and his group have cracked this longstanding mystery, revealing the astonishing inner workings of how embryos are physically constructed. Not only does it bring a century-old hypothesis into the modern age, the study and its techniques provide the researchers a foundation to study other questions key to human health, such as how cancers form and spread or how to engineer organs.

Linda Petzold Named Inaugural Mehrabian Chair

Monday, June 11, 2018

Linda Petzold, has been installed as the inaugural Mehrabian Endowed Chair in the UC Santa Barbara College of Engineering (CoE).

Professor Tyler Susko receives College of Engineering Outstanding Faculty Award for Mechanical Engineering!

Friday, May 4, 2018

The Department is pleased to announce that Professor Tyler Susko is the recipient of the prestigious College of Engineering Faculty Award for Mechanical Engineering!  Due to the generosity of John and Sheila Lake, this will be accompanied by an award of $500. 

Congratulations Professor Susko!

Graduate Student Simone Stewart awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.

Wednesday, May 2, 2018

The Department is excited to announce that our graduate student Simone Stewart has been awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship!