Department Features
Dreams for the Sky
CU drones target severe storms to improve tornado forecasts. Brian Argrow, professor in aerospace engineering sciences , approached Eric Frew, associate professor of aerospace engineering sciences, about his interest in using unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to study severe storms. “It was fascinating and I knew I was on board,” says...
The Light Stuff
Computing speed takes a giant leap forward thanks to a new photonics-based microchip When it came to building a better microchip, Miloš Popovic and his fellow researchers turned to an unusual, but powerful, ally: light. The groundbreaking result, which debuted in 2015 after nearly ten years of development, is the...
Researchers Tackle Cyberbullying
For many teens, cruel digital messages are a disturbing part of their daily social experience. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 15 percent of high school students were cyberbullied in the past year, and more than 55 percent of LGBT students experienced cyberbullying. Unlike face-to-face bullying,...
Getting Personal
Everyone knows that no two humans are alike, but Kristi Anseth, the Tisone Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, is focusing her recent workon making sure biomaterials “know” it also. It’s this kind of thinking that has helped lead Anseth and her group on an odyssey to transform the medical...
A Helping Hand
Prosthetic limb designer helps clients get back to the business of life. Jacob Segil meets some interesting people in his line of work. Segil, an instructor in the Engineering Plus Program and the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has been collaborating with research groups around the world in recent years to...
Waste Not, Want Not
CU-Boulder engineers aim to turn America’s dirty water into cleaner air, energy for industry Cleaning up municipal and industrial wastewater can be dirty business, but Zhiyong (Jason) Ren and his colleagues have developed the ultimate presto chango: an innovative treatment method that mitigates carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and creates renewable...
Tech for Trunks
Tourism brings in billions of American dollars for the East African country of Tanzania. It accounted for nearly 13 percent of the country’s economy, totaled nearly $2 billion in 2013, and continues to rise. But a sophisticated and well-funded enemy threatens Tanzania’s tourism: big game poachers. According to a report...
Profiles
Matossian's Search
As an Apollo generation kid in the Washington D.C. area, Mark Matossian (AeroEngr MS ’93, PhD ’95) remembers watching the live moon landings on television, then wandering outside at night squinting at that very same celestial body, trying to see the lunar module. “That time ignited…wonder,” says Matossian, head of...
Saving Businesses from Patent Trolls
All in a day’s work for chemical engineering grad-turned-lawyer Amy Kramer Intellectual property attorneys don’t bask in the spotlight, but they are a company’s best friend when it comes to protecting IP rights. Instead of taking victory laps for defending against increasingly common infringement cases, intellectual property attorneys are likely...
Pay it Forward
Alumnus funds up to 20 architectural engineering scholarships a year Every year, David DeCook (ArchEngr ’71) hosts a dinner for new recipients of his architectural engineering scholarship. When he meets them, he likes to issue a challenge. “We want you to try to do the same we’re doing for you,”...
Wearable Technology
Halley Profita and Dana Hughes could have spent spring break playing outside. Both were drawn to Colorado’s outdoor activities when choosing CU-Boulder for their doctoral studies. Hughes and his wife like mountain biking; Profita and her boyfriend enjoy hiking Colorado’s lofty peaks. But these computer scientists spent their 2014 break...
Competing for CU-Boulder
Twenty-six students in the College of Engineering and Applied Science are also NCAA athletes who compete in CU-Boulder sports. We checked in with five of them to see what it’s like to be in a demanding sport in the Pac-12 Conference while navigating through challenging engineering courses and projects. Haley...
