Moonshots Engineering tomorrow's cures Moonshots Limitless distributed power Moonshots Embodied AI Moonshots Making quantum practical Moonshots Securing critical resources Moonshots Feeding the planet FacultyResearch September 24, 2026 · 7 min read Engineering Moonshots brings campus leaders together around six ambitious challenges Building a future powered by fusion energy. Delivering individualized therapies tailored to each patient. Feeding a growing global population. Making quantum technologies practical. Developing autonomous systems that enhance human capability. Securing the resources needed to…
Awards September 22, 2026 · 1 min read UW-Madison ranked 7th among publics in U.S. News undergraduate engineering rankings For the second straight year, the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering was ranked seventh overall among public universities in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Engineering Schools undergraduate rankings. Individual undergraduate program rankings (among…
Faculty September 18, 2026 · 4 min read Focus on new faculty: Douglas Carter studies the role of turbulence in aerospace applications Douglas Carter joined the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Mechanical Engineering as an assistant professor in August 2026. He is an expert in turbulent flows and unsteady aerodynamics. His research encompasses all aspects of turbulent…
Moonshot Engineering tomorrow's cures Research September 17, 2026 · 2 min read Mechanical engineering researchers discover new details about cellular ‘flow state’ As tissue changes shape—a wound healing, say, or an embryo growing—the cells slide alongside each other, elongating and behaving in a fluid-like manner at the microscopic level. But in certain contexts, such as cancer metastasis,…
Research September 9, 2026 · 3 min read UW-Madison engineers design ultra-stable composites for future space telescopes Four years ago, the challenge NASA set before Ramathasan Thevamaran was—to put it lightly—considerable. As part of its 2022 Early Career Faculty awards, the agency solicited proposals to create composite materials capable of maintaining exceptional…
FacultyResearch August 28, 2026 · 5 min read With a body-hugging fit, an innovative composite can thwart lightning damage to aircraft hulls A team of University of Wisconsin-Madison engineers has designed a protective hybrid fiber-reinforced polymer composite “blanket” that could significantly reduce lightning strike damage and improve protective coverage for aircraft and other high-flying vehicles. The research…
Moonshots Limitless distributed power Moonshots Making quantum practical GivingResearch August 25, 2026 · 6 min read $27M WARF investment fuels next frontiers in research A $27 million investment from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) will accelerate four University of Wisconsin-Madison high-impact transdisciplinary research initiatives—two of which are led or co-led by College of Engineering researchers. Building on existing…
Research August 24, 2026 · 3 min read Hidden ‘gear-shifting’ strategy helps power every step A team of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers has discovered the muscles in our lower legs work much like a bicycle shifting through gears during walking. As your ankle speeds up during each step, your nervous…
FacultyResearch August 21, 2026 · 6 min read In it for the long haul: Will electric semis work, and what’s next for heavy-duty trucks, ships, and off-road machinery? Sage Kokjohn is the Phil and Jean Myers Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A member of the College of Engineering’s Engine Research Center, Kokjohn researches energy conversion for transportation and power…
Research August 12, 2026 · 3 min read Aluminum-air battery cuts robot energy-storage mass by 41% A robotic rover powered by a new aluminum-air battery completed the same 60-kilometer mission as a lithium-ion-powered rover while carrying 41% less total energy-storage mass. Developed by University of Wisconsin-Madison engineers James Pikul and Yichao…