College of Engineering - University of Wisconsin-Madison

Mechanics Seminar: Professor Matthew Brake
2025-09-19 12:05 - 12:55 (America/Chicago) | 3M Auditorium, rm 1106 Mechanical Engineering Building, 1513 University Ave, Madison, 53711
The Mechanics Seminar Series is a weekly seminar given by campus and visiting speakers on topics across the spectrum of mechanics research (solids, fluids, and dynamics). Professor Matthew Brake is an Associate Professor at Rice University.

Presentation Title: Videographic Modal Analysis

Abstract: Experimental modal analysis is a classical tool that has formed the basis of modern vibration testing and qualification. Despite this, the process of experimental modal analysis is largely reliant upon techniques from over 60 years ago. Typical experiments of large structures can take months of planning and setup, and require thousands of channels of accelerometer data. To lower the cost and time associated with vibration testing, Videographic Modal Analysis (VMA) combines recent advances in data science, image processing, and traditional modal analysis concepts. First, natural frequencies are identified from videos of an experiment using a deep learning algorithm. Once these frequencies are identified, optical flow, phase-based motion magnification, and edge detection techniques are automatically applied to quantitatively characterize the mode shapes of the structure. Without instrumentation, we can now identify mode shapes and natural frequencies of arbitrary structures in real-world settings (not just beams vibrating in labs!). This talk will present the science behind VMA and demonstrate its applicability.

Bio: Prof. Brake started at Rice University in 2016 after working at Sandia National Laboratories for nine years. Prior to Sandia, Prof. Brake graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 2007. Prof. Brake has been elected to several leadership positions, including as the director of the International Committee on Joint Mechanics, the chair of the Nonlinear Dynamics Technical Division of SEM, and the chair of the ASME Technical Committee on Vibration and Sound. He is a recipient of the 2012 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the 2018 C.D. Mote Jr Early Career Award, and the National Science Foundation Career Award. His primary research interests are in data-driven experimentation, multi-scale and multi-physics modeling, vibration, tribology, uncertainty propagation, structural health monitoring, and nonlinear dynamics.

Public Town Hall on National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing
2025-09-18 18:00 - 20:00
This town hall will gather information from the advanced manufacturing community in the Wisconsin area for the 2026 – 2030 National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing, which guides Federal efforts to enhance the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing. The plan is revised every four years to provide new federal priorities in advanced manufacturing research and development, aiming to create jobs, boost economic growth across various sectors, and strengthen national security. This town hall session augments an online Request for Information (RFI), enabling participants to voice their views and help identify priority areas.

CBE Seminar Series: Pramod Wangikar
2025-09-18 16:00 - 17:00
Seminar 9-10am at Union South Landmark Room

Pramod WangikarChair Professor for Green Chemistry and Industrial BiotechnologyDepartment of Chemical EngineeringIndian Institute of Technology BombayMumbai, India

Harnessing Metabolomics for Precision Medicine and Fermentation

Metabolomics is an emerging tool in bioengineering research, based on profiling hundreds of metabolites in biological systems to provide a detailed view of cellular metabolism. In this evolving field, success hinges on advanced data acquisition methods, particularly mass spectrometry coupled with liquid chromatography (LC–MS) or gas chromatography (GC–MS). We present specific use cases from our research that demonstrate the transformative potential of metabolomics in understanding and manipulating biological systems for healthcare and industrial applications:

Biomarker Discovery in Metabolic Disorders: We used untargeted metabolomics to discover novel biomarkers for chronic metabolic disorders. In patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), we identified distinct panels of metabolites associated with the risk of kidney and cardiovascular complications. These biomarkers hold potential for diagnostic tools offering greater predictive power and clinical efficacy than the standard glucose test.

Fermentation Optimization via Spent Media Analysis: Metabolomic analysis of spent culture media reveals critical insights into cellular metabolism in fermentation processes. By integrating these data with genome-scale metabolic models through constraint-based modeling, we optimized nutrient supplementation strategies, achieving substantial improvements in product yield with minimal experimental trials.

Handling large, complex datasets from untargeted metabolomics presents a significant challenge due to data complexity and noise. To streamline the analysis of such large metabolomics datasets, we developed MSOne, an AI-based platform that automates and accelerates data processing. Additionally, we leverage MetaMine, a repository derived from thousands of public-domain metabolomics studies that supports comparative analysis and meta-level insights. Together, these tools serve as essential resources for addressing challenges in large-scale metabolomics data handling and interpretation, reinforcing the promise of metabolomics in precision medicine and industrial biotechnology

ME 903 Graduate Seminar: Mike Molnar
2025-09-18 16:00 - 17:00 | 3M Auditorium, rm 1106 Mechanical Engineering Building, 1513 University Ave, Madison, 53711
The ME 903: Graduate Student Lecture Series features campus and visiting speakers who present on a variety of research topics in the field of mechanical engineering. Michael Molnar (BSME ’85) is the founding director of the Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office at NIST.

Presentation Title: The Federal Role in Accelerating Technology and Manufacturing Innovation

Abstract: The development of critical and emerging technologies plays a key role in U.S. national and economic security. Since the founding of our nation the role of the federal government has been clear on national security but a matter of considerable debate on the broader economic security. Beginning with Alexander Hamilton’s Report on Manufactures through Vannevar Bush’s Science, the Endless Frontier, to today – the principles of an innovation policy are clear. What though is the federal role in industrial policy with a free market system?

Several successful models have emerged, all having elements of partnership to support industry and academia. Manufacturing USA is an example of industry-led public private partnerships. Established as a program just ten years ago as applied research institutes on emerging technologies, these institutes feature mass collaboration of industry and academia on projects of technology acceleration, supply chain and workforce development. Some 18 institutes are currently in the national network with a new institute on Artificial Intelligence for Resilient Manufacturing planned this year. The talk concludes with briefly contrasting other engagement models, such as Operation Warp Speed, for accelerating technology.

Bio: Mike is the founding director of the Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office, the interagency team responsible for the Manufacturing USA network of applied research manufacturing innovation institutes. He also leads the NIST Office of Advanced Manufacturing and serves as co-chair of the National Science and Technology Council, Subcommittee on Advanced Manufacturing – the White House team responsible for the National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing. Prior to joining federal service in 2011 Mike had a successful industry career, including 25 years leading manufacturing and technology development at Cummins, a U.S. based global company that designs and manufactures engines and power generation products. Mike is a proud Badger, with two of his degrees from the University of Wisconsin – a Mechanical Engineering B.S. and one of the first graduates of the Manufacturing Systems Engineering Masters program.

NEEP Seminar Series: Brelon J. May, Idaho National Laboratory
2025-09-18 12:00 - 13:00
Thursday, September 1812:00 – 1:00pm106 Engineering Research BuildingPlease contact office@neep.wisc.edu for assistance with remote participation.

Epitaxial Nitrides: Bringing Squares and Triangles TogetherThe world of nitride materials is vast; it is comprised of extremely stable materials and yet remains relatively underexplored. Individual nitride materials display exceptional properties and are used in a wide variety of structural, electrochemical, photochemical, and plasmonic applications. The hexagonal wurtzite-structured group III-Nitride materials are nearly ubiquitous in optoelectronic, photonic, and high-power devices due to many factors, including the large variation in bandgap spanning from the infrared to the deep ultraviolet. Recent research has pursued the combination of this well-established material system with other transition-metal nitrides for the creation of complex heterostructures which display interesting optical, electronic, and quantum effects. The metastable cubic zincblende phase of GaN provides an attractive alternative as a wide bandgap cubic material direct gap of 3.2 eV and the increased symmetry of cubic structures could resolve issues with internal polarization fields and simplify interfacing with other cubic materials. Transition metal, rare earth, and actinide nitrides often share a stable rocksalt structure, and many have been employed in applications requiring mechanical or thermal stability in harsh environments. Additionally, many of these materials have notable, magnetic, superconducting, or plasmonic properties, and precise integration could facilitate wide ranging investigations.

This work will discuss how molecular beam epitaxy is used to synthesize and dope hexagonal and cubic nitrides and integrate them into precise heterostructures. Reflection high energy electron diffraction, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy reveal the epitaxial quality of single layer films and superlattices. The electrical transport properties of superconducting, metallic, and insulating epitaxial cubic and hexagonal nitrides will be discussed. The properties show strong dependence on growth parameters, but similar growth windows were found for GaN and some metal nitrides, which allows for fabrication of metal-dielectric multilayers which could be used for optical metamaterials. These results provide new platforms for epitaxial superconductor-semiconductor-magnetic systems comprised of group-III, transition metal, rare earth, and actinide elements expanding possibilities of band engineering, spintronics, quantum science and heavy element systems.

Brelon J. MayBrelon May is an applied physicist at Idaho National Laboratory using molecular beam epitaxy to synthesize single-crystalline thin films based on actinides, lanthanides, and transition metals. His research aims to facilitate the understanding and enable utilization of the unique physics that arise in highly correlated materials and to leverage single crystals as platforms for investigating relationships between complex systems. His interests include superconductivity, magnetism, and epitaxial integration of dissimilar material systems for the creation of multi-functional hierarchical matter.

His fascination for thin film deposition started when he was at Clarkson University, where he received his bachelor’s in chemical engineering (2013) and helped with deposition of polycrystalline solar cells using a Crayola airbrush and a hotplate. He earned his doctorate at The Ohio State University in materials science and engineering where he received the Presidential Fellowship. There, he worked on the vacuum deposition of several material systems including wide bandgap oxides and 2D selenide-based materials, but his focus was on the growth of nitride nanowires and fabrication of ultraviolet LEDs. Before joining Idaho National Laboratory, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, where he developed a method to reduce the cost of high efficiency solar cells, through combining traditional III-V material deposition techniques with water soluble alkali halides.

ISyE - IISE event: Boeing at UW-Madison
2025-09-17 17:00 - 19:00 | 1610 Engineering Hall, 1415 Engineering Drive, Madison, 53711
Join IISE in welcoming reps from Boeing to campus.

Boeing is coming to UW-Madison! Join IISE for a chance to learn and hear from reps and employees of this aircraft industry leader. There will be food provided!The Boeing Company is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support services.

Rivos Tech Talk sponsored by IEEE-HKN
2025-09-16 17:00 - 18:00 | 4610 Engineering Hall, 1415 Engineering Drive, Madison, 53711
Join us for an exciting tech talk with Rivos, a leader in RISC-V technology, as visiting members share insights into open instruction set architectures and their real-world applications. This event is tailored for students with a background in computer architecture who are eager to learn more about cutting-edge developments in the field.Don’t miss the opportunity to engage directly with industry experts and ask questions!

Pizza will be available for all attendees.

4610 Engineering Hall

Sign Up Today!

UW-ISyE Welcome Back Picnic
2025-09-16 16:00 - 18:00 | 1602 Vilas Park Dr., 1602 Vilas Park Dr., Madison, 53715
All ISyE students are invited to stop by the Vilas Park to meet the faculty, staff and fellow students of the UW-ISyE Dept. Burgers, Chicken, and vegan options will be available and games will be provided. Free department swag for all attendees!

ECE Discovery Panel: Computer Systems & Architecture
2025-09-16 12:20 - 12:50 | 2317 Engineering Hall, 1415 Engineering Drive, Madison, 53711
Engineering undergraduates! Join us in 2317 Engineering Hall as faculty members explore the technical area of Computer Systems and Architecture! All undergraduate students are welcome as Teaching Faculty Eric Hoffman, Associate Professor Joshua San Miguel, and Professor Azadeh Davoodi talk about application ideas, advanced course electives in this area, and future job opportunities. It’s a great place to ask your questions about classes and career paths in this growing ECE field.

Jimmy John’s sandwiches will be served after the panel.

Eric Hoffman

Joshua San Miguel

Azadeh Davoodi

BME Seminar Series: Allen Garner PhD
2025-09-15 12:00 - 13:00 | 1003 (Tong Auditorium) Engineering Centers Building, 1550 Engineering Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Electrical Manipulation of Biological Cells: Models and Applications

Allen Garner, PhD, PEProfessor, Graduate Program ChairSchool of Nuclear EngineeringPurdue University

Electric waveforms, including electric pulses (EPs) and alternating current (AC) fields, such as radiofrequency and high-power microwaves, can induce deleterious or beneficial effects that require additional characterization. We combine thermal models with the Smoluchowski equation to assess the interactions of EP and AC waveforms with biological cells. We further develop a computationally efficient model based on the asymptotic Smoluchowski to screen biological response over seven orders of magnitude of pulse duration with excellent agreement between simulated electroporation and experimental observations. Applications in microorganism inactivation, natural products for cancer therapy, platelet activation, and stem cell stimulation will be discussed.

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INFORMS Kick-off Meeting
2025-09-12 14:00 - 15:00 | 3127 Mechanical Engineering, Madison, 53717
Please join UW-Madison’s INFORMS student chapter for their fall kick-off meeting.

INFORMS is the largest professional association for the decision and data sciences. Come learn what INFORMS is all about, meet fellow students, and hear about upcoming events and opportunities. All are welcome!

Mechanics Seminar: Professor Joseph Andrews
2025-09-12 12:05 - 12:55 | 3M Auditorium, rm 1106 Mechanical Engineering Building, 1513 University Ave, Madison, 53711
The Mechanics Seminar Series is a weekly seminar given by campus and visiting speakers on topics across the spectrum of mechanics research (solids, fluids, and dynamics). Professor Joseph Andrews is a professor at UW-Madison.

ISyE -IISE - Bonfire & Smores Night
2025-09-11 18:00 - 20:00 | Picnic Point (Fire Pit 4), Enter from University Bay Drive, Madison
Join the IISE student organization for this social networking event at Picnic Point! (And earn 1 DM point!)

Human Factors & Ergonomics Society (HFES) Kick-off Meeting
2025-09-11 16:00 - 17:30 | 3210 Mechanical Engineering Building, 1513 University Avenue, Madison, 53706
Meet the board, learn about human factors opportunities, and connect with fellow students. Pizza provided!

RSVP here!

CBE Seminar Series: Ted Lightfoot
2025-09-11 16:00 - 17:00
Reception 3:30-4:00pm (2-story space besides 1610 E Hall)

E.J. (Ted) LightfootTed Lightfoot ConsultingAmherst, NY

Transport Phenomena and Coating Science

In the 1960s Transport Phenomena triggered a shift in engineering education from engineering technology to engineering science. In the 1970s the more advanced coating companies (in the photographic, magnetic tape, and paper industries) began to undertake fundamental studies of the formation and drying of thin liquid layers on a moving solid substrate. Over the next fifty years, tremendous progress has been made in understanding how transport phenomena (including rheology, fluid mechanics, and both internal and external mass transport) affect the production of coated layers applied to a range of substrates. This talk will review the history of mathematical modeling of the transport processes encountered in the coating industry as well as several opportunities for fundamental advancement that could benefit battery and fuel cell manufacture as well as the development of Perovskite solar cells. Although the talk will review the use of mathematical tools to describe key physical phenomena important to the industry, the emphasis will be on human factors — both cultural biases and the individual people who have shaped the field.

ME 150th Celebration: Distinguished Alumni, Dean Devesh Ranjan
2025-09-11 16:00 - 17:00 | 3M Auditorium, rm 1106 Mechanical Engineering Building, 1513 University Ave, Madison, 53711
To celebrate 150 years of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, the Department of Mechanical Engineering will feature distinguished alumni in mechanical engineering and engineering mechanics who have made a lasting impact on the field. Newly appointed dean to the College of Engineering, Devesh Ranjan graduated from UW-Madison with his master’s degree in 2005 and his doctorate in 2007. To learn more about Dean Ranjan’s experience, please join us for this installment of our ME 903: Graduate Student Lecture series.

NEEP Seminar Series: Paul Cosgrove & Valeria Raffuzzi, University of Cambridge
2025-09-11 12:00 - 13:00
Thursday, September 1112:00 – 1:00pm106 Engineering Research BuildingPlease contact office@neep.wisc.edu for assistance with remote participation.

Short-cutting critical searches with the zeta-eigenvalue equationCriticality searches, such as finding the boron concentration or control rod position that makes a reactor critical, are usually performed through repeated k-eigenvalue calculations. This presentation will introduce a new approach based on the zeta-eigenvalue, a scaling parameter applied to material densities or system dimensions in the neutron transport equation. At convergence, zeta directly yields the critical density or dimension. This talk will go through the theory, its implementation in the SCONE Monte Carlo code, and numerical results relevant to reactor physics and criticality safety.

Valeria RaffuzziValeria Raffuzzi is a Research Associate at the University of Cambridge. She holds a BSc in Energy Engineering from Politecnico di Milano, an MSc in Nuclear Engineering from ETH Zurich, and a PhD from the University of Cambridge. Her research focuses on developing and analysing Monte Carlo methods for neutron transport, and on nuclear data evaluation and validation.

Paul CosgrovePaul is an assistant teaching professor and research fellow at the University of Cambridge. After graduating from Queen’s, Belfast in chemical engineering (2014), he moved to Cambridge where obtained his MPhil in Nuclear Energy (2016) and PhD in engineering (2020). Paul’s research concerns computational reactor physics, particularly stochastic transport and understanding the behaviour of different algorithms.

ISyE - IISE Kick-off Meeting
2025-09-10 19:00 - 20:00 | 3M Auditorium, rm 1106 Mechanical Engineering Building, 1513 University Ave, Madison, 53711
Join the IISE Student org for their fall kick-off meeting.

You’ll also get a chance to work on preparing for the upcoming career fair, and to network with folks from GE Healthcare, all of which will help you learn how to better market yourself. Free food will be provided, and you can earn 2 DM points.

Welcome Back Ice Cream Social
2025-09-09 16:30 - 18:30 | Mechanical Engineering Building – Atrium, 1415 Engineering Drive, Madison, 53711
All undergrad and graduate students in the Mechanical Engineering or Engineering Mechanics majors are invited to celebrate the new academic year with the Department of Mechanical Engineering on September 9th from 4:30-6:30pm in Mechanical Engineering Building Atrium. *Please bring your student ID to check-in to the event​.

CBE Seminar Series: Harry Atwater
2025-09-09 16:00 - 17:00
Harry AtwaterDepartment of Applied Physics and Materials ScienceCalifornia Institute of TechnologyPasadena, California

Design of Materials and Devices for Carbon Dioxide Capture and Conversion using Sunlight

Over the next two decades, science advances will be needed to enable scalable technologies for i) direct capture of dilute CO2 at the gigaton scale as well as ii) CO2 reduction to fuels, chemicals, and materials, powered by renewable energy or directly by sunlight. I will discuss materials and device advances needed for a promising capture approach, a scalable energy-efficient route to direct ocean capture of CO2, via an electrochemical pH swing. This scheme utilizes bipolar membrane electrodialysis to create the pH swing required to capture CO2 drawn down into the ocean in the form of dissolved inorganic carbon. I will also explore approaches for directly generating liquid solar fuels from carbon dioxide, sunlight, water. This requires new photocatalysts and thermocatalytic structures to facilitate transfer of electrons, protons, and reactants, to selectively yield multi-carbon products at semiconductor photoelectrode surfaces and catalytic sites. Two tandem reaction schemes for liquid solar fuel generation from CO2 will be discussed: i) a three-terminal tandem photoelectrode with two monolithically integrated but distinct catalytic centers operating at independent potentials to yield products via a cascaded reaction sequence, and ii) a tandem photoelectrochemical/solar thermocatalytic cascade that uses electrochemically synthesized ethylene, carbon monoxide and hydrogen as intermediates to yield multi-carbon products (butene, hexene, and heavier hydrocarbons) synthesized via solar-driven thermocatalytic reactions.

NEEP First Year Student Welcome & Orientation
2025-09-08 18:00 - 19:00
Welcome new NEEP Badgers! We’re excited to welcome you into the NEEP community. Please join us on September 8, 2025 to learn about opportunities for undergrads, meet faculty, connect with your fellow first-year students, and enjoy some pizza!

Date: Monday, September 8, 2025Time: 6:00 – 7:00 PMLocation: Mechanical Engineering Building (Room TBA)RSVP here: https://forms.gle/MYmTLznGyPTFXPBh9

ECE Student Welcome!
2025-09-08 14:30 - 16:30 | Union South Varsity II and III, 1308 West Dayton Street, Madison, 53711
Kick off the semester with your fellow ECE students, staff, and faculty at a sweet welcome event! 🍦 Enjoy free Babcock ice cream, score some awesome ECE swag, and celebrate the start of a new year together. Check your wisc.edu email to RSVP by September 4!

See you at Union South on September 8!

BME Welcome Back Social
2025-09-05 14:00 - 16:00 | Engineering Centers Building Atrium, 1550 Engineering Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
All Biomedical Engineering undergraduate and graduate students are welcome to join us in celebrating the new academic year. Enjoy snacks and department giveaways in the ECB atrium from 2-4pm.

The Next Era: A Reception with Dean Ranjan
2025-09-03 17:30 - 19:30 | 631 East Chicago Street, Milwaukee WI 53202, 631 East Chicago Street, Milwaukee, 53202, United States
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You’re invited to join us for a special evening as we welcome Devesh Ranjan (MS ’05, PhD ’07), the new Grainger Dean of the College of Engineering, for a casual reception with fellow alumni in the Milwaukee area.

This is a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with the College, engage in meaningful conversations with Dean Ranjan, and network with fellow engineering alumni living and working in the region. Come celebrate the exciting future of the College of Engineering and be part of this growing community of innovators and leaders.Date: September 3, 2025Time: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. (featuring brief remarks and Q+A)Location: The Italian Community Center, Courtyard/Galleria (631 East Chicago Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202)

Heavy appetizers and refreshments will be served. Complimentary parking is available off Jackson and Menomonee.

We look forward to extending a warm Wisconsin welcome to Dean Ranjan and help shape the future of engineering—together.

This event is free to attend.

Grad School Virtual Info Session
2025-09-03 09:00 - 10:00
Join us to learn more about graduate school with the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UW-Madison! We will be hosting virtual sessions on the first Wednesday of every month from June through December from 9:00-10:00am CST. Please RSVP here.

Those who attend will learn more about:

Mechanical Engineering Department programs overview (including department research overview)

Research MS and PhD program information

Professional (course-only) based MS program information

Admissions Information

Faculty & Graduate Student Panel

Q&A

Much More!

Questions? Email us at dept@me.engr.wisc.edu

NEEP Graduate Student Orientation & Ice Cream Social
2025-08-29 14:00 - 17:00
Welcome new NEEP grad students! Please join us on August 29, 2025 from 2:00 – 4:00 PM in ERB 106 for our grad student orientation. During the orientation, you’ll meet faculty and staff and learn about key academic resources. Afterward, stick around for an ice cream social with faculty and current students!

Friday, August 29Orientation: 2:00-4:00 PMIce Cream Social: 4:00-5:00 PMEngineering Research Building, Room 106RSVP here: https://forms.gle/v9wsY89mMkMAc3eJ6

New Graduate Student Orientation
2025-08-29 10:00 - 13:30 | 1153 Mechanical Engineering, 1513 University Ave, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Mechanics new graduate students are invited to join us on Friday, August 29th from 10:30-1:30pm in the Mechanical Engineering Building Room #1153 for New Graduate Student Orientation. Come meet your peers, interact with faculty, find out about graduate student services, learn about the Grad Student Advisory Council, or ask questions specific to you. This orientation will be the perfect way to jumpstart your degree with the Department of Mechanical Engineering! RSVP here.

ECE New Graduate Student Orientation
2025-08-29 09:00 - 13:00
Graduate Student Orientation offers newly enrolled ECE graduate students the support and resources needed to help transition to life as a UW-ECE graduate student. The event will provide information on payroll, benefits, student services and more. Lunch will follow the morning session.

All first-year graduate students are required to attend, except those enrolled in the MS Power online program.

First-year graduate students, check your wisc.edu email for invitation and link to RSVP.
