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College of Engineering news

Stock image of an electrocardiogram readout
February 16, 2026

Once confined to the lab, new hyperspectral imaging tech is on the cusp of application for remote biometric sensing and much more

University of Wisconsin-Madison engineers have developed a new technology that can read a person’s pulse, blood pressure and oxygen saturation—remotely. Unlike other remote biometric sensors, this new “hyperspectral imaging” technology can operate in real-world, ambient-light…

February 16, 2026

With chemistry and heat, new ‘mixed materials’ ramp up radiation resistance

Drawing on their leadership in materials simulation and design, advanced microscopy and materials fabrication, University of Wisconsin-Madison engineers have developed a method for tuning the radiation resistance of high-entropy carbides. This new class of advanced…

Susan Hagness
February 10, 2026

UW-Madison professor Susan Hagness elected to the National Academy of Engineering

Susan Hagness, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). The Philip Dunham Reed Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Maria Stuchly…

Moon
February 9, 2026

Designing lunar surface missions for how the brain handles strain

As NASA plans crewed surface missions to the Moon and eventually Mars, researchers say managing cognitive fatigue may be essential for safe, effective deep space exploration. As NASA prepares to send astronauts back to the…

Teaching specialist Aidan Butula operates the new flight simulator
February 5, 2026

Regents approve new aerospace engineering major

Badger Engineers are cleared for takeoff. The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents voted to approve the creation of a new aerospace engineering major within the UW-Madison College of Engineering on Feb. 5, 2026….

February 2, 2026

The numbers add up: Women’s health outcomes can benefit from risk-based breast cancer screening

By replacing generic, age-determined breast cancer screening recommendations with personalized guidelines based on risk, a team of researchers says healthcare decision makers could save lives and reduce false-positives. Oguzhan Alagoz, a professor of industrial and…

So Yeon Kim
January 30, 2026

Focus on new faculty: So Yeon Kim is designing more durable materials for next-gen energy systems

When So Yeon Kim tells people that she has worked on designing materials for both solid-state batteries and next-generation nuclear reactors, they are often surprised, assuming that these energy systems are very different. “But from…

A student follows a robotic dog on a construction site
January 29, 2026

Robots to the rescue?

While fantasies of mechanical maids aren’t yet reality, autonomous aides are emerging in a few areas of the modern world. Highlight reels from the inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games, held in August 2025 in Beijing,…

Mehmet Orman
January 28, 2026

Focus on new faculty: Mehmet Orman uncovers secrets of drug-tolerant ‘persister’ cells

Genetic mutations can yield antibiotic-resistant bacteria that stifle medical treatments, drive recurrence of disease and cause patient deaths. But there’s another, lesser-known way bacterial cells can thwart antibiotics—by essentially playing possum. “Persister” cells lie low…

Charlie Hirst works on equipment in the UW-Madison Ion Beam Laboratory
January 23, 2026

Engineers watch radiation-damaged nuclear reactor materials fix themselves in real time

In nuclear reactors, radiation causes defects to form inside materials, and this process can change those materials’ overall properties—usually for the worse. One approach for mitigating this radiation damage is heating those damaged materials. This…