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College of Engineering news

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…

PhD student Molly McCord works in the lab
January 23, 2026

Physics-defying discovery sheds new light on how cells move

The cells in our bodies move in groups during biological processes such as wound healing and tissue development—but because of resistance, or viscosity, those cells can’t just neatly glide past each other. Or can they?…

JungHyun Bae
January 23, 2026

Focus on new faculty: JungHyun Bae is developing radiation detection technology to enhance safety

As the demand for nuclear energy increases, there are growing challenges for managing the spent nuclear fuel. The United States doesn’t yet have a licensed site for permanent storage, so the spent fuel is stored…

Randy Bartels
January 21, 2026

‘Quantum imaging’ could open new window to nanoscale universe

As spectacular as modern imaging can be in illuminating the tiniest aspects of life, some avenues of biology are still cloaked in darkness. Biological processes that happen over long periods of time—for example, exchanges of…

Mechanical engineering students talk with alumnus Bjorn Borgen during the department's spring design showcase
January 21, 2026

With alum’s support for design, mechanical engineering students channel passion into action, take learning to next level

In their senior years, University of Wisconsin-Madison mechanical engineers apply four (or more) years’ worth of skills to a real design project. Historically, the ideas and support for those projects—designing a tool or devising a…

Monica Ohnsorg
January 14, 2026

Focus on new faculty: Monica Ohnsorg connects polymer science to biomedical research

As a ninth grader in Chanhassen, Minnesota, outside of Minneapolis, Monica Ohnsorg took an aptitude exam that pointed her toward a career as a biomedical engineer. Now, nearly two decades later, she’s starting her career…

Robert Jacobberger
January 5, 2026

DOE early-career award will give Jacobberger the tools to draw more energy from light

The U.S. Department of Energy has selected Robert Jacobberger, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, to receive a 2025 DOE Office of Science Early Career Research Program award….

Researchers use equipment in the lab of Professor Mikhail Kats, led by PhD student Rabeeya Hamid
December 19, 2025

Power-free imaging breakthrough brings near-infrared light into sight

University of Wisconsin-Madison electrical engineers have dramatically improved a semiconductor-based imaging system that makes near-infrared light visible to the naked eye. Near-infrared is the band of electromagnetic radiation between roughly 750 and 1,400 nanometers; it…

Sebastian Kube
December 16, 2025

With DOE early-career award, Kube will unlock the secrets of molten metals

The U.S. Department of Energy has selected Sebastian Kube, an assistant professor in materials science and engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, to receive a 2025 DOE Office of Science Early Career Research Program award….

Janet Naw uses scanning equipment
December 15, 2025

As undergrad researcher, civil engineer builds skills, confidence and connections

Jacknetson Naw has spent the last two years learning how to scan structures. Naw, a civil and environmental engineering senior, has conducted undergraduate research under CEE Associate Professor Hannah Blum, who leads the Steel Systems…