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College of Engineering news

Students and postdoctoral fellows researching innovations in STRAP recycling
September 25, 2023

With innovation and determination, grad students drive new plastics recycling applications

Take a stroll through a grocery store and one thing is clear—almost everything, from meat and bread to produce and cookies—is packaged in some form of plastic. While those wrappers…

ECE PhD student Hongyan Mei and Associate Professor Mikhail Kats
September 22, 2023

How a handful of stray atoms led to a new material that curves light in a record-setting way

A team led by scientists and engineers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Southern California and Washington University in St. Louis, has created a unique, record-setting material that…

Lei Zhou
September 12, 2023

Focus on new faculty: Lei Zhou is breaking down boundaries in precision mechatronics

Lei Zhou uses her interdisciplinary precision mechatronics research as a powerful tool for solving problems in various application areas, including semiconductor manufacturing equipment and robotics. With a systems focus, she…

Algae blooms
August 31, 2023

On manure diet, cyanobacteria is a balanced biofertilizer that can help keep phosphorous out of our lakes

In Madison, Wisconsin, May is typically a great time to experience the city’s four large lakes; while the air temperature warms up, the water is still relatively cool and clear,…

Stephanie Diem with grad students in the Pegasus-III lab
August 31, 2023

New Pegasus-III fusion experiment off to a flying start

After years of work that involved assembling about tens of thousands of components, construction of the new Pegasus-III fusion experiment at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is finished, and researchers have…

PhD student Zack Harmer
August 29, 2023

New technique fast-tracks optogenetics work

By shining the right wavelength of light on cells outfitted with specific, light-sensitive proteins, scientists can turn cellular processes on and off—and in doing so, drive production of chemicals that…

Illustris Simulation
August 23, 2023

Through machine learning maps, cosmic history comes into focus

For millennia, humans have used optical telescopes, radio telescopes and space telescopes to get a better view of the heavens. Today, however, one of the most powerful tools for understanding…

Steven Cramer, a civil and environmental engineering professor emeritus, carries a fractured concrete sample after testing it in a hydraulic press.
August 23, 2023

Century-in-the-making tests conclude long-running concrete experiments

A series of concrete tests that began 113 years ago at the University of Wisconsin-Madison concluded this summer, cementing a lasting legacy of research that has endured across generations. During…

Professor George Huber and postdoctoral researcher Houqian Li working in lab
August 10, 2023

Revolutionary chemical recycling process adds big value to ‘junk’ plastic waste

Although many Americans dutifully deposit their plastic trash into the appropriate bins each week, much of that material, including flexible films, multilayer materials and a lot of colored plastics are…

PhD student Shimaa Ahmed working in the lab
August 9, 2023

Down the tubes: Common PVC pipes can defeat voice identification systems

Researchers are in an arms race with hackers to create better and better security systems to prevent data theft, including things like dual authentication password systems, thumbprints and retinal scans….