College of Engineering news

What do submarines and football helmets have in common? Someday they could be built with the highly specialized materials Ramathasan Thevamaran is researching. Joining the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics in fall 2017…

Ramathasan Thevamaran Ramathasan Thevamaran, an assistant professor of nuclear engineering and engineering physics at UW-Madison, has received a $450,000 grant from the Army Research Office to support his research exploring the properties of hierarchical materials…

University of Wisconsin-Madison engineers have fabricated a rubbery nanomaterial that outperforms all other materials, including steel and Kevlar, in protecting against high-speed projectile impacts. Ramathasan Thevamaran The research provides insights for using nanostructured polymers to…

A new chemical vapor deposition system is expanding the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering’s advanced manufacturing capabilities. Importantly, the system will deepen collaborations with industry partners who want to apply the college’s innovative shock-absorbing…

University of Wisconsin-Madison mechanical engineers have developed a comprehensive framework that accelerates improvements to shock-absorbing foam materials. The materials have an array of uses ranging from sports or military helmet liners to struts that cushion…

Christian Franck is the Bjorn Borgen Professor of mechanical engineering. He studies traumatic brain injuries and leads the multi-institutional, interdisciplinary PANTHER research initiative. PANTHER’s work focuses on understanding, detecting and preventing traumatic brain injuries, and…

From falls to football tackles, most blows to the head occur at odd angles. And those impacts trigger simultaneous linear and rotational head motions. The rotating movement in particular causes shear strain, which is especially…

In November 2022, University of Wisconsin-Madison engineers garnered widespread attention when they announced the creation of an ultra-shock-absorbing foam material that could dramatically improve helmets. The researchers’ material, an architected, vertically aligned carbon nanotube foam,…

Through a pioneering system that doesn’t need power or an amplifier, University of Wisconsin-Madison engineers can enhance a signal without deteriorating its quality. With collaborators at the Wave Transport in Complex Systems Lab of Wesleyan…

An interdisciplinary research initiative led by the University of Wisconsin-Madison is emerging as a global leader in developing better technologies for detecting and preventing concussions and other traumatic brain injuries. Christian Franck, Bjorn Borgen Professor…