For the UW-Madison College of Engineering, 2022 was a year full of extraordinary achievements and tremendous growth.
We advanced scientific knowledge on many fronts, improved the quality of people’s lives through our engineering expertise and leadership, and delivered meaningful hands-on educational experiences to prepare our students for success.
Here are some of our top stories from 2022.
Research breakthroughs
Some of our most significant research advances over the past year included:
New lightweight super material can battle bullets, deflect space debris
University of Wisconsin-Madison engineers have created a nanofiber material that outperforms its widely used counterparts—including steel plates and Kevlar fabric—in protecting against high-speed projectile impacts. Basically, it’s better than bulletproof. From L-R: Undergraduate research assistant…
Researchers uncover how to 3D-print one of the strongest stainless steels
For airliners, cargo ships, nuclear power plants and other critical technologies, strength and durability are essential. This is why many contain a remarkably strong and corrosion-resistant alloy called 17-4 precipitation hardening (PH) stainless steel. Now,…
Drying process could be key step in the development of life
One-hundred fifty years ago, Charles Darwin speculated that life likely originated in a warm little pond. There, chemical reactions and the odd lightning strike led to chains of amino acids that, over time, became more…
Making new metals with machine learning means molten salt can't corrode
For clean energy sources like solar or nuclear, molten salt is somewhat of a wonder material. In concentrated solar power plants, for example, the sun’s heat can be stored in the liquid for long periods…
Great Lakes tributary rivers play important role in bringing PFAS to the drinking water source of millions
The world’s largest source of fresh water, the Great Lakes, provides drinking water to more than 40 million people in the United States and Canada. In the first study of its kind, researchers at the…
Listen up: Video conferencing software may be 'listening' even if you're muted
Recently, Kassem Fawaz’s brother was on a video conference with the microphone muted. Then he noticed that the microphone light was still on—indicating, inexplicably, that his microphone was being accessed. Alarmed, he asked Kassem Fawaz,…
Not so precious: New discovery could replace expensive platinum in hydrogen fuel cells
Manos Mavrikakis, a professor of chemical and biological engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is part of a research team that has discovered a new way of catalyzing an essential reaction that could make hydrogen…
CRISPR-produced CAR T cells could better treat solid tumors
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells are biological assassins: white blood cells that are specifically engineered to attack cancer cells. Over the past five years, they’ve become an established therapeutic option for patients with blood…
"Recyclopedia" will bring researchers up to speed on plastic waste recycling
A paper in the journal Green Chemistry led by postdoctoral researcher Houqian Li and George Huber, the Richard L. Antoine Professor in chemical and biological engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is a veritable “recyclopedia”…
Relevant research, impactful collaborations
An interdisciplinary research initiative has made significant progress in developing better technologies for detecting and preventing concussions.
Outstanding faculty
Materials Science and Engineering Assistant Professor Dawei Feng and Electrical and Computer Engineering Assistant Professors Dominic Gross and Bhuvana Krishnaswamy each earned prestigious National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Awards.
Dawei Feng receives NSF CAREER Award to create new metal-organic hybrid materials
Dawei Feng, the Y. Austin Chang Assistant Professor in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has spent the last decade investigating metal-organic materials, or MOMs, which combine two types…
With NSF CAREER Award, Dominic Gross will improve renewable energy grid integration
Renewable energy is ramping up in a big way, with solar and wind power grabbing a larger and larger share of the electricity market each year. That is great news for efforts to decarbonize the…
Advanced sensor networks could help farmers micromanage their fields
In the future, farmers will be able to look at a tablet and see the nutrient, CO2 and moisture levels of every individual acre in their fields in real time. This will allow them to…
Continuing its growth trajectory, the college welcomed 19 new faculty members in the 2022-23 academic year.
Education and student achievements
Nuclear engineering student crowned Miss America 2023
When people meet University of Wisconsin-Madison senior Grace Stanke, they’re often surprised to learn she’s a nuclear engineer. She doesn’t fit the stereotypical image in a field where men far…
Read the article
College of Engineering in the news