December 21, 2023 Highlights from 2023, a year of innovation and impact Written By: Adam Malecek For the UW-Madison College of Engineering, 2023 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 2023. Editors’ choice Some of our most significant—and broadly appealing—research advances over the past year included: Tiny antennas open door to injectable electronics for brain monitoring Revolutionary chemical recycling process adds big value to ‘junk’ plastic waste New atomic-scale understanding of catalysis could unlock massive energy savings Cracking the Da Vinci chronology: How a camera and sophisticated computing can finally bring order to the works of a Renaissance genius How a sensor based on the human eye could accelerate the reaction time of autonomous cars and drones Through machine learning maps, cosmic history comes into focus Work of art: PhD student brings origami to 3D printing ChatGPT makes materials research much more efficient For the sustainable grid of the future, the right battery chemistry matters Informed by mechanics and computation, flexible bioelectronics can better conform to a curvy body Discovery opens door to ultra-lightweight protective materials “Wonder” material gulps down hydrogen, spits it out, and protects fusion reactor walls Wisconsin ideas Research that impacts and improves our health, livelihood, society, environment and our planet. On manure diet, cyanobacteria is a balanced biofertilizer that can help keep phosphorous out of our lakes August 31, 2023 Century-in-the-making tests conclude long-running concrete experiments August 23, 2023 Untreated wastewater implicated in elevating world’s methane emissions May 5, 2023 Exosuits may ease strain on construction industry April 18, 2023 Mooooo’s in distress? In the barn of the future, smart system will keep hot cows cool October 18, 2023 Computationally designed nanoparticle cuts building A/C costs while contributing to a healthier climate November 28, 2023 Federal grants to 2 Wisconsin startups highlight UW’s leading role in fusion energy June 6, 2023 Big initiatives, impactful collaborations University of Wisconsin-Madison engineers are supporting a first-of-its-kind energy storage system in the United States that could come online as early as 2026. With new funding from the U.S. Office of Naval Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison will continue to grow its research on concussions and other traumatic brain injuries. Wisconsin Center for Semiconductor Thermal Photonics will combine research in photonics, thermal science, and quantum science to understand how semiconductors could be used to control the flow of heat. The new Pegasus-III fusion experiment is finished, and researchers have begun experiments that will advance the field of fusion energy. Major NSF-sponsored materials research center funded for $18 million Learn More Outstanding faculty Continuing its growth trajectory, the college welcomed 18 new faculty members in the 2023-24 academic year. Mechanical Engineering Assistant Professor Yunus Alapan Biomedical Engineering Professor Randy Bartels Biomedical Engineering Assistant Professor Joshua Brockman Electrical and Computer Engineering Assistant Professor Grigoris Chrysos Chemical and Biological Engineering Assistant Professor Quentin Dudley Electrical and Computer Engineering Assistant Professor Tsung-Wei Huang Electrical and Computer Engineering Assistant Professor Akhilesh Jaiswal Materials and Science Engineering Assistant Professor Sebastian Kube Industrial and Systems Engineering Professor Ranjana Mehta Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor James Pikul Materials and Science Engineering Associate Professor Yuan Ping Electrical and Computer Engineering Assistant Professor Jinia Roy Electrical and Computer Engineering Assistant Professor Manish Singh Electrical and Computer Engineering Assistant Professor Haihan Sun Mechanical Engineering Assistant Professor Wei Wang Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics Assistant Professor Adelle Wright Electrical and Computer Engineering Assistant Professor Feng Ye Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering Assistant Professor Lei Zhou Additionally, our young faculty members continue to earn some of the nation’s top honors for early-career researchers. Here are a few of those awards. Wang will use DOE career award to develop quantum materials to harvest WiFi energy With NSF CAREER Award, Xiangru Xu aims to improve safety of autonomous systems Vinayak will use CAREER Award to make machine learning models learn from diverse data Applying just the right chemistry to power new rechargeable batteries Education and student achievements It’s informed, relevant and real-life: Learning under leading professors, our students do engineering, solve problems, help people and develop skills employers want. Hungry for engineering talent, employers flock to UW-Madison Badger Engineers are in demand. Just ask some of the more than 320 employers who descended upon the College of Engineering Sept. 11-14 for the fall 2023 Engineering & STEM… Read the article CRISPR lab course puts revolutionary gene editing tool into students’ hands November 6, 2023 New certificate program instills data science skills for engineers August 1, 2023 Drawing on paper, computer modeling course puts design into perspective March 9, 2023 Engineering students create medallion for chancellor’s investiture April 10, 2023 College of Engineering in the news Our faculty members routinely share their expertise with journalists and the public. Among the hundreds of news outlets that featured us in 2023 were the following: Washington Post: how we can know if our drinking water is safe from PFAS Civil and Environmental Engineering Associate Professor Christy Renucal Fox News: How radar tracks foreign objects Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor Nader Bedhad New York Times: Information used to guide infrastructure decisions Civil and Environmental Engineering Associate Professor Daniel Wright Popular Mechanics: How fuel stabilizers can help gas last longer Associate Dean for Research David Rothamer The Week: How chemical recycling process works Chemical and Biological Engineering Professor George Huber The Hill: Focus on data literacy for tomorrow’s workforce Industrial and Systems Engineering Professor Laura Albert CNBC: Buried power lines to prevent wildfires Electrical and Computer Engineering Associate Professor Line Roald Washington Post: Impact of single-use coffee pods on the environment Civil and Environmental Engineering Associate Professor Andrea Hicks Inverse: Tokamaks—real-world reactors that inspired the fusion device at the heart of Tony Stark’s suit Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics Associate Professor Stephanie Diem