News & Events

06-02-23

The Demetriades - Tsafka - Kokkalis Prizes are awarded annually to PhD candidates selected for the best thesis, publication, or discovery in select fields. Saransh Sharma, advised by Professor Azita Emami, has received the prize in Biotechnology or Related Fields for his research in developing ultra-low power and highly miniaturized medical electronics for in-vivo localization and tracking. Nathaniel Wei, advised by Professor John Dabiri, has received the prize in Environmentally Benign Renewable Energy Sources or Related Fields for his research that explores the ways in which unsteady flows in the atmosphere can be leveraged in wind-energy systems for enhanced performance, robustness, and operational longevity. Rebecca Gallivan, advised by Professor Julia Greer, has received the prize in Nanotechnology or Related Fields. Coupled with the development of novel materials processing, Gallivan's research focuses on uncovering fundamental insight into the relationship between length-scale and microstructural features on nanomechanical phenomena in order to lay the foundation for advanced engineering and complex design of materials in nanotechnologies.

Tags: APhMS EE honors GALCIT MedE MCE John Dabiri Julia Greer Demetriades - Tsafka - Kokkalis Prizes Azita Emami Rebecca Gallivan Saransh Sharma Nathan Wei

06-01-23

A space solar power prototype that was launched into orbit in January is operational and has demonstrated its ability to wirelessly transmit power in space and to beam detectable power to Earth for the first time. Wireless power transfer was demonstrated by MAPLE, one of three key technologies being tested by the Space Solar Power Demonstrator (SSPD-1), the first space-borne prototype from Caltech's Space Solar Power Project (SSPP). SSPP aims to harvest solar power in space and transmit it to the Earth's surface. [Caltech story]

Tags: APhMS EE GALCIT MCE Harry Atwater Ali Hajimiri Sergio Pellegrino

05-31-23

The Henry Ford II Scholar Award is given annually to engineering students with the best academic record at the end of the third year of undergraduate study. This year’s winners are mechanical engineering students Kyle Lethander and Rithvik Musuku, and computer science students Kyle McCandless and Patrick Rim.

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Tags: honors MCE CMS Henry Ford II Scholar Award Adam Blank Rithvik Musuku Kyle Lethander Kyle McCandless Patrick Rim

05-22-23

Guruswami (Ravi) Ravichandran, John E. Goode, Jr., Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, receives the 2023 American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Timoshenko Medal "for pioneering contributions to the mechanics of engineering materials and biological systems, especially in extreme mechanical environments." Established in 1957, the Timoshenko Medal recognizes distinguished contributions to the field of applied mechanics. 

Tags: honors GALCIT MCE Guruswami Ravichandran

05-12-23

Kaila Coimbra, a fourth-year undergraduate in mechanical engineering with a minor in aerospace engineering, has been awarded the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship for graduate studies at Stanford University. The scholarship, which funds students for up to three years of study in any of Stanford's graduate programs, is awarded to applicants who embody visionary leadership and dedication to social good within their fields. [Caltech story]

Tags: honors MCE Kaila Coimbra

05-03-23

On Wednesday, May 10, at 7:30 p.m. PDT in Beckman Auditorium on the Caltech campus, Chiara Daraio, the G. Bradford Jones Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Physics and Heritage Medical Research Institute Investigator, will continue the 100th anniversary season of the Earnest C. Watson Lecture Series with "Making Wearable Materials Smarter."

Advances in materials science, manufacturing, and computer science have enabled transformative innovations in wearable materials, with designs that can monitor metabolic activity, change stiffness on command, and even interpret our mood. These new materials will allow garments and fashion to bring together the physical and digital worlds. In this lecture, Daraio will show examples of how these materials will help us stay healthy, how they will revolutionize the way we communicate, and how they will adaptively support our everyday needs. [Caltech story]

Tags: APhMS Chiara Daraio MCE watson lecture

04-25-23

Inspired by the mechanics of a phase of matter called liquid crystals, researchers have developed the first three-dimensional model of a layer of cells and the extrusion behavior that emerges from their physical interactions. From this new model, the team discovered that the more a cell is squeezed by its neighbors in a particular symmetric way, the more likely it is to get extruded from the group. [Caltech story]

Tags: research highlights GALCIT MCE Jose Andrade Guruswami Ravichandran

04-11-23

Launching its first project since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Caltech's chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) is now designing an improved water supply system for Tandacato, a rural village of about 2,100 people located near Cotopaxi, an active volcano in Ecuador. [Caltech story]

Tags: Sravani Boggaram Riya Shrivastava

03-22-23

EAS faculty from multiple departments are on project teams that have received an award from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Multidisciplinary University Initiative (MURI) Program. 

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Tags: APhMS honors GALCIT MCE CMS ESE Tapio Schneider Tim Colonius Kaushik Bhattacharya Andrew Stuart Aaron Ames Animashree Anandkumar H. Jane Bae

03-16-23

As with many of Caltech's time-honored traditions, the annual ME72 Engineering Design Competition pushes students to the limits of possibility. Unlike other Caltech traditions, ME72 involves ball-launching, self-driving, all-terrain robots—which occasionally burst into flames. [Caltech story]

Tags: MCE ME72 Michael Mello