The Latest From Mechanical Engineering
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The Department of Mechanical Engineering is an active research hub at the forefront of developments in human health, the environment, robotics, manufacturing, energy, and more. Our faculty, researchers, and students work on everything from designing clean engines to curing cancer. Read about what ME is doing to change the world right here in Minnesota.
NSF ATP-Bio Reaches Kidney Preservation Milestone and Advances XPRIZE Concept
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The Department of Mechanical Engineering is proud to share two milestones for the NSF Engineering Research Center for Advanced Technologies for the Preservation of Biological Systems (NSF ATP-Bio), directed by Professor John Bischof, with Mehmet Toner, PhD, serving as Deputy Director. NSF ATP-Bio researchers vitrified, stored, and nanowarmed human-scale pig kidneys, and the center’s organ preservation concept was voted the winning concept at the XPRIZE Global Visioneering Summit and will now move into design.
Suo Yang Selected for Inaugural AIAA 30/30 Recognition Program
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The Department of Mechanical Engineering is proud to announce that Professor Suo Yang has been selected as a recipient of the inaugural AIAA 30/30 Recognition Program, which honors 30 young professionals in their 30s, who embody excellence and innovation across the aerospace sector. Recipients were chosen by AIAA’s technical community across seven disciplines, including Propulsion and Energy, for the rigor and impact of their work.
Ognjen Ilic Awarded DARPA Director's Fellowship
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The Department of Mechanical Engineering is proud to announce that Professor Ognjen Ilic has been awarded the DARPA Director's Fellowship, a highly selective, one-year award that provides $500,000 in additional funding to top performers in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Young Faculty Award (YFA) program.
Suo Yang Elected to AIAA Class of 2027 Associate Fellows
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The Department of Mechanical Engineering is proud to announce that Professor Suo Yang has been selected as a member of the Class of 2027 AIAA Associate Fellows by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the world’s largest aerospace technical society.
Rahaf Bahajry Receives Student Presenter Award at the Electrostatics Conference
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The Department of Mechanical Engineering is proud to announce that Rahaf Bahajry, a Ph.D. student advised by Professor Chris Hogan, has received third place in the Student Presenter Award competition at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Electrostatics Society of America.
Peter Bruggeman Receives 2026 William Crookes Prize
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The Department of Mechanical Engineering is proud to announce that Professor Peter Bruggeman has received the 2026 William Crookes Prize at the Europhysics Conference on Atomic and Molecular Physics of Ionized Gases (ESCAMPIG).
Suo Yang Named to Inaugural Class of Chief of Naval Research Fellows
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The Department of Mechanical Engineering is proud to announce that Professor Suo Yang has been selected for the inaugural class of the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Chief of Naval Research (CNR) Fellows Program. Yang is one of only twelve researchers chosen nationwide from more than 180 nominations submitted by approximately 70 academic institutions across the United States. Among the twelve fellows, Yang is the only thermofluid researcher, and the only one with research experience under ONR Code 35 Naval Air Warfare and Weapons.
Lakshya Gangwar Receives Inaugural Ernest G. Cravalho Award
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The Department of Mechanical Engineering is proud to announce that Dr. Lakshya Gangwar, a postdoctoral associate in the department and a Ph.D. alumnus, has received the inaugural Ernest G. Cravalho Award from the Society for Cryobiology. The award was presented at CRYO2026, the society’s annual meeting, held July 15–17 at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Peter Bruggeman and Jae Hyun Nam Receive Microscopy Today Innovation Award with Hummingbird Scientific
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The Department of Mechanical Engineering is proud to announce that Professor Peter Bruggeman and Dr. Jae Hyun Nam, together with Hummingbird Scientific, have received a Microscopy Today Innovation Award for the co-design of the Operando Plasma Transmission Electron Microscopy Sample Holder, an in-situ TEM platform that enables real-time, nanometer-scale imaging of materials as they react in atmospheric-pressure plasma. The award was formally presented at the Microscopy & Microanalysis 2026 meeting, held August 2–6 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Light on the Move: ME Researchers Create Microscopic Particles that Steer Light
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Researchers in the Department of Mechanical Engineering within the University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering have developed a new class of microscopic particles that can swim through liquid and redirect light on command, combining mobility and sophisticated optical control in a single device.
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