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.

Innovative “OpenSky” Midterm Takes Flight: UMN ME Students Pave the Way for Sustainable Aviation
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Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is soaring into the future of aviation, and at UMN ME, students are at the forefront of this exciting transition. In a groundbreaking hands-on midterm experience, seniors in the ME4431w Energy Conversion Systems lab course, led by Assistant Professor Sayan Biswas, took to the skies to test SAF blends in a gas turbine-powered RC airplane. This is no traditional "open book" test — it's an open sky test!

Inaugural University of Michigan Prize Goes to Peter Bruggeman
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ME Professor Peter Bruggeman won the first University of Michigan Prize for Excellence in Plasma Science and Engineering "for contributions to the understanding of non-thermal plasma interactions with solids, liquids, and living matter, scientific leadership, and advancement of plasma-based technologies enabling applications in plasma-biology, chemical conversion, and water treatment.”
Sayan Biswas Receives NASA Early Career Faculty Award
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ME Assistant Professor Sayan Biswas recently received the NASA Early Career Faculty Award for his research developing a novel and versatile spacecraft coolant capable of efficient operation in various temperature extremes — a game-changer for future space missions to challenging conditions such as frigid lunar nights, low-power intervals, extended interplanetary journeys, or high-temperature conditions near the sun.

Student Spotlight: Sophia Clark, ME Undergraduate and Chief Engineer of Gopher Motorsports
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Gopher Motorsports, our Formula SAE student group, had an excellent summer. This group provides a hands-on experience designing and building experience and is sponsored by countless industry partners, offering excellent opportunities for students. Sophia Clark answered a few questions about the group.

Four ME Students Win DEI Awards
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The 2023 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership Showcase awards recognize outstanding DEI-focused initiatives at the University — and four of this year's winners are mechanical engineering students!
Congratulations to the 2023 ME3MT Winners!
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Congratulations to Carolyn Bernemann and Hyewon Lee on winning this year's ME3MT competition! Bernemann won both First Place and People's Choice, and Lee won Second Place. They will both advance to the CSE level competition on October 23.

Two ME Faculty Members Win CSE Collegiate Awards
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ME Professors Chris Hogan and Uwe Kortshagen were selected to receive 2023 CSE Taylor Awards for their contributions to the University.

McAlpine Group Researcher Meghan Griffin Wins Prestigious NSF Fellowship
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Meghan Griffin, a biomedical engineering PhD student advised by ME Professor Michael McAlpine, was awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, a highly competitive award that recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who have demonstrated the potential to be high achieving scientists and engineers.

Student Spotlight: ME Graduate Matthew Brown
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Mechanical engineering senior Matthew Brown is well-prepared for a career in industry after graduation.

DARPA Director's Fellowship Award Goes to Suo Yang
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ME Assistant Professor Suo Yang has been awarded the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Director's Fellowship, an award given to top performers in the DARPA Young Faculty Award (YFA) pool.
ME News
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