Jun. 29, 2026 - External Newsletter
News from the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering
New research led by Professor Emerita Shelly Miller and recent PhD graduate Alberto Garcia suggests airborne diseases like measles, influenza and COVID-19 can easily spread between units in multi-family buildings via a type of bathroom ventilation system commonly used around the world. The study, conducted inside an older high-rise in Spain early in the coronavirus pandemic, adds to a growing body of evidence that airborne viruses can spread between separated indoor spaces, transmitting disease without face-to-face contact.
High Impact, Interdisciplinary Research
CU ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß mechanical engineering graduate program ranks top 15
The Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering graduate program at CU ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß was ranked 14th amongst public institutions for 2026-27, according to U.S. News and World Report’s Best Graduate Schools rankings. Up three spots from last year, the program continues to build on its growing national reputation.
New blood clot technology could transform emergency medicine
Blood clotting is one of the body’s oldest survival mechanisms, protecting humans from dangerous bleeding for millions of years. But when severe injuries strike, nature’s solution can sometimes fall short. Now, Associate Professor Rong Long and his team are helping test a new type of engineered blood clot that forms faster and is more durable than the ones found in nature. The new technique could one day transform how doctors treat traumatic injuries and manage life-threatening blood loss.
A powerhouse in battery breakthroughs
The Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering has emerged as a leading hub for battery innovation, producing breakthrough research and a series of successful startups—including Solid Power, SiILion, Forge Nano and Mana Battery—that are advancing safer, cheaper and more effective energy storage technologies. Led by faculty and alumni, these companies have turned laboratory discoveries into significant economic and societal impact.
Staple-like particles reveal new path to strong materials
A tightly packed ball of office staples can be surprisingly strong. Try to pull it apart and the tangled metal resists like a solid object. But with the right movement or vibration, that same bundle can quickly fall back into loose pieces. Professor Francois Barthelat and his team are exploring how this uncanny combination of strength and flexibility could inspire a new class of materials built on interlocking particles.
How ME researchers are studying the science of avalanches
Colorado has seen how deadly avalanches can be. But as we face a climate crisis, it's increasingly important to understand the changing physics of avalanches. That's why Associate Professor Nathalie Vriend and her students in the Granular Flow Laboratory are conducting small-scale avalanches to get an up-close look of how snow behaves.
ME outreach program brings big engineering dreams to small rural towns
Associate Research Professor Daniel Knight and Professor Michael Hannigan are leading an outreach program that connects CU ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß students with rural high schools to introduce hands-on engineering experiences in the classroom. The initiative, known as the Science and Engineering Inquiry Collaborative (SCENIC), serves 12 schools and nearly 700 high school students across rural Colorado each year, turning local questions about air and soil quality into real-world research projects.
CU Engineering Magazine
Check out this year's edition of the CU Engineering Magazine and read stories highlighting just a few of the ways our research is having an impact on everyday lives. Whether it is using AI to improve or personalize flood prediction, commercializing a breakthrough surgical device or improving energy storage, our faculty and students always have an eye on how we can engineer sustainable solutions to improve the quality of life in our state, nation and world.