The Department of Mechanical Engineering empowers students and faculty to learn, discover and build solutions to tomorrow’s challenges. From safer football helmets to cleaner cookstoves, the impact of ME’s innovations can be felt near and far.

The UW Human Powered Sub Team has blended traditional boatbuilding with aerospace and marine engineering to create a one-of-a-kind submarine. Their wooden sub, Knotty Dawg, won first place in the two-person competition at the International Submarine Races this summer.

Angela Templin, BSME ’99, shares how her time in the mechanical engineering department set her up for a successful career in sustainability and commissioning.

UW researchers are developing devices to answer some of the trickiest questions about marine energy’s environmental effects. A detection system that captures important data about interactions between marine life and marine energy converters — but only when marine life is present — is the key to drastically reducing the amount of low-value data collected.

The Engineering Innovation in Health (EIH) program is transforming education in health technology design and entrepreneurship by providing a framework for engineering students and faculty to partner with clinicians and develop affordable solutions to today’s pressing health needs. Highlighted are five projects that originated through EIH and are still building momentum.

ME graduate student Jessica Zistatsis shares her journey through the commercialization process at the UW, thanks to Engineering Innovation in Health. Jessica is one of the innovators of PlayGait™, a pediatric exoskeleton that helps kids with cerebral palsy practice walking.