News
![Xu Chen headshot](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2023/08/Xu-Chen-BARC-director-news-thumb-2.jpg?itok=wlnjVHKB)
Thu, 08/24/2023 | UW College of Engineering
Xu Chen named BARC director
Xu Chen, Bryan T. McMinn Endowed Associate Professor in ME, will serve as director of the Boeing Advanced Research Collaboration.
![Headshots of four ME alumni](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2023/08/Forbes-30-Under-30-ME-alumni.jpg?itok=mfiCGFZf)
Mon, 08/21/2023 | Forbes
ME alums named 30 Under 30 Seattle
The Forbes 30 Under 30 Local Seattle list include ME alums who cofounded startups Aquagga and CathConnect.
![Infant CPR Manikin on a table](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2023/08/ME-capstone-2023-news-thumb.jpg?itok=msPjWD10)
Thu, 08/17/2023
From idea to implementation
ME undergraduate students gain real-world experience on projects that help industry, nonprofit, government and healthcare partners.
![Eric Bol stands between two other conference participants smiling and holding the award.](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2023/08/Eric-Bol-news-thumb.jpg?itok=EpLxHJYS)
Wed, 08/02/2023
ME team wins award at conference
ME researchers received a Best Poster Presentation award at an international conference.
![A mobile robot faces a shelf with a pitcher, bowl, plate, cleaning solution, mug and a spoon.](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2023/07/robotic-perception-news-thumb.jpg?itok=yFqAhS3z)
Mon, 07/31/2023
Human-inspired robotic perception
ME Ph.D. candidate Ekta Samani’s research aims to improve visual perception in autonomous robots.
![Corie Cobb](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2023/07/corie-cobb-news-thumb.jpg?itok=AMzFLDVT)
Wed, 07/26/2023 | UW News
ME professor elected to Washington State Academy of Sciences
Corie Cobb was elected for her contributions to the understanding of battery electrode architectures and to accelerating commercialization of materials processing technology.
![Polaroid style photo of a group of students during a department dance night](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2023/07/Formals-ME.jpg?itok=WvbWehD8)
Wed, 07/26/2023 | UW College of Engineering
A formal education
ME, Bioengineering and Electrical & Computer Engineering departments organized a winter formal dance.
![Headshots of two ME professors](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2023/07/Ashis-and-Mehmet-news-thumb.jpg?itok=1xyq-_yY)
Fri, 07/21/2023 | UW+Amazon Science Hub
Researchers receive UW-Amazon Science Hub support
ME Associate Professor Ashis Banerjee and ME Assistant Professor Mehmet Kurt received funding for projects addressing challenges in robotics and AI innovation.
![UW COMOTION Logo](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2023/07/CoMotion-logo-news-thumb.jpg?itok=N9CGVFh5)
Thu, 07/13/2023
ME researchers win CoMotion awards, scholarship
Faculty and students will research ways to address health needs and aim to improve the design and validation of new devices.
![Xu Chen](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2023/07/Xu-Chen-news-thumb.jpg?itok=oL3l0VyV)
Thu, 07/06/2023 | National Academy of Engineering
Xu Chen to participate in NAE symposium
The ME professor is among the engineers selected by the National Academy of Engineering to take part in The Grainger Foundation Frontiers of Engineering 2023 Symposium.
![Screenshot of a video thumbnail that reads: Florida Robotics Students UW Medicine Newsroom with a photo of people in a lab](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2023/07/Florida-Robotics-Students.jpg?itok=KLVxwbdr)
Thu, 07/06/2023 | UW Medicine
Florida students visit UW researchers
The high school students visited Seattle recently to learn from researchers, including ME associate professor Michael Bailey.
![Aniruddh Vashisth headshot](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2023/07/Aniruddh-Vashisth.jpg?itok=Hq-KnZ5t)
Thu, 07/06/2023 | Kiro 7
OceanGate safety concerns
ME Assistant Professor Aniruddh Vashisth shared his materials expertise with KIRO News.
![Group of students and faculty at the 2023 graduation ceremony standing in front of a building](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2023/06/ME-2023-grads-news-thumb.jpg?itok=eIVFgxvl)
Fri, 06/16/2023
Congratulations to our 2023 graduates
The 2023 ME graduation celebration included speakers and student awards.
![Four members of the SeaDawgs pose with the Washington Huskies flag](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2023/06/failure-prevention-news-thumb.jpg?itok=eAVEIY7l)
Tue, 06/06/2023 | UW Industrial & Systems Engineering
Students design failure-prevention system
For their 2023 capstone project, ME and ISE students conducted a comprehensive assessment of Seagen's critical systems.
![Robotic grasper holding an Amazon mailer](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2023/06/Robotics-manufacturing-news-thumb.jpg?itok=VoSSc7Kw)
Mon, 06/05/2023
Robotics for manufacturing
ME researchers are exploring how robotics and AI can help improve manufacturing workers’ safety, standardize processes and more.
![Group of students holding two big check awards](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2023/05/2023-Dempsey_AMOR-and-SimpleEVac_-second-and-third-place-Prizes-news-thumb.jpg?itok=l5F8CYOI)
Wed, 05/31/2023
ME wins big at 2023 Dempsey Startup Competition
AMOR received the $15,000 second-place award and Simpl-E-Vac received the $10,000 third-place prize.
![Elijah Kuska](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2023/05/Elijah-Kuska-news-thumb.jpg?itok=NXYImu4Z)
Tue, 05/30/2023
Making an impact through research and teaching
Ph.D. candidate and instructor Elijah Kuska is advancing biomechanics research while meeting students where they are.
![The twisted nanostructures are fracturing under the weight of a small load](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2023/05/nanomaterials-fracturetest-news-thumb.jpg?itok=NzlNi6jT)
Mon, 05/22/2023
A tiny break into toughness
ME researchers turn to nature to investigate how nanomaterials and nanostructure makes materials more resistant to breaking.
![Headshots of four faculty members](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2023/05/new-faculty-2023-ME-news-thumb.jpg?itok=c0bYmFKf)
Fri, 05/19/2023
Meet new faculty
Join us in welcoming Joe Powers, Feini (Sylvia) Qu, Jenny Robinson and Shijing Sun as new faculty to the ME department this school year.
![Aditya Sanjay Thakur](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2023/04/Aditya-Thakur-news-thumb.jpg?itok=NSn-rXdH)
Fri, 04/28/2023 | UW Husky 100
ME student in the 2023 Husky 100
Aditya Sanjay Thakur is included in the Husky 100, which recognizes students who are making the most of their time at the UW.
![inSTENT team members and Professor Eric Seibel](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2023/04/inSTENT-Connection-Grand-Prize-HIC-2022-news-thumb.jpg?itok=4TEQ-Kqf)
Thu, 04/20/2023 | UW Engineering Innovation in Health
EIH team reflects on their success
The inSTENT Connection team, which includes ME student Clara Black and ME Research Professor Eric Seibel, won first-place in the 2022 Hollomon Health Innovation Challenge.
![Two people on the left watching a computer screen in the middle of the picture. A huge wave tank is behind the computer.](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2023/04/microplastics-news-thumb.jpg?itok=du3Syk6g)
Thu, 04/20/2023 | UW News
How researchers are studying marine microplastics
Learn how two UW researchers, including ME Assistant Professor Michelle DiBenedetto, are investigating the issue of marine microplastics.
![A flock of starling birds flying above the ocean against an orange sky.](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2023/04/news-thumb-photo-1579592815102-e254dac94f44.jpg?itok=iPAXGDns)
Mon, 04/10/2023
To improve robots, look to birds
ME researchers improved a mathematical model describing how birds flock together – which could be applied to build robots that move in the same way.
![Three men holding a giant check award](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2023/04/Pure-Plast-ME-news-thumb.jpg?itok=NKSuRfbL)
Fri, 04/07/2023 | UW Foster School of Business
2023 environmental innovation challenge winners
PurePlast, a team including ME students, won second-place in the competition.
![Ben Hempstead](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2023/03/Ben-Hempstead-news-thumb.jpg?itok=vu8mX-Q2)
Tue, 03/28/2023
Meet Ben Hempstead
The ME alum reflects on his time at the UW, his career and his role on the department’s Executive Advisory Board.