News
![A robot arm hovering above a chessboard](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2021/08/20210728_Xu-Chen-Lab-1452-thumbnail.jpg?itok=zLX-KaMy)
Tue, 08/24/2021 | UW Mechanical Engineering
A vision for robotics
The UW MACS Lab builds robots and machines that combine vision, intelligence and manipulation to play games, perform tasks and advance robotics research goals.
![Headshot photo of an Asian male with glasses, well-combed hair and a black button-up shirt](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2021/08/Shen%20Ren%20Crystal%20Award.png?itok=FOOYGBJz)
Thu, 08/19/2021
Shen Ren wins Society for Cryobiology award
Shen Ren, a postdoctoral fellow in UW ME and the UW Center for Dialysis Innovation, has been named winner of the 2021 Peter L. Steponkus Crystal Award for his work in cryopreservation.
![A tiny little flying robot about the size of two postage stamps sits in the palm of a hand](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2021/08/RoboFly_0148_web.jpg?itok=xtfN37vV)
Tue, 08/17/2021 | National Science Foundation
Insect-scale flight system supported with new NSF grant
NSF has awarded the Autonomous Insect Robotics Lab, led by ME’s Sawyer Fuller, a grant to develop control systems for flying robots that weigh just fractions of an ounce.
![A man in glasses with a beard and black t-shirt is working on something with a wire inside a science hood](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2021/08/Sep%20Makhsous.jpg?itok=hhPu9wqn)
Mon, 08/02/2021 | Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP)
Makhsous wins 2021 Cottone Award
The Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP) named ME postdoctoral scholar Sepehr Makhsous winner of the 2021 Dr. James A Cottone Award for Excellence in Investigative Research. The award goes to research that exemplifies the best in infection control and safety research in oral health care.
![Professor Steve Brunton drawing lines with arrows on a lightboard](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2021/07/DynamicSystems-3-PS2.jpg?itok=14ol_Os1)
Thu, 07/29/2021
AI Institute for Dynamic Systems
UW leading new NSF institute for using artificial intelligence to understand dynamic systems.
![Ten students, several wearing purple, stand in a group with two small wheeled robots in front of them](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2021/07/onpage_ARUW-photo-2-1024x800.jpg?itok=hnASfDqn)
Thu, 07/22/2021 | UW Electrical & Computer Engineering
ARUW takes first place in North American RoboMaster University League competition
This summer, Advanced Robotics at the University of Washington (ARUW), a team of University of Washington students led by Mechanical Engineering graduate Sig Johnson, took first place in the inaugural North American RoboMaster University League Competition.
![An illustration of Leonard "Len" Nelson in front of the "W" sign](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2021/07/Len-Nelson-1.jpg?itok=V_zyWZLF)
Thu, 07/08/2021
Affiliate in residence
Retired engineers like Leonard Nelson offer their time and expertise to enrich UW research and education through affiliate professorships.
![Alberto Aliseda](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2021/06/Alberto-Aliseda.png?itok=psqMKQtO)
Fri, 06/25/2021 | College of Engineering
Alberto Aliseda named next chair of ME
PACCAR Professor of Mechanical Engineering Alberto Aliseda has been named the new chair of UW ME, effective July 1, 2021.
![A hand pointing at a model airplane](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2021/07/paris-law-header-news.jpg?itok=63nh65Xg)
Mon, 06/21/2021 | College of Engineering
Paris’s Law celebrates 60 years
Paul C. Paris’s ideas revolutionized airplane design and gave way to the field of fracture mechanics.
![A team of 12 people in covid masks stand outdoors in a group behind a robot that looks like a mars rover](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2021/06/20210606-HuskyRobotics-P1033658-2000x.jpg?itok=FpSwqO7V)
Mon, 06/21/2021
Husky Robotics delivers at the 2021 Virtual University Rover Challenge
With a perfect final mission, Husky Robotics took the top score by a U.S. team in the the 2021 Virtual University Rover Challenge.
![professional-style headshot photo of man in glasses and suit with UW logo in lower left](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2021/06/Gao-thumb.jpg?itok=zVe1SLqA)
Tue, 06/01/2021
Gao named fellow of the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering
Dayong Gao has been elected to the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering (IAMBE) for “original and outstanding contributions and achievements in cryo-biomedicial engineering, biopreservation technology, fundamental cryobiology, and the science & technology of artificial organs."
![Headshot style photos of Beth Halsne - sandy brown hair in a blazer and v-neck shirt - and Anthony Tang - short dark hair and button-up dark shirt](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2021/05/2021%20Husky%20100.jpg?itok=H70X_sps)
Mon, 05/24/2021
ME students recognized in 2021 Husky 100
ME Seattle graduate students Beth Halsne and Anthony Tang are among the 100 University of Washington students named to the 2021 Husky 100 cohort, an honor given to just 100 students across all UW's degree programs and 3 campuses annually.
![logo for the Washington Entrepreneurial Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub (WE-REACH)](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2021/05/WE-REACH.jpg?itok=JoLXHS7L)
Tue, 05/18/2021 | WE-REACH
WE-REACH invests in UnTape
The Washington Entrepreneurial Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub (WE-REACH) has announced it will invest in early-stage product development for UnTape, ME research professor Eric Seibel and team's innovation for reducing medical adhesive-related skin injuries.
![A collage of six student clubs logos](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2021/05/ME-clubs_0.jpg?itok=qRNPnmIa)
Tue, 05/11/2021
Clubs during COVID
Updates on how ME’s student clubs have adapted to overcome disruptions caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic.
![A collage of four VR images](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2021/04/VRforHealth.jpg?itok=7TJCwg84)
Mon, 04/26/2021
Four virtual worlds signal the future of VR for health
Four virtual worlds developed by ME’s Hunter Hoffman signal the future of VR for health.
![Image of rainbow reporter cardiomyocytes six weeks after engraftment - colored speckles on a black and white tissue image](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2021/04/rainbow.jpg?itok=xPFv8oVD)
Wed, 04/21/2021 | Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine
ISCRM researchers use rainbow reporters to examine proliferation of engrafted heart cells
A study co-led by ME professor Nate Sniadecki used rainbow cell technology to demonstrate that injected heart cells proliferate, a finding that could help researchers enhance the efficacy of cell therapy for heart disease and other conditions.
![Headshot of Elizabeth Rasmussen](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2021/04/Rassmussen%20NIST-NRC%281%29.png?itok=ogQFO-It)
Fri, 04/09/2021
Elizabeth Rasmussen awarded NIST-NRC postdoctoral fellowship
Doctoral student Elizabeth Rasmussen has been chosen as a research fellow in the highly-selective National Research Council (NRC) Research Associateship Program overseen by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM).
![Headshot of Anders Brown, man in glasses with suit coat over button-up shirt](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2021/05/Anders%20Brown.jpg?itok=shIAzpWY)
Thu, 04/08/2021
Alumni on board
A Q&A with Anders Brown, outgoing chair of ME’s External Advisory Board.
![Trevor Harrison looking through the glass pane of a big water tank with a diver and a µFloat inside](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2021/03/20210109_ME-Underwater-MonitoringDevice_1301.jpg?itok=Tl-h335S)
Tue, 04/06/2021 | UW Mechanical Engineering
Lessons in the deepAn underwater robotic device called the µFloat, invented by mechanical engineering student Trevor Harrison, offers a new way to map underwater environments.
![A robot arm is positioned over a case full of a set of identical metal parts arranged in a 7x5 array.](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2021/03/march-2021-project-highlight-3x2.png?itok=JFrkKjzo)
Tue, 03/30/2021 | Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute
Robotic Inspection of Complex Metallic Parts
With detection rates above 95%, a project led by Xu Chen demonstrates the reliability of using robotics for identifying defects in metallic parts.
![Two headshot photos side by side - on the left is Trent Dillon a young man with a big smile and shorter curly hair, on the right Katherine Van Ness, a young woman with short hair and earrings](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2021/03/MHKresearchfellows2021.jpg?itok=R0ehmXQZ)
Thu, 03/25/2021 | U.S. Department of Energy
Trent Dillon and Katherine Van Ness win marine energy fellowships
ME graduate students Trent Dillon and Katherine Van Ness have been named as 2021 Marine and Hydrokinetic Graduate Student Research Program Fellows by the U.S. Department of Energy. Their research fellowships will be hosted by the Makah Tribal Council and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, respectively.
![Closeup of carbon fiber](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2021/03/k65784-045.jpg?itok=e7ZqUb1m)
Mon, 03/22/2021
How Washington became a global epicenter for advanced carbon fiber
Stronger than steel and lighter than aluminum, carbon fiber composite materials are one of the key enabling technologies of the 21st century and play a particularly important role in Washington.
![A banner that says "health innovation challenge" and a lot of screenshots from video chats](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2021/03/HIC-2021-Blog-post-banner-image.png?itok=Ola3kkmm)
Fri, 03/05/2021 | UW Foster School Blog
ME teams take prizes at 2021 Hollomon Health Innovation Challenge
ME health innovation was on display at the 2021 Hollomon Challenge. Five teams with ME members - Under Pressure, OsmoProcessor, Direct Dose, EVBreathe and Mask Seal Testing - won prizes for their innovative ideas. Eight of the 21 finalist teams included members from ME and the five new prizes brings the department's total to eleven prizes in the competition since 2016.
![A plastic water bottle sits in the ocean surf](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2021/03/ocean-microplastics.jpg?itok=Tfi12WPg)
Thu, 03/04/2021 | The Conversation
Where does plastic pollution go when it enters the ocean?
ME's Michelle DiBenedetto and colleagues describe their research studying ocean microplastic pollution.
![Concept drawing where origami-like structure expands from inside the top of a rocket out to a dumbell-shaped space station](https://www.me.washington.edu/sites/me/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2021/02/manchester_graphic_2021_ph_i_0.png?itok=G6MtpAny)
Thu, 02/25/2021 | NASA
NASA selects futuristic space concept co-led by Lipton for further study
The study will examine whether a structure small enough to fit inside a rocket fairing could expand large enough to create artificial gravity.