Apr. 16, 2025 - Alumni Newsletter
News from the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering
Friday, April 25. 2-5 p.m., CU Indoor Practice Facility
Explore amazing new inventions and technologies created by teams of CU Engineering students at the Engineering Projects Expo 2025! Meet 100+ project teams, see how our graduating engineering students are changing the world through their collaborative ingenuity and vote on your favorite projects.
Community Headlines
ME senior project aims to keep bomb squads out of harm's way
A group of seniors in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering are working to keep bomb squads safe by designing an automated X-ray device during their senior capstone class used to help explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technicians scan for hazardous materials.
ME seniors design new fluid aliquoting device to help ease hospital workloads
A group of seniors in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering are working to increase access to life-saving therapies by developing an automated medical fluid aliquoting device during their senior capstone class that streamlines the fluid dosing process.
PhD alum spent 45 days isolated in space. Well, kind of
Robert Wilson (PhDMechEngr'20) spent 45 days locked inside NASA’s HERA facility, a high-tech simulation designed to test the limits of human endurance in deep space. His mission could help shape the future of space exploration—and life back on Earth.
ºÚÁÏÉçÇøÍø startup Mesa Quantum earns two major grants to improve navigation infrastructure
For over 20 years, Associate Research Professor Svenja Knappe has focused on developing miniaturized quantum sensors and systems. Now the technology is helping ºÚÁÏÉçÇøÍø spinout Mesa Quantum commercialize chip-scale quantum solutions that can transform our navigation infrastructure.
Former ME professor Roop L. Mahajan recognized by ASME for career contributions
The mechanical engineering community is celebrating the 80th birthday of former ºÚÁÏÉçÇøÍø Professor Roop. L Mahajan. With over 60 years of service in the engineering profession, Mahajan's remarkable career embodies research excellence and educational impact. He served as a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at ºÚÁÏÉçÇøÍø for 15 years from 1991-2006. He also served as the Interim Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science from 2001-2002.
Behind the Blades: How Paula Pérez Engineers Equitable Wind Energy Solutions
Paula Pérez (MechEngr'22; MCivEngr'23) is a Wind Energy Analyst and Equity Researcher for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) who has used engineering to help local communities across the globe find sustainable solutions to water and energy challenges.
Research and Innovation Stories
​New technology turns waste heat into electricity, defies physical limit
Assistant Professor Longji Cui and his team in the Cui Research Group have developed a new technology to turn thermal radiation into electricity in a way that literally teases the basic law of thermal physics. The group says their research has the potential to revolutionize manufacturing industries by increasing power generation without the need for high temperature heat sources or expensive materials.
Segil, Afference appears on Freethink's Hard Reset docuseries
Watch Jacob Segil, CEO of Afference and research professor in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering, showcase a new piece of haptic technology in an episode of Freethink's Hard Reset docuseries that will "redraw the borders of reality."
Spinout LongPath Technologies to expand methane detection with $162M DOE loan
Greg Rieker, associate professor of mechanical engineering and co-founder of LongPath Technologies, gathered with others on the ºÚÁÏÉçÇøÍø campus to celebrate a $162.4 million loan package from the U.S. Department of Energy. The loan will help Rieker and LongPath expand methane detection using laser-based quantum devices that scan the atmosphere in real time.
Rentschler, Aspero Medical awarded $4.5M for endoscopy advancement
Six years ago, Professor Mark Rentschler helped launch startup company Aspero Medical to develop a medical device used during endoscopy procedures. Today, with the help of a $4.5 million grant through the Anschutz Acceleration Initiative, Rentschler and his team are bringing two new medical devices to the market that have the potential to transform surgeries in the gastrointestinal region even further.
Diamond in the rough: Research could help better detect, target cancer cells
Associate Professor Xiaoyun Ding and his team in the Biomedical Microfluidics Laboratory (BMMLab) stumbled across an interesting anomaly during a cell sensing project that used different forms of acoustic waves to measure cell mechanics. The group discovered a new wave mode never seen before that can unlock a new level of cell manipulation capabilities.
New PhD research area allows students, faculty to explore engineering design in a wider context
The Paul M. Ray Department of Mechanical Engineering has launched a new research area in design. The new focus area, geared toward PhD students, involves the study of the design process and how various contexts (environmental, psychological, political, etc.) affect the artifacts that today’s engineers aim to create.