Number One Engineering and Technology University
10-04-12
For the third year the Times Higher Education world university rankings has ranked Caltech as number one in engineering and technology. [View Rankings] [Caltech Feature]
News & Events
Headlines
Professor Greer Receives Breakthrough Award from Popular Mechanics magazine
10-01-12
Julia R. Greer, Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Mechanics, is receiving a 2012 Breakthrough Award from Popular Mechanics magazine as part of the team that engineered the world's lightest solid material. "I am delighted that Professor Greer is being honored with this award," says Ares Rosakis, chair of the Division of Engineering and Applied Science (EAS) at Caltech. "She is a great example of how we in EAS are working at the edges of fundamental science to invent the technologies of the future." [Caltech Release]
A Worthy Endeavor
09-21-12
The space shuttle Endeavour's final flight ended Friday, September 21, when it landed at Los Angeles International Airport en route to its new life as an exhibit at the California Science Center. But without Caltech professors Christopher Brennen and Allan Acosta and alumnus Sheldon Rubin (ME, '56), the entire endeavor might not have been possible. [Caltech Release] [KTLA 5 Interview with Professor Brennen]
Self-Contained, Photovoltaic Powered Domestic Toilet
08-15-12
Michael Robert Hoffmann, James Irvine Professor of Environmental Science, and his team of graduate students Asghar Aryanfar, Clement Cid, Kangwoo Cho, Daejung Kwon, and Hao Zhang, along with post doctoral scholar Yan Qu have won the Reinventing the Toilet Challenge issued by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Their winning proposal was to build a toilet that uses the sun to power an electrochemical reactor. The reactor breaks down water and human waste into fertilizer and hydrogen, which can be stored in hydrogen fuel cells as energy. The treated water can then be reused to flush the toilet or for irrigation. [Caltech Feature] [CNN Ideas]
Tags: energy research highlights MCE ESE Michael Hoffmann Asghar Aryanfar Clement Cid Kangwoo Cho Daejung Kwon Hao Zhang Yan Qu
Prof. Ravichandran Inducted into the European Academy of Sciences and Arts
08-10-12
Guruswami Ravichandran, John E. Goode, Jr., Professor of Aerospace and Professor of Mechanical Engineering as well as the Director of the Graduate Aerospace Laboratories, has been elected into the European Academy of Sciences and Arts under the class of Technical and Environmental Sciences. The Academy focuses on interdisciplinary discussion across specialist areas, ideologies and scientific cultures as well as promoting transnational dialog and visionary developments of new scientific knowledge and academic thinking.
Tags: GALCIT MCE Guruswami Ravichandran
Professor Ravichandran Elected Fellow of AAM
07-23-12
Guruswami Ravichandran, John E. Goode, Jr., Professor of Aerospace and Professor of Mechanical Engineering, who is also the Director of the Graduate Aerospace Laboratories, has been elected as a 2012 Fellow of American Academy of Mechanics (AAM). He recieved this honor for “his outstanding contributions to the understanding of mechanical behavior of materials under extreme loading environments.”
Professor Rosakis Receives P.S. Theocaris Award
06-27-12
Ares J. Rosakis, Theodore von Karman Professor of Aeronautics and Professor of Mechanical Engineering, is the recipient of the Society for Experimental Mechanics (SEM) 2013 P.S. Theocaris Award. This award recognizes a senior professional who is a Fellow of SEM and who has conducted outstanding research throughout his career in the field of experimental mechanics. [Caltech story]
Tags: honors GALCIT MCE Ares Rosakis
Alumnae Receives Support At Clinton Global Initiative America
06-15-12
Mechanical Engineering alumae (PhD '07) and Executive Director of the Maker Education Initiative, Ann Marie Polsenberg Thomas, received support from Cognizant at the Clinton Global Initiative America meeting for Maker Corps, a new program developed by the Maker Education Initiative. This program will hire college students to serve as mentors and educators to children in summer and after school programs inspired by the Maker Movement, a broad-based community that celebrates the art of designing and building things, either doing-it-yourself or with others. [Learn More]
"We are excited to have Cognizant's support in launching Maker Corps," said AnnMarie Thomas, Executive Director of the Maker Education Initiative. "Projects led by Maker Corps members will not only create new opportunities for children to develop teamwork, creative, technical and problem solving skills, but also expand the capacity of organizations to reach underserved children in meaningful ways."
Jeff Amelang Receives Excellent Teaching Assistant Award
06-14-12
Mechanical Engineering Graduate Student Jeff Amelang has won the 2012 Graduate Student Council (GSC) Excellent Teaching Assistant Award. This award is given by the GSC each year, with participating from the entire Caltech community, to one graduate student at Caltech.
Tags: honors MCE Jeff Amelang
Winners of the 2012 Demetriades - Tsafka - Kokkalis Prizes Announced
06-14-12
The student winners of the 2012 Demetriades - Tsafka - Kokkalis Prizes were announced at a special luncheon with the Demetriades - Tsafka – Kokkalis family. Philip Romero received the prize in Biotechnology for his work on developing statistical models of proteins with Frances Arnold. Michael Mello was the recipient of the prize in Seismo-Engineering, Prediction, and Protection for his work with Ares Rosakis on developing a novel methodology for identifying the unique ground motion signatures of supershear earthquakes. Leslie O’Leary received the prize in Environmentally Benign Renewable Energy Sources for her pathbreaking work on the properties of semiconductor interfaces with Nate Lewis and Bob Grubbs. This year there were two winners for the prize in Nanotechnology. One winner was Andrew Jennings for his experimental and modeling work in nanomechanics with Julia Greer. The other winner of the Nanotechnology prize was Jordan Raney who has worked with Chiara Daraio to develop new chemical synthesis methods to control the properties of carbon nanotubes.
Tags: APhMS honors research highlights Chiara Daraio GALCIT MCE Nate Lewis Julia Greer Demetriades - Tsafka - Kokkalis Prizes Ares Rosakis Frances Arnold Philip Romero Leslie O’Leary Bob Grubbs Andrew Jennings Jordan Raney Michael Mello