Defining the original smart material
03/15/16 — Sonia Travaglini, a Ph.D. candidate in mechanical engineering, studies the properties of fungus to discover the composite materials of the future.
News
Making waves: Turning ocean power into electricity
03/15/16 — Ocean waves constantly generate energy. Berkeley engineers are trying to build a device to harness that power and convert it to electricity.
Experiments show magnetic chips could dramatically increase computing’s energy efficiency
03/14/16 — In a breakthrough for energy-efficient computing, Berkeley engineers have shown for the first time that magnetic chips can operate at the lowest fundamental energy dissipation theoretically possible under the laws of thermodynamics.
How to save water from California’s leaky infrastructure
03/07/16 California magazine — Thanks to outdated systems and structures, California's water managers don't know how much water the state truly has, how much we really use, or how much leaks from ancient pipes before it ever reaches a tap. Berkeley engineers like Paul Sagues (M.S.'80 ME) are working on ways to dry up that waste.
‘Deep learning’ – a giant step for robots
03/04/16 Berkeley Research — For 15 years, Berkeley robotics researcher Pieter Abbeel has been looking for ways to make robots learn. In 2010 he and his students programmed a robot to fold towels. Now, he's gotten robots to learn from their experience.
Inside the artificial intelligence revolution
02/29/16 Rolling Stone — A visit to Sutardja Dai Hall's "robot nursery school," where EECS professor Pieter Abbeel and colleagues are trying to teach robots to understand the world and think intelligently, kicks off a look at the potential and the perils of artificial intelligence.
A key to careers in biomedical and biotech fields
02/26/16 — For career-focused students, the biomedical industry can seem like an exclusive club. But UC Berkeley's Bio-Manufacturing to Market program holds the key, providing internships that connect science and engineering undergrads with biomedical and biotech startups in the East Bay.
How deep learning gives us a precise picture of all the water on earth
02/26/16 MIT Technology Review — Scientists are using artificial intelligence to help them achieve precise, dynamic measurements of water levels around the world. CEE professor Steven Glaser says most current water models are based on readings from the last 50 years.
Imprint Energy challenges students to build a better battery
02/25/16 Sutardja Center — Imprint CEO Christine Ho (B.S'05, M.S'07, Ph.D'10 MSE) returned to campus as part of the Sutardja Center's Collider program, which challenges students to work on cutting-edge research projects with industry.
ME student team wins cleantech prize
02/25/16 — Students in mechanical engineering professor Hayden Taylor's group have won the $100,000 grand prize in the Berkeley Cleantech University Prize competition for their development of an omniphobic coating that can boost air conditioner efficiency.
Diane Greene tops list of powerful women engineers
02/24/16 Business Insider — Tech entrepreneur Diane Greene (M.S.'88 EECS) is the #1 pick of Business Insider in its National Engineers Week salute to influential women engineers, honored for her selection by Google to run its cloud computing business. Also on the list is #3 Tara Bunch (B.S.'85 ME), VP of operations at Apple.
EECS’ Nir Yosef among 8 new Sloan fellows on campus
02/24/16 — Eight UC Berkeley assistant professors, including Nir Yosef of EECS, are among 126 new Sloan Research Fellows, honoring early-career scientists and scholars whose achievements and potential identify them as rising stars.
CEE’s William Tarpeh honored as a young innovator
02/19/16 NBC — Environmental engineering Ph.D. student William Tarpeh, whose work promotes sustainable sanitation in developing countries, was selected by NBC News as one of the NBCBLK28 - innovators and game changers who are "young, gifted, and unapologetically Black."
Young Berkeley Engineering faculty members honored by White House
02/19/16 — President Obama this week named three young UC Berkeley faculty members, including EECS associate professors Pieter Abbeel and Sayeef Salahuddin, as recipients of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers.
Building a rescue roach
02/18/16 New York Times — Humans may never eliminate cockroaches, but they could learn enough from them to build robots that crawl through rubble to look for survivors or gather information after disasters, according to scientists at UC Berkeley's PolyPEDAL Lab.
Like GPS for your sex drive
02/17/16 — Our phones are smart. Our cars are smart. And now, thanks to SkyDeck-based Lioness and its Berkeley Engineering grads, even vibrators can be smart, providing the data a woman needs to reach her destination free of detours, traffic tie-ups and road rage.
Getting more women into tech careers (and why it matters)
02/16/16 — In an EECS colloquium, Harvey Mudd College President Maria Klawe talks about how to increase the number of women in technology.
The critical zone: Studying where all of life happens
02/16/16 — Sally Thompson, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, directs an interdisciplinary group of researchers studying northern California's Eel River.
Ben Horowitz talks honesty, failure and secrets
02/12/16 Sutardja Center — Venture capitalist Ben Horowitz shared life lessons with students - including the likelihood that your great discovery will spring from a big mistake.
New app turns smartphones into worldwide seismic network
02/12/16 — UC Berkeley scientists are releasing a free Android app that taps a smartphone's ability to record ground shaking from an earthquake, with the goal of creating a worldwide seismic detection and warning network.