Electrical engineering

Female students viewing a laptop screen as part of CS KickStart

Diversity initiatives help change the face of computer science

12/09/19 — Berkeley's population of burgeoning computer scientists has recently grown a lot more diverse, thanks in part to a series of programs that were launched to support women and underrepresented minorities in computer science.

Chenming Hu awarded IEEE Medal of Honor

12/06/19 IEEE — The electrical engineering and computer sciences professor emeritus was recognized for his distinguished work with semiconductor models, particularly 3D device structures.

Students share project demos during the CS KickStart program for incoming students interested in computer science

Hopper-Dean Foundation gift of $2M bolsters EECS diversity initiatives

11/20/19 — The Hopper-Dean Foundation has awarded $2 million over two years to the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences in support of diversity initiatives in computer science.

Silicon Valley combating deepfake videos that could upend an election

11/05/19 Los Angeles Times — Leaders in artificial intelligence are unveiling a tool to push back against deepfake videos, built in part on scanning software that UC Berkeley has been developing in partnership with the U.S. military.

Alum honored as MEMS pioneer

10/25/19 — Kurt Peterson was awarded the 2019 IEEE Medal of Honor for his contributions to microelectromechanical systems research.

Mirror mirror

10/25/19 — Researchers broke another record in thermophotovoltaics, raising the efficiency of converting heat into electricity from 23% to 29%.

Photo illustration of Barack Obama, Mark Zuckerberg and Elizabeth Warren

Moments of untruth

10/25/19 — Computer science researchers are using groundbreaking machine learning technologies to expose deepfake videos, manipulated images and other types of digital deception.

Two brain scans: One as normally seen by a radiologist, and one with hemorrhaging areas highlighted by AI technology

With AI, machines become expert at reading brain scans

10/22/19 — A computer algorithm developed by scientists at UCSF and UC Berkeley bested two out of four expert radiologists at finding tiny brain hemorrhages in head scans - an advance that one day may help doctors treat patients with traumatic brain injuries, strokes and aneurysms.

Our energy grid is vulnerable; locally sourced power may be the answer

10/11/19 — Alexandra “Sascha” von Meier, adjunct professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences, talks about the risks posed by the current energy grid and possible solutions moving forward, including solar-powered microgrids.

Warning! AI is heading for a cliff

09/19/19 California Magazine — Electrical engineering and computer sciences professor Stuart Russell proposes a solution to AI's fundamental "design error."

U.S. Military researchers work to fix easily fooled AI

09/19/19 NPR — NPR's All Things Considered talked to EECS professor Dawn Song about her AI work with traffic signs to explain how U.S. Military researchers are working to combat what they call "adversarial artificial intelligence." That's when someone hacks into an AI system to transmit the wrong information.

New Bakar Fellows are already having an impact

09/05/19 — Three Berkeley Engineering professors have been named 2019–20 Bakar Fellows: Niren Murthy (BioE), Raluca Ada Popa (EECS) and Kenichi Soga (CEE).

Wearable sensors detect what’s in your sweat

08/16/19 — A team of Berkeley engineers is developing wearable skin sensors that can detect what's in sweat, potentially supplanting invasive procedures like blood draws and providing real-time updates on health conditions.

Drones will fly for days with new photovoltaic engine

07/17/19 — UC Berkeley researchers just broke another record in photovoltaic efficiency, an achievement that could bring ultralight engines that power drones for days and deep space probes for centuries.

Anca Dragan and Javad Lavaei, Berkeley Engineering professors.

White House honors engineering faculty with early career awards

07/03/19 — Anca Dragan and Javad Lavaei have been awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). Newly hired faculty members Alvin Cheung and Barna Saha were also honored.

Berkeley professors named innovators under 35

06/25/19 — Two Berkeley Engineering professors - mechanical engineering's Grace Gu and EECS' Raluca Ada Popa - were included in MIT Technology Review's list of “innovators under 35” today. This honor is given annually to technologists whose work has great potential to change the world

Using software to manipulate a video of President Obama speaking

AI researchers race to detect ‘deepfake’ videos: ‘We are outgunned’

06/13/19 Washington Post — EECS graduate student Shruti Agarwal and incoming professor Hany Farid argue that powerful new AI software has effectively democratized the creation of convincing “deepfake” videos, making it easier than ever to fabricate someone appearing to say or do something they didn't really do.