Can tiny, invisible particles help stop the spread of nuclear weapons?
03/12/20 - Researchers are closer than ever to deploying technology that can help detect the illicit production of plutonium, a key fuel for nuclear bombs
Energy
Researchers develop novel way to shrink light to detect ultra-tiny substances
02/20/20 - The research could lead to the development of ultra-sensitive devices that can quickly detect pathogens in human blood.
Ceder peeks into the battery pipeline
12/16/19 - From cobalt-free to sodium-ion, Berkeley Lab scientist and MSE professor Gerbrand Ceder evaluates some of the most promising battery technologies in development.
Heat energy leaps through empty space, thanks to quantum weirdness
12/11/19 - In a surprising new study, Berkeley researchers led by Xiang Zhang, professor of mechanical engineering, showed that heat energy can travel through a complete vacuum due to invisible quantum fluctuations, a discovery that could have profound implications for the design of computer chips.
Mirror mirror
10/25/19 - Researchers broke another record in thermophotovoltaics, raising the efficiency of converting heat into electricity from 23% to 29%.
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.
Eight Berkeley engineers honored as Siebel Scholars
09/25/19 - Eight Berkeley Engineering graduate students - five from bioengineering, two from computer science and one from energy science - have been named to the Siebel Scholars Foundation's 2020 class.
Making the invisible visible
07/22/19 - Berkeley researchers have developed a new type of sensor network that is affordable and capable of tracking soot (black carbon). With more than 100 custom-built sensors installed across West Oakland for 100 days, the team created the largest black carbon monitoring network deployed in a single city.
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.
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority partnership advances ‘future energy’ educational program
05/04/19 - UC Berkeley and the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) are teaming up to establish a new educational program to accelerate infrastructure systems for sustainable energy.
Jiggly Jell-O makes powerful new hydrogen fuel catalyst
12/13/18 - A cheap and effective gelatin-based catalyst, developed by mechanical engineering professor Liwei Lin and his Berkeley research team, can generate hydrogen fuel from water just as efficiently as platinum, the far more expensive current standard.
From waste heat to energy
11/14/18 - Researchers have developed a thin-film device that converts waste heat to energy, using pyroelectric energy conversion.
Berkeley ingenuity keeps lithium-ion batteries at temps even Goldilocks would love
10/22/18 - Berkeley engineers have come up with a clever and inexpensive solution to automatically regulate the temperature of lithium-ion batteries. Their technology could expand the practical use of electric vehicles and consumer electronics in more extreme temperatures.
Can the world change course on climate change?
10/15/18 - In an episode of the Knowledge@Wharton podcast, Berkeley professor of energy Daniel Kammen and Wharton's Brian Berkey discusses a new United Nations report warning that severe impacts of global warming are likely to occur by 2040.
Eight Berkeley engineers honored as Siebel Scholars
09/14/18 - Eight Berkeley engineers - representing bioengineering, computer science and energy science - have been named to the Siebel Scholars Foundation's 2019 class, recognized for their academic achievements and demonstrated leadership.
UC Berkeley to co-lead DOE center to study corrosion in nuclear reactors
08/06/18 - Berkeley engineers are co-leading a new DOE-funded Energy Frontier Research Center to study how extreme conditions such as radiation exposure and corrosion affect nuclear reactor materials. The new center, led by the Los Alamos National Laboratory, is called the Fundamental Understanding of Transport Under Reactor Extremes, or FUTURE.
Redesigning wind power
06/01/18 - Berkeley Engineering students have designed a wind turbine that is quiet, efficient and protects birds.
Thin film converts heat from electronics into energy
04/16/18 - Nearly 70 percent of the energy produced in the United States is wasted as heat - from exhaust pipes, high-speed electronics and other sources. Now Berkeley engineers have developed a thin-film system that can produce energy from these waste sources at unprecedented levels.
New technology could wean battery world off cobalt
04/11/18 - A research team led by Gerbrand Ceder, professor of materials science and engineering, has devised a way to build lithium battery cathodes using materials that have greater capacity, and a far lower price, than the traditional cobalt.
Chirp Microsystems acquired
03/23/18 - Chirp Microsystems, a startup enabled with technology developed at UC Davis and UC Berkeley, has been acquired by Japanese electronics giant TDK Corporation. Based in Berkeley, Chirp Microsystems makes tiny, ultra-low power sensors that function like sonar or echolocation. The micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) technology enables extremely precise sensing and has applications in drones, robots, vehicles, smart home products, augmented reality and virtual reality systems.