The many frontiers of synthetic biology
05/01/15 — Better drug delivery systems and provisioning deep space missions are among the new ideas emerging from synthetic biology research.
Research
NASA Tensegrity robots
05/01/15 — These squishy robots are inspiring new ways of thinking about the form and function of automated systems.
‘Intelligent design’ — can it deliver?
04/28/15 Berkeley Research — Berkeley bioengineer David Schaffer uses a strategy known as directed evolution to find variations in a common virus that will allow it to effectively deliver drugs to target cells.
UC grad students deliver solutions, startups
04/24/15 University of California — Grad students from across the UC system will descend on Sacramento April 28 for Graduate Research Advocacy Day. Among them will be Berkeley civil engineering grad student André Carrel, who is studying how bus service reliability affects ridership.
The cyber-biophysical research frontier
04/16/15 — Cyber-biophysical systems, our newest research field, integrates sensing, computational and communications networks with human biology.
UN honors nanotech pioneer
04/13/15 UNESCO — Connie Chang-Hasnain, Whinnery Distinguished Professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences, was awarded a medal from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in recognition of her innovative nanotechnology research.
Electric vehicle batteries last longer than previously thought
03/30/15 Berkeley Lab — Scott Moura, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, has co-authored a study with Berkeley Lab colleagues that may alleviate concerns over battery life in electric vehicles.
Synthetic coatings: Super surfaces
03/26/15 Nature — Characteristics adapted from lizards, ivy and other natural materials could help to engineer everyday objects with remarkable properties. Professor Phillip Messersmith, a Berkeley materials scientist and bioengineer, is studying mussel adhesive, which is ideal for securing objects underwater.
The waves of the future may bend around metamaterials
03/24/15 New York Times — In recent years, scientists have learned how to construct materials that bend light, radar, radio, even seismic waves in ways that do not naturally occur. A key pioneer of these metamaterials is Berkeley Engineering's Xiang Zhang, whose lab has created optical “superlenses” that may one day surpass the power of today's microscopes.
Tensegrity robots make headlines
03/23/15 BEST Lab — Tensegrity robots have been featured in a host of recent media articles. The spherical cable-and-rod structures are being developed by mechanical engineering professor Alice Agogino's team, working with NASA Ames and their collaborators, for tasks ranging from space exploration to home health care.
Heising-Simons Foundation supports Berkeley search for dark matter axions
03/18/15 — Dark-matter axion research at four U.S. institutions, led by nuclear engineering professor Karl van Bibber, is one of two new grants to UC Berkeley scientists from the Heising-Simons Foundation.
‘Smart bandage’ detects bedsores before they are visible to doctors
03/18/15 — Berkeley engineers have created a “smart bandage” that uses electrical currents to detect tissue damage from pressure ulcers, or bedsores, before they can be seen - while recovery is still possible.
A lightness of being
03/16/15 The Economist — An article on locomotion in microgravity mentions Berkeley mechanical engineering professor Alice Agogino's NASA-funded research on a “structurally compliant” rover designed to move across asteroids with a “punctuated rolling motion.”
Cyborg beetle research allows free-flight study of insects
03/16/15 — Remote-controlled beetles equipped with radio backpacks are showcasing the potential of miniature electronics in biological research led by Berkeley engineers and Singapore's Nanyang Technological University.
New chameleon-like material
03/12/15 — Berkeley engineers led by EECS professor Connie Chang-Hasnain have created an ultra-thin film that can shift colors as easily as a chameleon's skin when pulled or twisted.
Bioengineers put human hearts on a chip
03/09/15 — Researchers have created a “heart-on-a-chip” technology that effectively uses human cardiac muscle cells derived from adult stem cells to model how a human heart reacts to cardiovascular medications. The system could one day replace animal models to screen for the safety and efficacy of new drugs.
Bringing the invisible to light
02/27/15 Berkeley Research — EECS professor Laura Waller is working on computational imaging methods for quantitative phase microscopy, which can be applied in a variety of scientific and industrial settings. Her work is supported by the Bakar Fellows Program for young faculty whose work holds commercial promise.
Greener blue jeans
02/23/15 Berkeley Research — The indigo that dyes your favorite pair of jeans blue is wildly popular, but very "dirty" to synthesize chemically. Bioengineering professor and Bakar fellow John Dueber thinks he has found an environmentally green way for industry to churn out the dye without toxic compounds.
Wearable circuits could extend MRI’s reach
02/13/15 Berkeley Research — EECS associate professor Ana Claudia Arias is creating new wearable electronics based on printed circuits, to allow easier and better MRI imaging of sick infants, among others.
Engineering the spark that starts the wildfire
02/11/15 National Science Foundation — Hot metal fragments cast off by power lines, overheated brakes or other common sources can ignite a blaze if they land on the right fuel source. Now Berkeley mechanical engineers, supported by the NSF, are learning what ingredients and conditions cause this type of spot fire ignition.