Roach-inspired robot
10/25/19 — Engineers have created an insect-sized robot that can move as fast as a cockroach and withstand the weight of the average human.
News
Separate ways
10/25/19 — Nuclear engineers have created a more efficient method for separating out contaminants from chemical elements known as actinides.
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.
New frontiers in gene editing
10/25/19 — Berkeley bioengineers are developing new techniques and tools to advance CRISPR-Cas9 applications, which could have implications for nearly every genetic disease.
Dean’s note: A heart for students in engineering
10/25/19 — Engineering Student Services plays a key role in the success and well-being of our students.
New & noteworthy
10/25/19 — Class notes and other updates about Berkeley Engineering alumni and faculty.
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.
Piranha-proof fish scales offer inspiration for armor
10/17/19 UCSD — UC Berkeley and UC San Diego material scientists have discovered the secret to Arapaima gigas's impermeable armor. The scales on this Amazonian freshwater fish could serve as inspiration for stronger, lightweight and flexible synthetic armors.
Towers in earthquake country — designers say the new ones are safe to their core
10/15/19 San Francisco Chronicle — Jack Moehle, professor of structural engineering, comments on the safety of towers that have transformed San Francisco's skyline over the past decade.
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.
Andrew Packard, professor and pioneer in robust control systems, dies at 59
10/07/19 — Professor Andrew Packard, professor of mechanical engineering, passed away in September. A popular and gifted teacher, Packard was a pioneering researcher in robust control theory.
Berkeley receives grant to grow public interest technology
10/07/19 — UC Berkeley received a $180,000 grant from the Public Interest Technology University Network to develop an innovative curriculum that encourages students to work across disciplines and understand the ethical, political and societal implications of technology.
ESS turns 10, Bechtel becomes a welcome center
10/07/19 — New center will help visitors and students learn what the college has to offer
Berkeley researchers help secure water future
09/27/19 — The National Alliance for Water Innovation , which includes researchers from Berkeley Engineering, has been awarded a five-year, $100 million Energy-Water Desalination Hub by the U.S. Department of Energy to address water security issues in the United States.
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.
Kresge Engineering Library unveils a new diversity and inclusion collection
09/24/19 — Today, Berkeley Engineering unveiled a new diversity, equity and inclusion resource collection at the Kresge Engineering Library. The collection consists of physical books as well as electronic books and other electronic resources.
Can cellphones help cities be more energy efficient?
09/23/19 — Berkeley Engineering, Berkeley Lab and MIT researchers have created a new tool that uses cellphone data to estimate building occupancy rates in urban areas, with the aim of optimizing energy use at a citywide scale - and helping to mitigate climate change.
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.
A single dose for good measure
09/13/19 Berkeley Lab — Nuclear engineering professor Rebecca Abergel and her colleagues at Berkeley Lab have developed a new pill to treat radiation poisoning. The pill could also double as an anti-gadolinium-toxicity pill for MRI patients injected with a commonly-used contrast dye.