CU Boulder Engineering

09/17/2026

09/16/2026

🚀 What does it take to explore the most distant planets in our solar system?

University of Colorado Boulder Aerospace PhD student and Smead Scholar Cate Leszcz is using computational fluid dynamics and some of the world's most powerful supercomputers to better understand the challenging atmospheric conditions of the solar system's ice giants.

Her research investigates the extreme heating spacecraft can experience during hypersonic atmospheric entry, generating insights that could help guide heat-shield design for future missions to planets such as Uranus and Neptune.

By advancing our understanding of these distant worlds, Cate's work is helping pave the way for the next generation of planetary exploration.

https://cuboulder.engineering/3T8YsrY

09/15/2026

From conducting research in Antarctica to studying how extreme weather affects the electric grid, University of Colorado Boulder senior Nainika Gupta is using environmental engineering to address some of society's most pressing challenges.

Her research spans climate, water, energy and infrastructure, from studying Antarctic ice sheets and firn aquifers to examining how severe weather impacts power outages and grid resilience.

For Nainika, engineering is about more than solving technical problems. It's about understanding how environmental change affects people and communities and creating solutions that help build a more resilient future.

https://cuboulder.engineering/4Ah3kwc

09/14/2026

What happens when engineering students combine technical expertise, entrepreneurial spirit and a real industry challenge?

Sami Yohannes and Caleb Woldemichael, current University of Colorado Boulder engineering students, turned a common pain point in the engineering and construction industry into an AI-powered startup. Through their company, YW Holdings, they developed a tool that helps streamline the time-intensive RFP process, allowing firms to automate workflows and focus more on engineering innovation.

Their journey highlights the power of mentorship, hands-on learning and taking initiative. With support from alumnus Marco Campos and insights gained through industry collaboration, they built a solution designed by engineers, for engineers.

Just as inspiring, they are paying it forward by mentoring future STEM students and committing a portion of their company's revenue to expand educational opportunities in Eritrea and Ethiopia.

cuboulder.engineering/4itHCi4

Sami Yohannes and Caleb Woldemichael turned an industry challenge into an AI startup, developing a tool that helps engineering and construction firms streamline

09/01/2026

What does the future of aerospace innovation look like?

Join us for the next installment of our Leading with Impact series on Sept. 16 in Denver, featuring University of Colorado Boulder engineering alumni who are helping shape the future of aerospace and space exploration.

Moderated by John Evans, chair of the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, this engaging discussion will explore emerging technologies, groundbreaking research collaborations, and the opportunities and challenges driving the next era of discovery.

Connect with alumni, faculty, industry leaders and the broader community while learning how CU Engineering is advancing innovation with impact, from Earth to space.

📅 Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026
📍 The Jacquard Hotel, Denver
🕡 Panel begins at 6:30 p.m. MT

RSVP 🔗 https://cuboulder.engineering/3SEz79i

The “Leading with Impact" event series brings together experts and industry leaders affiliated with the College of Engineering & Applied Science to explore the

08/31/2026

Aircraft turbulence isn't just uncomfortable for passengers. It can also increase drag and fuel consumption.

University of Colorado Boulder Aerospace Engineering Professor Mahmoud I. Hussein is developing new ways to reduce turbulence and improve aircraft efficiency using engineered microscopic vibrations created by synthetic subsurface materials.

His team recently achieved two major breakthroughs:
🔹 Super-resonance, enabling control across a broad range of frequencies.
🔹 Scatterless interference, allowing turbulence to be delayed across larger surfaces such as aircraft wings.

Together, these advances bring the technology closer to real-world flight applications and could enhance aerodynamic performance in passenger aircraft, hypersonic vehicles and other next-generation aerospace systems.

cuboulder.engineering/3Sya33L

A passenger jet soars across the sky at 640 mph, its wings pummeled with wind and boundary-layer turbulence, challenging the plane’s operation and efficiency.

08/26/2026

CU Boulder is at the forefront of quantum innovation.

A scientific quest to build more accurate clocks, faster computers and new sensors to detect the faintest signs of disease and disaster is getting a $37.5 million financial boost.

The National Science Foundation (NSF), through its Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes, is investing in the next phase of CU Boulder and its partners’ work to advance quantum science research and engineering.

Read more ↓
https://bit.ly/4qBWrkt

08/25/2026

How unpredictable is war? More than you might think.

New research from the University of Colorado Boulder is helping quantify the risks of conflict escalation. A study led by computer science professor Aaron Clauset found that escalation is remarkably common in armed conflicts, with even limited wars carrying a persistent risk of becoming significantly more severe over time.

The findings reveal how conflicts can rapidly intensify as alliances shift and negotiations break down, offering new insights that could help policymakers better understand and reduce the risks of escalation.

cuboulder.engineering/4xmGvVY

By analyzing decades of war death statistics, researchers found large civil wars tend to cool off over time, but wars between nations show a persistent risk of

08/25/2026

How can we make biology more predictable, and AI more useful for scientific discovery?

University of Colorado Boulder Professor Chris Myers is partnering with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Schmidt Sciences, to advance synthetic biology engineering through better data standards, automation and machine learning.

The goal is to give researchers more reliable ways to design, measure and predict how biological systems will behave. As Myers puts it, “The more we can bring that same predictability to biology, the more powerful the field becomes.”

https://cuboulder.engineering/4wO85Kz

Professor Chris Myers is partnering with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, with support provided by the National Science Foundation and

08/24/2026

University of Colorado Boulder built technology is reaching new heights in space research. 🚀🔬🌎

Researchers at BioServe Space Technologies have developed NEMO, a new automated microscope and incubator that allows scientists to continuously image and study multiple biological samples in microgravity, with much of the work controlled remotely from Earth.

Built with contributions from CU Boulder staff and students, NEMO represents another exciting advancement in space-based research and Colorado aerospace innovation.

cuboulder.engineering/4fGXps1

Orbiting astronauts have access to a new research tool designed and built in Colorado. University of Colorado Boulder researchers have launched a new