University of Washington College of Engineering

Micropantries (often called “little free pantries”) are all around Seattle, supplying roughly 4 million pounds of food to people in need each year. These small, community-run resources help fight food insecurity, but because they rely on volunteers and donations, they aren’t always dependable. 🥫

To help, an interdisciplinary team featuring UW Engineering researchers created PantryMap.org, an app that maps local pantries and gives each one an activity feed. Users can share what they’ve donated, report stock levels, add requests and more. Some pantries have also been fitted with sensors that anonymously update usage and stock in real time.

“Behind each little free pantry there is a whole system of behaviors — people trying to help one another. If we can understand that system better, we can support it better,” says Urban Freight Lab researcher Giacomo Dalla Chiara.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/3SfJvDG

UW researchers launch ‘little free pantry’ mapping pilot, internet-connected pantries in Seattle University of Washington researchers launched a pilot app that maps ‘little free pantries’ throughout the Seattle area and gives pantry users and donors new tools to communicate with and help one...

Congratulations to UW Electrical & Computer Engineering undergraduate student Anders Pearson for receiving a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) fellowship! 🎉

The NSF GRFP recognizes students pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in STEM. Pearson’s work brings together machine learning and wireless communication networks to model radio wave propagation in extreme environments.

His research could support future NASA lunar surface missions and help enable more resilient wireless communication networks on Earth.

Learn more about his research in our latest spotlight:

UW ECE undergraduate Anders Pearson awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowship UW ECE is proud to announce that undergraduate student Anders Pearson has been awarded a fellowship by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). The NSF GRFP...

What happens when you run a train across a bridge that floats? 🚄

The I-90 Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge is one of the longest floating bridges in the world. Now it also carries Sound Transit's 2 Line light rail, creating a unique challenge: cars can handle small bumps and bridge joints, but train tracks need to stay smooth and precisely aligned.

To monitor the bridge in real time, University of Washington Civil & Environmental Engineering researchers built a digital replica that pulls in sensor data on weather, GPS positioning, anchor cable tension and more, allowing maintenance teams to view a 3D model and see current conditions across the bridge.

“The most surprising thing for me has been learning how the bridge behaves on a day-to-day basis at the level of precision that we were never able to before,” says UW CEE professor Travis Thonstad.

Learn more:

Keeping watch on a one-of-a-kind bridge Keeping watch on a one-of-a-kind bridge By: Julia Davis / Photos courtesy of Sound TransitMay 18, 2026Top image: A light rail vehicle crosses the I-90 floating bridge. CEE researchers build a digital twin of the I-90 Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge to monitor the world's first floating light rail cr...

UW Chemical Engineering's Unit Operations Lab is where undergrads get hands-on experience with chemical engineering equipment (units), and it just got an upgrade. 🔬

Thanks in part to a generous estate gift, the lab was able to replace old equipment with new units, including a tray distillation column, a continuous reactor and more. The redesigned space is also flexible and modular, allowing the department to add machinery to meet industry demand and student interest.

“We want to be a model by which other labs around the country, and even the world, operate,” says UW Chemical Engineering professor Jorge Marchand.

Take a video tour of the renovated lab: https://bit.ly/4viMiKL

Tour the Renovated Unit Operations Lab! The Unit Operations Lab was renovated thanks in part to an estate donation. ChemE students and faculty gave a tour of the updated space.

Yesterday’s UW Aeronautics & Astronautics's SHARC Week Capstone Showcase kicked off a series of UW Engineering capstone events happening this week and next, including University of Washington Civil & Environmental Engineering's Research & Capstone Showcase tonight! 📣

These showcases highlight real-world engineering solutions created by UW Engineering students in collaboration with industry partners. Events are open to the community, so join us to see students present their work with poster sessions, prototype demos, lightning pitches, short films and more.

See the full schedule of events and register:

Capstone showcases The Departmental Capstone Showcases feature student teams presenting real-world engineering solutions developed in collaboration with industry partners. See the work come to life through poster sessions, prototype demos, lightning pitches, short films, and more. The showcases are open to the communi...

Exciting news in food engineering! 🎉The FDA has approved the first commercially produced food using Microwave Assisted Thermal Sterilization (MATS) technology, invented by University of Washington Industrial & Systems Engineering chair and professor, Juming Tang.

The MATS process helps prevent contamination while extending shelf life and preserving taste, texture and nutrition. It highlights how engineering can serve the public good by advancing food safety and quality at scale.

Read our 2025 interview with Tang to learn more about his work in food engineering and join us in congratulating Professor Tang on this huge accomplishment.

https://bit.ly/4itEwau

Immaculate consumption - Juming Tang Juming Tang is developing a revolutionary method of processing foods that controls pathogens, extends shelf life and preserves their natural taste, texture and nutrition.

Tracking pressure inside the brain often requires surgically implanted sensors. University of Washington Mechanical Engineering researchers in Professor Jae-Hyun Chung’s lab have developed a wearable device that can measure those pressure changes completely non-invasively. 🧠

The technology could help researchers and clinicians better monitor conditions linked to brain pressure changes, including injuries and sleep disorders, while making monitoring more accessible beyond just critical care settings.

“While a work in progress, this novel technology gives us a glimpse into what the future ‘functional’ brain monitoring may look like in various settings,” says UW Medicine professor and research contributor Younghoon Kwon.

Learn more about the device:

A new way to monitor the brain ME researchers developed a device that could measure brain pressure to better understand sleep issues or traumatic brain injury.

Before millions watched her TED Talk on engineering immune cells to fight cancer, University of Washington Department of Bioengineering professor Elizabeth Wayne was already building a career focused on improving how researchers detect and treat the disease.

Today, Wayne still studies how engineered immune cells and drug delivery systems can better detect and treat diseases — while also helping the public better understand the impact of scientific research.

“I believe that engineers and scientists serve the public,” Wayne says. “We ask probing questions to solve important problems and train students who will make our communities better.”

Learn more about her research and outreach:

Becoming a public scientist Immunology innovator Elizabeth Wayne pairs rigorous research with accessible outreach, bringing her bioengineering work to the people it’s meant to serve.

Join us for UW Engineering’s Industry Capstone Showcases in May and June! �

Every year, students across the UW College of Engineering partner with industry sponsors to develop real-world engineering solutions — and starting on May 26, they’ll present their work at capstone showcases across campus.

Upcoming showcases:

• Aeronautics & Astronautics SHARC Showcase — May 26
• Civil & Environmental Engineering Capstone Showcase — May 27
• Mechanical Engineering Capstone Expo — May 29
• Bioengineering Capstone Showcase — June 1
• Electrical & Computer Engineering ENGINE Showcase — June 2
• Human Centered Design & Engineering Capstone Showcase — June 3
• Materials Science & Engineering Capstone Symposium — June 5
• Industrial & Systems Engineering Capstone Showcase — June 5
• Chemical Engineering Capstone Event — June 5

Learn more and register: https://bit.ly/49aaUN6

Two weeks left to apply for the AI and Machine Learning (ML) graduate program! 📣

UW Engineering launched two new professional programs – a graduate certificate and a master’s degree – designed to help engineers apply AI and ML tools in real-world engineering environments.

We sat down with University of Washington Mechanical Engineering professor and program director Steve Brunton to learn what makes these programs unique, and how everyone from recent grads to working engineers can build these skills.

Read the full Q&A and apply: https://bit.ly/421wKhT

Demystifying AI for engineering A conversation with Steve Brunton, director of the College’s new professional programs in AI and machine learning for engineering.