University of Washington College of Engineering

Hollywood films make robotic exoskeletons and smart prosthetics look easy. But the real challenge is engineering systems that work with the complexities of the human body. 🦾

Enter UW Electrical & Computer Engineering professor Kim Ingraham, who designs personalized, adaptive control strategies for assistive robotic devices. Her work focuses on creating usable assistive robotics for people with disabilities, blending techniques from robotics, neural engineering, biomechanics, and machine learning.

“Understanding and designing for the complexity of the interactions between the robot and the human is one of the big gaps that we still have to address,” says Ingraham.

Learn more:

www.ece.uw.edu

Valentine’s Day is about celebrating the heart—but for some UW engineers, keeping hearts healthy is a core part of their work. ❤️

At UW Medicine’s Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM), researchers across 150 labs and 40 University of Washington departments collaborate to advance health innovation.

Among them, UW Engineering researchers are making critical contributions to understanding and improving heart function. Experts like Jennifer Davis, Nathan Sniadecki, Patrick Boyle, Michael Regnier and many others are tackling the heart’s incredible complexity—whether it’s reversing scar tissue, engineering heart cells, or using computational techniques to predict and prevent disease.

Read more about how UW engineers are shaping the future of heart health in our latest spotlight: https://bit.ly/40XQfXB

Engineering heart health A collaborative cohort of UW Engineering researchers is helping unlock the mysteries of the human heart at the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine.

Chemotherapy and radiation can be lifesaving, but their side effects can be severe. Two University of Washington researchers are developing new treatments that fight cancer while prioritizing patients' well-being. 🔬

➔ Miqin Zhang (professor of University of Washington Materials Science & Engineering and neurological surgery at UW Medicine) designs tiny systems that specifically target cancer cells.

➔ Dr. Avik Som (professor of University of Washington Materials Science & Engineering and radiology at UW Medicine) uses interventional radiology to provide precise cancer treatments.

In our latest Q&A, they share how their work is shaping the future of cancer treatment.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/40SSw6u

Q&A: UW researchers are designing cancer therapeutics that can kill cancer cells and restore healthy tissue Two University of Washington researchers are developing treatments that aim to simultaneously treat cancer and improve patients' quality of life. For World Cancer Day, UW News asked them to discuss...

How do online rumors, misinformation and disinformation shape our world? 🔍

Join us for the 2025 University Faculty Lecture on February 24 as Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE) Professor Kate Starbird explores how rumors and false information spread in uncertain times, shedding light on the roles we all play on social media and beyond.

Starbird, winner of the UW's 2024 University Faculty Lecture Award and cofounder of the Center for an Informed Public at UW, is a leading expert in the study of online rumors and digital misinformation.

📍 Where & When: The lecture is open to the public and will take place in the HUB Ballroom and online on Feb. 24 from 5:30-6:30 p.m.

🔗 Register here:

2025 University Faculty Lecture A Spotlight on Rumors: Illuminating How Influence and Improvisation Shape Online Conversations

From leading engineering for Boeing’s Rapid Space Capabilities division to teaching future engineers as an affiliate professor at University of Washington Industrial & Systems Engineering, Tamaira Ross demonstrates how technical and business expertise go hand in hand. Learn more about Ross’ journey below!

The Indus Valley Civilization was one of the world’s earliest urban societies, but its sudden population decline remains a mystery. The answer may lie in deciphering its ancient script, a challenge that has eluded experts for decades. 📜

A recent BBC article explores the latest efforts to decode this linguistic puzzle, features insights from experts including Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering professor Rajesh Rao. Rao, who has several peer-reviewed studies and analyses about the lost language, has long been at the forefront of efforts to understand its structure.

With a renewed global interest – and a $1 million prize now offered by the chief minister of India’s Tamil Nadu state – new breakthroughs may be on the horizon.

Learn more: https://bbc.in/4jMZaDN

Indus Valley: A million-dollar challenge to crack the script of early Indians An Indian leader offers a $1m prize for deciphering the Indus script, but the puzzle remains unsolved.

Congratulations to University of Washington Department of Bioengineering professor Ruikang (Ricky) Wang for being honored with the 2025 SPIE Britton Chance Award in Biomedical Optics! 🎉

The award from SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics recognizes Wang’s transformative contributions to optical imaging, including the development of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). This non-invasive technology enables detailed 3D imaging of blood flow and early detection and treatment of numerous eye diseases.

Wang’s contributions in the fields of biomedicine and ophthalmology are well established, having also been recognized with the 2023 UW Medical Inventor of the Year Award and induction into the Washington State Academy of Sciences, among many other honors.

Learn more:

Ruikang Wang is recognized for transforming eye care Ruikang (Ricky) Wang, professor of Bioengineering has been awarded the 2025 SPIE Britton Chance Award in Biomedical Optics.

In times of crisis, access to essential resources can make all the difference. A recent study by University of Washington Industrial & Systems Engineering researchers showed how community-driven resource sharing strengthens local communities. 🤝

A team led by ISE professor and co-author Cynthia Chen shows the immense power of “neighbor helping neighbor” in times of crisis as a complementary strategy to traditional top-down government aid. Through surveys and simulations across socio-economically distinct Seattle communities, the research found that peer-to-peer sharing significantly improves disaster resilience.

“We can make communities way more resilient by tapping into their inherent strengths, and this study provides a clear path forward,” says Chen.

🔗 Learn more: https://bit.ly/3ElS34Z

Neighbor helping neighbor: Study shows power of community resource sharing during disasters ISE research reveals local peer-to-peer sharing can dramatically reduce resource shortages during disaster isolation periods.

Welcome Dr. Robert J. Jones, the 34th president of the University of Washington! 🎉

The UW Board of Regents has named Robert J. Jones as the 34th President of the University of Washington! Jones brings a wealth of experience, having led the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University at Albany, SUNY before being selected to join us in the Pacific Northwest. A distinguished scholar and higher ed leader, he officially joins the Husky community on Aug. 1, 2025.

Welcome to the Pack, Dr. Jones! 💜💛

https://www.washington.edu/34th-president/

Congratulations to University of Washington Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. candidates Bob Xiaohai Hu and Thomas Chu for receiving 2024 Best Paper Awards from the ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) Dynamic Systems and Control Division! 🎉

Hu and Chu are both researchers in the Mechatronics, Automation, and Control Systems Laboratory (MACS Lab), led by ME Associate Professor Xu Chen.

🏅 Hu was recognized for his work on detecting and preventing object slipping while robots grasp objects through new mathematical models.

🏅 Chu received his award for a paper focused on designing filters that remove vibrations, even those that are too fast for detection by feedback sensors.

Learn more about their innovative research and help congratulate them in the comments:

Students win ASME Best Paper Awards Ph.D. students Bob Xiaohai Hu and Thomas Chu were recognized for research related to dynamic systems and control.

In the bustling Port of Genoa, Italy, a newly built control tower manages maritime traffic - but high winds posed a major challenge, threatening its stability and safety.🏗️

Enter University of Washington Civil & Environmental Engineering professor Paolo Calvi, who was tasked with stabilizing the tower quickly and without altering the landmark’s signature slender design. Calvi implemented active mass dampers (AMDs), a technology that counters vibrations by detecting motion and generating stabilizing forces almost instantly.

“Seeing the system in action during the tests was extremely rewarding. It showed how engineering and technology can come together to solve real-world problems,” says Cavli.

Learn more:

How a CEE professor used new technology to stabilize a tower that couldn’t stop swaying CEE’s Paolo Calvi implemented a cutting-edge technological solution to stabilize a new Italian control tower in the Port of Genoa, ensuring safety from high winds.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Engineering Exploration Night last week! �

At Engineering Exploration Night, first-year students meet with a diverse group of UW Engineering alumni and industry leaders to discuss engineering fields, education and their career journeys. Students ask questions, network and learn what it's like to work in a wide range of engineering roles.

See some of the action from Engineering Exploration Night 2025!

𝗨𝗪 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲 $𝟰𝟴𝗠 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗪𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻

Thanks to a new $48 million federal grant through the CHIPS and Science Act, Washington is expanding its leadership in sustainable aviation. ✈️

The funding will support a 100,000-square-foot research and manufacturing facility in Spokane to develop thermoplastic composites – advanced materials that are lightweight, durable and recyclable, making them ideal for aerospace applications.

At the University of Washington's Advanced Composites Center, researchers have been at the forefront of developing thermoplastic composites. UW Aeronautics & Astronautics Professor Marco Salviato, who played a key role in the funding proposal, leads a team already working to advance these materials for aerospace. The new Spokane facility will complement this research, creating new opportunities for collaboration, innovation and workforce development across Washington.

Learn more:

WA engineers launched the Jet Age. Can they nail aviation’s new ‘marvel material’? A new Spokane facility hopes to make lighter, more fuel-efficient airplane parts using giant machines that work like a waffle iron for aviation.

We are thrilled to share that Professor Xiaodong Xu has been named the winner of the 2025 NAS Award for Scientific Discovery for his experimental observation of the fractional quantum anomalous Hall effect!

This award is presented every two years to recognize an accomplishment or discovery in basic research in the previous five years that is expected to have a significant impact on one or more of the following fields: astronomy, biochemistry, biophysics, chemistry, materials science, or physics. Learn more: https://www.nasonline.org/award/nas-award-for-scientific-discovery/

Thank you to the National Academy of Sciences for recognizing Dr. Xu's incredible work!

Microchips are commonplace and often taken for granted, but they are incredibly complex engineering marvels. 🔬

Also called semiconductor chips or integrated circuits, microchips are layered sets of electronics built onto silicon. They’re manufactured at a microscopic scale and often have dozens of integrated components. Faculty from UW Electrical & Computer Engineering are at the forefront of chip design and development, creating innovative chips for everything from self-driving cars to computing.

In our latest article, we profile five ECE professors about their approach to chip design and development. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4joksaM

www.ece.uw.edu

Don't miss out on upcoming UW Engineering events! 📅

We're constantly updating our engineering event calendar with workshops, student activities, and opportunities to learn about the latest research from experts in the field. From professional degree info sessions to study abroad info sessions and much more, take a look at upcoming events for the rest of the winter quarter: https://bit.ly/3BAktXT

Event Calendar

Y2K seems like an overhyped scare today. But in 1999, it was a legitimate concern, threatening potential blackouts, medical equipment failures and societal shutdowns. 🌐

Y2K arose from fears that older computer systems that used two-digit year formats wouldn’t recognize the year 2000, which could lead to widespread system failures. A recent NPR article revisits how society prepared for the Y2K crisis with insights from experts, including Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE) professor Mark Haselkorn, on how it all unfolded and what it can teach us about the future.

Learn more: https://n.pr/4fWSOyz

www.npr.org

Smart devices have connected our homes, but controlling them can be frustrating and unintuitive. A new approach from Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering researchers aims to make these interactions more seamless. 💡

Meet IRIS: a smart ring that allows users to control devices simply by aiming the ring and clicking a built-in button. The prototype sends an image to the user’s phone, which then controls the device. Even gradient controls, such as adjusting volume, are possible by rotating the wearer’s hand.

“We wanted to create something that’s as simple and intuitive as clicking on an icon on your computer desktop,” says Allen School doctoral student Maruchi Kim.

Learn more about the innovative new device: https://bit.ly/4fWGCOy

A smart ring with a tiny camera lets users point and click to control home devices UW researchers have developed IRIS, a smart ring that allows users to point and click to control smart devices. The prototype Bluetooth ring contains a small camera which sends an image of the...