UA College of Engineering

09/18/2026

Dr. Chris Salvino holds eight academic degrees and is the first in the School of Mining Engineering and Mineral Resources to pursue a PhD specializing in lunar mining. He is on a mission to power the world safely and cleanly. Drawing on a deep foundation in medicine, geology and engineering, he founded Lunar Helium-3 Mining, LLC or LH3M.

The Scottsdale, Arizona, company, which has now secured 13 U.S. patents to detect the gas on the moon, aims to extract helium-3 from ancient lunar dust for nuclear fusion and as a cryogenic coolant for quantum computers. On Earth, rare helium-3 is primarily found in the radioactive decay of tritium from nuclear warheads and reactors. In the U.S, the limited stockpile mostly goes into detectors to identify smuggled nuclear material (neutrons from plutonium) at borders and ports.

Unlike Earth, the Moon has no magnetic field to shield its surface from solar winds. For billions of years, this stream of particles has implanted helium-3 into the lunar soil, leaving an estimated million metric tons behind, potentially enough to provide the world with centuries of clean energy.

With surgical precision, Dr. Chris Salvino shifts to moon mining March 2, 2026 Pascal Albright Trauma surgeon founds Arizona company to commercialize lunar helium-3 for cleaner, safer, more powerful energy. Image Dr. Chris Salvino is the first doctoral student in the School of Mining Engineering and...

09/11/2026

⛏️🧪 Another big research win for UArizona Mining!

Professor Sehliselo “Selo” Ndlovu is leading an interdisciplinary team backed by a $1.7 million U.S. Department of Energy award to tackle a major challenge facing the copper industry: getting more copper from increasingly low-grade resources.

The team is developing an innovative, low-cost process that could boost copper recovery while working with existing extraction infrastructure — with a goal of improving recovery by as much as 30%. 🚀

Joining Ndlovu from the School are associate professors Isabel Barton and Jinhong Zhang, with collaborators from Penn State and industry partners Freeport-McMoRan and BASF.

More copper. Smarter recovery. Research with real-world potential. 👏

📖 Read the story: https://bit.ly/4h0wmHz

Mining faculty draw out copper with $1.7M DOE award Today Image (From left) Sefiu Adewuyi, School of Mining Engineering and Mineral Resources postdoctoral student; Isabel Barton, associate professor; Jinhong Zhang, associate professor and Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold Chair in Mineral Processing;...

09/10/2026

⛏️🚀 $20 million — and a big vision for what comes next.

Yesterday, we celebrated a major U.S. Department of Energy investment in the University of Arizona. Today, we’re taking a closer look at what it means for the future of mining research, education and industry collaboration.

The award will expand capabilities at the San Xavier Underground Mining Laboratory and advance MiningWerx, creating state-of-the-art proving grounds where researchers, students and industry partners can develop, test and rapidly move new mining technologies into real-world use.

As School head Kray Luxbacher puts it: “We can prepare the workforce at every level” while accelerating technologies that improve mining production, efficiency, safety and environmental outcomes.

This is more than an investment in facilities. It’s an investment in people, partnerships and the future of American mining. 🇺🇸

📖 Read the U of A story: https://news.arizona.edu/news/20m-doe-award-bolsters-u-mining-research-industry-partnerships?publication=20260910&utm_campaign=UA+College+of+Engineering&utm_content=%E2%9B%8F%EF%B8%8F%F0%9F%9A%80+%2420+million+%E2%80%94+and+a+&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook

The School of Mining Engineering and Mineral Resources is growing its MiningWerx facility to welcome more underground proving projects.

09/09/2026

🚨⛏️ BIG NEWS for the future of mining at the University of Arizona!

The U.S. Department of Energy has selected the University of Arizona as one of just four institutions nationwide to share $73 million in funding through its Mine of the Future initiative.

The U of A project will create a nationally accessible underground testbed in Sahuarita, Arizona, where emerging mining technologies can move out of the laboratory and into real-world conditions.

The scalable proving ground will accelerate the development and deployment of advanced mining, electrification and energy-management technologies while helping reduce technical and operational risks, improve productivity and energy efficiency, and strengthen U.S. critical mineral supply chains.

And the impact goes beyond technology: DOE says the new proving grounds will also provide hands-on workforce training for the next generation of miners and engineers.

This is an extraordinary opportunity for the University of Arizona School of Mining Engineering & Mineral Resources—and another major step toward establishing Southern Arizona as a national hub for mining innovation, research and workforce development.

👏 We can’t wait to share more about what’s ahead.

🔗 Read the U.S. Department of Energy announcement: https://bit.ly/4heGnlD

09/09/2026

While the Craig M. Berge Design Day is a rite of passage for our seniors, we couldn’t do it without the industry partners sponsoring our projects.

Seniors recently attended the Design Day Open House in the MAC gym at South Rec to showcase the projects available for hashtag . Students visited tables, asked questions and explored the opportunities waiting for them.

This year, we have 72 capstone projects for our seniors to showcase their knowledge and skills. From an automated meat smoker to a robotic rattlesnake, we know our students are up to the challenge.

Thank you to all our sponsors for making the event possible!

09/07/2026

It’s official! Our newest major, a collaboration between the College of Engineering and the Eller College of Management, is now the Mary and Felipe M. Rodriguez Integrated Business and Engineering Program.

The idea started when Felipe and David W. Hahn, former Craig M. Berge Dean of the College of Engineering, dropped in on Baja Wildcat Racing several years ago. They were struck by the students' drive to turn engineering concepts into tangible results.

“This was the moment the idea began,” Felipe said. “I bet this university would take on my passion and one day create a multidisciplinary degree like engineering and business.”

Fast forward and the Rodriguezes have donated $10 million to name the degree program. The inaugural cohort contains 21 students.

Mary and Felipe M. Rodriguez give $10M to establish the Integrated Business and Engineering program Sept. 3, 2026 University of Arizona Foundation and Alexandra Pere, College of Engineering Donors with a deep love for education, technology and business invest in ‘the only undergraduate program of ...

09/04/2026

Every heartbeat depends on a network of proteins working together with remarkable precision. A single genetic mutation can disrupt that balance and eventually lead to heart disease.

With a $2.59 million National Institutes of Health grant, Jil Tardiff, professor of biomedical engineering and medicine at the University of Arizona, will trace how those changes unfold at the molecular level over the next four years.

"We've been working toward this research for about 20 years," she said. "It's nice to see these projects culminate in a grant that reflects what we originally built this whole research program around."

Tardiff and collaborator Steven Schwartz, Regents Professor of chemistry and biochemistry, are zeroing in on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy – a common heart disease that thickens the muscle wall and makes it harder to pump blood.

Genetic mutations cause an estimated one in 500 people to inherit the disease. While some patients experience only mild symptoms, others develop heart failure or dangerous arrhythmia.

"We want to understand the molecular events that occur at the very beginning of the disease process," Tardiff said. "If we understand those earliest changes, we can begin thinking about treatments that intervene before the heart has already remodeled."

Gene hunting: $2.59M NIH award helps biomedical engineer track origins of heart disease Tuesday Pascal Albright University of Arizona professor Jil Tardiff's investigation into the genetic mutations that disrupt the heart’s sarcomere will advance early medical interventions. Image Biomedical engin...

09/02/2026

The University of Arizona School of Electrical, Computing & Software Engineering has received a $498,627 National Science Foundation grant that funds eight undergraduate students each summer to conduct AI research.

Starting in summer 2027, Huanrui Yang and Jyotikrishna Dass, both associate professors in SECSE, will lead the AI Research for Intelligent Systems and Efficiency program, known as ARISE. Undergrad research will be guided by faculty mentors, and the three-year NSF grant also sponsors the creation of an educational website.

"This is a gateway for undergraduate talent in the U.S. to know that exciting research opportunities exist at the intersection of AI software and hardware systems," Dass said. "And as a department, we are leading it in the state of Arizona."

The program focuses on three areas: AI applications, efficient algorithms and hardware systems. Faculty from at least two of those tracks will co-mentor each student, giving participants a full-stack understanding of AI development across software, algorithms and hardware.

"It's a testament to what is so unique about SECSE: We have three programs, three different pools of faculty expertise, all focused on AI," Yang said.

Faculty win NSF grant to launch AI research program for undergraduates July 28, 2026 Zander Leon Image (From left) ECE assistant professors Jyotikrishna Dass and Huanrui Yang win their first National Science Foundation grant to lead a program that fast-tracks AI education at the U of A. The Universi...

08/31/2026

A million-dollar infrared microscope – capable of spotting defects invisible to the human eye – is ready for action in the Office of Research and Partnerships’ Nano Fabrication Center semiconductor cleanroom.

The cleanroom is a key component of the University of Arizona Center for Semiconductor Manufacturing.

IRLabs, a Tucson-based optics and cryogenics company, donated the instrument to support workforce training and research in semiconductor manufacturing.

Semiconductor chips are the foundation of today's advanced technology. They control tiny electrical currents in everything from smartphones to satellites. Their manufacturing process requires extreme precision, as even the smallest error can render a chip unusable.

The infrared microscope is widely used to identify defects and conduct failure analysis of semiconductor chips. Infrared emissions can be detected at each step of the manufacturing process, providing vital clues about the integrity of the final product.

"By donating this equipment to the University of Arizona, we will have students who are familiar with it when they graduate and can join the industry quickly," said Manny Teran, IRLabs CEO and U of A mechanical engineering alumnus who graduated in 1999. "Many ideas don't come to fruition because the right equipment isn't available. I want students and faculty to have access to this and imagine what's possible."

NXP Semiconductors donates $7.7M in chips to U of A March 13, 2026 Chris Quirk The company’s gift gives electrical and computer engineering students hands-on experience with industry-grade hardware. Image The University of Arizona’s Nano Fabrication Center, located in the Department of Electrica...

08/28/2026

The University of Arizona will announce a transformational $10 million gift to name a new degree program at a dedication ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 1.

The Integrated Business and Engineering Program, where students started classes this past Monday August 24, 2026, is an undergraduate degree designed to prepare students with both technical expertise and business leadership skills. It is the only undergraduate program of its kind in Arizona.

A collaboration between the Eller College of Management and the College of Engineering, the degree program responds to growing demand by businesses for graduates with technical expertise and business acumen. It provides a solid foundation in technical problem-solving and strategic management, blending engineering design, software, artificial intelligence, and biomedical devices with business analytics, accounting, marketing and entrepreneurship.

Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Gov. Katie Hobbs are expected to join the donors, students and U of A leadership.

"We are teaching students not just to create engineering systems but also instilling the business acumen to bring them to life," said Kimberly Ogden, Craig M. Berge Interim Dean of the College of Engineering.

Watch the speakers live beginning at 10:15 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1.

Members of the media are asked to please RSVP to [email protected] by noon on Monday, Aug. 31.

https://www.arizona.edu/live