News Releases from 2019
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November 19, 2019
This App Teaches Sketching Skills to Improve Graduation Rates in Science and Engineering
Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a touchscreen app to teach students how to sketch 2D projections and 3D views freehand. This teaches students spatial visualization--the ability to think in 3D. This skill is important in many STEM fields, from Computer-Aided-Design (CAD) in engineering to using ultrasound for medical procedures. The Spatial Vis Engineering app is now available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store for phones and tablets, and can also run on newer Chromebooks.
October 21, 2019
UC San Diego at Epicenter of Earthquake Research
From the world’s largest outdoor earthquake simulator to an international network of seismic stations, UC San Diego is a living laboratory for seismic safety. Researchers across campus are trying to improve the understanding and detection of earthquakes; provide immediate information about damages sustained after an event; and improve the safety of structures to better withstand major earthquakes.
October 10, 2019
Building binational bridges through STEM
For seven weeks this summer, 120 high school and college students called UC San Diego’s campus home as they conducted groundbreaking research on how the human brain works, how to design materials to withstand earthquakes, how to build safer batteries, and 57 equally challenging topics. These students hailed from both the United States and Mexico, and were here to use science as a means of developing friendships that will last a lifetime, and maybe even trickle down to more positive binational relations.
September 13, 2019
Undergraduate engineers advance shock wave mitigation research
A team of undergraduate engineers at UC San Diego has discovered a method that could make materials more resilient against massive shocks such as earthquakes or explosions. The students, conducting research in the structural engineering lab of Professor Veronica Eliasson, used a shock tube to generate powerful explosions within the tube—at Mach 1.2 to be exact, meaning faster than the speed of sound. They then used an ultra high-speed camera to capture and analyze how materials with certain patterns fared.
June 14, 2019
Graduating students honored at Ring Ceremony
On June 15, about 1,600 students will earn baccalaureate degrees in engineering, making the Jacobs School the third largest engineering school in the country, and second in the number of women earning engineering baccalaureates. All of these students are exceptional and have made a positive impact on our community, but 11 students were selected from among their peers as particularly outstanding.
April 24, 2019
Blood substitute made from nanoparticles wins top prize at Research Expo 2019
Research Expo 2019 got some new blood this year, thanks to UC San Diego nanoengineering PhD student Jia Zhuang. He won the grand prize at Research Expo for his work to develop nanoparticles that could serve as a more stable and easy way to store and mimic red blood cells for transfusions.
April 11, 2019
Enjoy the Ride
When it comes to creating an aerodynamic, race-worthy car that successfully competes in a field of more than 100 teams from around the world, it takes not only a solid racing crew, but also a crew of dedicated scientists and engineers. Luckily, the Triton Racing Program at UC San Diego isn’t short on such crew members.
April 11, 2019
Advanced VR Technology Gives Coral Reefs a Voice
Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and engineers at UC San Diego have used new imaging software to detect dramatic recovery after a bleaching event on the reefs surrounding remote Palmyra Atoll in the tropical Pacific. The research was published April 5 in Coral Reefs.
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April 9, 2019
Structural Engineering Alumna, Dr. Lauren K. Stewart at Georgia Tech
Structural Engineering Alumna, Dr. Lauren K. Stewart, became a faculty member in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech in 2013. She received the NDSEG Fellowship from the Army Research Office to support her Ph.D. in Structural Engineering at UC San Diego, where she also completed her M.S. and B.S. degrees. Dr. Stewart is currently the Director of Structural Engineering and Materials Laboratory at Georgia Tech, and her research employs innovative experimental strategies to investigate the behavior of structures subjected to extreme environments. Her research on explosive and shock effects has impacted various national security programs. Since joining Georgia Tech, Dr. Stewart was named a New Voice of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. She received the GT CEE Research Program Development Award, the Women in Engineering Teaching Excellence Award, the Bill Schutz Junior Faculty Teaching Award. She was also named an Air Force Summer Faculty Fellow, a 2017 Rising Star in Structural Engineering and is among Engineering Georgia's 100 Most Influential Women in Engineering.
March 21, 2019
Sink or Swim: Concrete Canoe Team Aims to Reach the Podium at National Race
The engineering challenge sounds like a nearly impossible task: making a canoe out of concrete that can float—and race—on water. But ask anyone on the UC San Diego Concrete Canoe team, and they’ll tell you it’s not only possible but also a highlight of their engineering experience at UC San Diego. The team is hoping to reach the podium at this year's national race.
March 14, 2019
Anticancer vaccines, natural language for computers, and multifunctional materials take center stage at UC San Diego Research Expo
The University of California San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering was just ranked the #11 graduate engineering program in the country by US News. Hear from more than 200 of these talented graduate students as they present their research at the 38th annual Jacobs School Research Expo, a showcase of the top engineering and computer science work underway at UC San Diego.
February 26, 2019
Structural Engineering PhD student, competed and won the opportunity to participate in several high profile programs
Morgan Funderburk, Structural Engineering PhD student, competed and won the opportunity to participate in several high profile programs: 1. California Council of Science and Technology (CCST) California Science Translators Showcase Showcase https://ccst.us/ccst-st-week-2019-science-translators-showcase-photo-gallery/ On February 6, CCST hosted its third California Science Translators Showcase, featuring graduate students and postdoctoral researchers from UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, UC San Francisco, Stanford, and Caltech, who discussed their research with decision makers in an informal mixer setting. The CCST showcase was organized in partnership with California State Assembly member Jose Medina (D-Riverside), Chair of the Assembly Committee on Higher Education. 2. PREEMPTIVE Costa Rica ASI A week-long Advanced Studies Institute (ASI) in San Jos?, Costa Rica, focused on protective systems for mitigating the effects of natural hazards; this ASI is sponsored by the PREEMPTIVE Multidisciplinary Natural Hazards Engineering Institute Series for Advanced Graduate Students that was funded through NSF?s International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) program. The goal of this series of ASIs is to build a diverse community of researchers across the Pacific Rim, and beyond, who share a focused interest in understanding, promoting and accelerating the adoption of protective systems to provide resilience for building and infrastructure systems and ensure sustainable societies. 3. LANL Science of Signatures ASI The Advanced Studies Institute (ASI) will be held over three weeks during April 15 ? May 3, 2019. The students work in 3-person multidisciplinary teams and are assigned a research topic to studied during the course of the program. Research topics focusing on Science of Signature-Forward Deployment problems are defined by LANL technical staff for the participants. Students will attend daily technical and professional development lectures as well as work on their team research topics. Professional development lectures are given by laboratory staff and managers and outside academics on topics including proposal writing, the tenure process, starting a research group at the lab, and commercializing technology developed at the laboratory.
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February 22, 2019
Structural Engineering Alum, Adam Markowitz '08, founded Portfolium, Inc
Structural Engineering Alum, Adam Markowitz ’08, founded Portfolium, Inc. a software company dedicated to connect learning with opportunity, enabling students to recognize, showcase and articulate the skills and competencies they acquire along their academic journeys. In Feb. 2019 Portfolium was acquired by Instructure, and according to Adam, on its way to an even bigger journey, expanding Adam’s vision to support lifelong learning and development.