Faculty

MacCurdy earns inaugural Creative Futures Fellowship

alse6588 — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 21:54:09 +0000

MacCurdy earns inaugural Creative Futures Fellowship alse6588 Wed, 07/29/2026 - 15:54

Associate Professor Robert MacCurdy has been announced as part of this year's inaugural cohort of Creative Futures Fellows, supporting arts, humanities and social science projects that address challenges facing communities in Colorado and beyond. His group's project, titled "Squishyd," turns ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ�� metamaterial research into customizable sensory fidget tools that support focus, self-regulation and well-being.

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Milford discusses the benefits of clean air regulations

alse6588 — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 21:39:27 +0000

Milford discusses the benefits of clean air regulations alse6588 Wed, 07/29/2026 - 15:39

Over the past 40 years, there has been a general consensus that the benefits of air-pollution regulations, achieved through research, rulemaking, and advancing technology, have greatly outweighed the costs. However, this year the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established a precedent to ignore long-standing estimates of health benefits. Professor Emerita Jana Milford discusses how this departure is likely to harm the health of Americans as well as the environment, and it raises the question of how durable, evidence-based policy will be built in the future.

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Ban takes next-generation battery research global with Fulbright award

alse6588 — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 19:24:06 +0000

Ban takes next-generation battery research global with Fulbright award alse6588 Tue, 07/14/2026 - 13:24

Alexander Servantez

Chunmei Ban, a professor in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ��, has received a Fulbright Global Scholar award to explore the future of energy storage through next-generation battery technologies.

The prestigious program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, supports international academic and cultural exchange in the form of multi-regional projects involving research and teaching activities.

The award will support collaborations with researchers in Singapore, the United Kingdom and Germany, where Ban will study safer battery materials, investigate emerging non-lithium battery alternatives and strengthen global partnerships in battery research and education.

“I am extremely grateful for all my collaborators, mentors and students for helping me reach this incredible milestone,” said Ban, who is also affiliated with the Materials Science & Engineering Program. “Our lab group has spent a long time developing and even commercializing electrochemical materials for energy storage. This project is a wonderful opportunity for us to dive deeper into new battery materials and applications.”

Powering the future

The project is built around three central priorities. The first is identifying more sustainable battery materials.

According to Ban, most current battery technologies—including lithium-ion batteries—contain high levels of fluorine that allows them to have improved cycling stability at high operating voltages.

Professor Chunmei Ban and her students in the Ban Surface Science and Engineering Research Group.

However, fluorine compounds often break down when they are exposed to water, creating a highly corrosive acid that can cause both environmental harm and unwanted reactions.

“Can we reduce fluorine content in batteries without sacrificing performance?” Ban asked. “Finding that balance and commercializing those options is one of the key points of the project.”

The second goal is to expand the possibilities of energy storage by exploring battery technologies beyond lithium.

While lithium batteries have their strengths, such as high energy density, Ban says emerging technologies based on different materials could provide other advantages where certain performance characteristics are needed.

“Every battery chemistry has its own properties,” said Ban. “There is no such thing as better or worse. It’s about finding the right battery and the right chemistry for every individual application.”

One promising alternative is sodium-ion technology. Unlike lithium, sodium provides low energy density and is one of the most abundant materials in the world, making it a cost-effective battery option.

By investigating these alternatives and building a more diverse battery landscape that is less dependent on lithium, Ban believes the project can help solve supply chain restrictions, ease geopolitical tensions and better meet the needs of different communities and industries.

Professor and Fulbright awardee Chunmei Ban.

The last goal of the project is education.

During her visits overseas, Ban will lead a series of workshops and talks inviting undergraduate students, graduate students and even scholars to learn more about battery technology.

She hopes to bridge the gap between culture and engineering to inspire student involvement in battery science and encourage collaboration with ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ��.

“This is one of my favorite parts of the project because I don’t believe science should have any borders,” Ban said. “We all only have one Earth and it’s our responsibility to work together so we can maintain its health and our own quality of life. To do this, communication is super important, so I’m really excited to lead the charge, open the conversation and start exchanging ideas.”

But it’s not just a chance for Ban to educate others. It’s a chance for her to learn, as well.

“In Germany, I will be visiting a leading manufacturing facility that has done a great job supporting the commercialization of new battery materials, designs and cell configurations,” said Ban. “It’s a fantastic opportunity for me to learn more about the manufacturing process and how we can improve it using AI, machine learning or other advanced tools that we use in our lab on a daily basis.”

Chunmei Ban has received a Fulbright Global Scholar award to explore the future of energy storage through next-generation battery technologies. The award will support collaborations with researchers in Singapore, the United Kingdom and Germany, where Ban will study safer battery materials, investigate emerging non-lithium battery alternatives and strengthen global partnerships in battery research and education.

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Hip to be an innovator: from napkin sketch to operating room

alse6588 — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 16:45:05 +0000

Hip to be an innovator: from napkin sketch to operating room alse6588 Wed, 06/17/2026 - 10:45

Jacob Segil, a research professor in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ��, and Dr. Omer Mei Dan from the Department of Orthopedics at University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine are the architects behind a redesigned surgical instrument called the CAP-LIFT cannula. The device has completely transformed arthroscopic procedures in the hip region, making them safer and more efficient. But like many engineering projects, achieving real-world impact doesn’t just happen overnight.

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New blood clot technology could transform emergency medicine

alse6588 — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 21:50:59 +0000

New blood clot technology could transform emergency medicine alse6588 Mon, 06/08/2026 - 15:50

Alexander Servantez

Blood clotting is one of the body’s oldest survival mechanisms—a biological defense that has protected humans from dangerous bleeding for millions of years.

But when severe injuries strike, nature’s solution can sometimes fall short.

Rong Long, associate professor in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Now, researchers in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ�� are helping test a new type of engineered blood clot that forms faster and is more durable than the ones found in nature. The new technique could one day transform how doctors treat traumatic injuries and manage life-threatening blood loss.

“This is a new biomaterial with the potential to save many lives,” said ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ�� Associate Professor Rong Long.

The work, recently published in the journal Nature, was led by Associate Professor Jianyu Li in the Laboratory of Biomaterials Mechanics at McGill University. Long and his group, along with researchers from the University of British Columbia, the University of Toronto and the Versiti Blood Research Institutes, were contributing authors in the study.

The manufactured clots are built from red blood cells. By rapidly linking the blood cells into durable networks, the multi-university team created a reinforced blood clot that forms faster and is far stronger than the body’s natural version.

Long and his team in the Nonlinear Mechanics Laboratory helped uncover the mechanical principles behind the engineered clot, using computational models and tests to study its properties. The testing demonstrated how much pressure the engineered clot could withstand, as well as its strength and how fast it formed.

“We found the material to be 13 times tougher and four times more adhesive than native blood clots,” Long said.

Strengthening nature’s first responders

Blood clots tend to have a bad reputation. When they form in the wrong place or abnormally, they can lead to serious medical emergencies such as strokes and heart attacks.

However, blood clotting is crucial in many situations, from a cut finger in the kitchen to a scraped knee from a bike fall.

A graphic showing our body's blood clotting process.

Even during these routine situations, blood clotting is what prevents excessive blood loss. But according to the new study, that natural response isn’t always fast or effective enough for more severe circumstances.

“There’s a protein called fibrin. When we bleed, platelets and fibrin form a network to help seal the wound,” said Long. “These native blood clots are impressive, but they are brittle and slow to form. A soldier dealing with a gunshot wound or a patient experiencing a hemorrhage needs faster clotting that is more resistant to rupture.”

One day, Li—the senior author of the study— shared with Long a bold idea.

Li, alongside first author Shuaibing Jiang, a PhD student in Li’s lab and now a postdoctoral associate at Harvard Medical School, showed Long a new type of blood clot that uses a novel technique to reinforce natural clots with a second network of red blood cells.

The natural and reinforced networks combined to create an engineered clotting system tougher and faster than any natural blood clot seen before.

“It was so exciting,” Long said. “From there, we began building models and studying the mechanics behind this incredible material.”

Creating a new biomaterial

The technique, otherwise known as “click clotting,” uses a special chemical reaction to link red blood cells into a gel-like structure.

Because the reaction doesn’t interfere with normal blood chemistry, it can work alongside the body’s natural clotting process. This allows the cell-based gel network to act as a second support system layered on top of the body’s natural fibrin-platelet clot.

During laboratory tests and live experiments on rodents, the strengthened clots absorbed stress by dissipating energy, rapidly stopping bleeding and preventing the clot from breaking apart. They also formed extremely fast, taking shape in just five seconds.

Shuaibing Jiang (left), a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard Medical School, and Jianyu Li (right), an associate professor at McGill University, led the research.

But perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the click-clotted clots is their biocompatibility.

Previous efforts to recreate blood clots often used polymers and other synthetic materials foreign to the body. However, Li’s cytogel clots are built from red blood cells—the body’s own cellular building blocks.

That natural composition gives the engineered clots a unique advantage: they can easily degrade over time, transforming the stigma of blood clots from risky medical hazards into controlled, life-saving biomaterials.

“Blood cells have an ‘expiration date.’ Over time, they die just as all life eventually does,” said Long. “Using red blood cells as the foundation of these reinforced clots makes them temporary. They can naturally break down in a short time, preventing blockages and other health issues that occur when they are in the body for too long.”

During testing, the bio-safe clots showcased a unique ability to support tissue healing and reduce inflammation, as well. Long says these characteristics have great potential in areas such as wound healing and emergency bleeding treatment, with possible applications in trauma care and operating rooms worldwide.

But the researchers also believe the strategy of linking cells together could extend far beyond just blood clots.

Long envisions a day where Li’s technology can be used to repair defected tissue or target localized areas of the body for drug delivery and treatment. And while the work is still in its early stages, the team thinks it points toward a broader shift in how biological materials can be engineered for medicine.

“Our work shows that, when engineered appropriately, red blood cells can play a central structural role, enabling the design of stronger and more functional biomaterials,” said Li in a news release by McGill University.

Blood clotting is one of the body’s oldest survival mechanisms, protecting humans from dangerous bleeding for millions of years. But when severe injuries strike, nature’s solution can sometimes fall short. Now, Associate Professor Rong Long and his team are helping test a new type of engineered blood clot that forms faster and is more durable than the ones found in nature. The new technique could one day transform how doctors treat traumatic injuries and manage life-threatening blood loss.

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A powerhouse in battery breakthroughs

alse6588 — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 20:40:46 +0000

A powerhouse in battery breakthroughs alse6588 Mon, 06/08/2026 - 14:40

The Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering has emerged as a leading hub for battery innovation, producing breakthrough research and a series of successful startups—including Solid Power, SiILion, Forge Nano and Mana Battery—that are advancing safer, cheaper and more effective energy storage technologies. Led by faculty and alumni, these companies have turned laboratory discoveries into significant economic and societal impact.

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Diseases can spread between apartments via shared ventilation, study shows

alse6588 — Fri, 15 May 2026 17:18:35 +0000

Diseases can spread between apartments via shared ventilation, study shows alse6588 Fri, 05/15/2026 - 11:18

New research led by Professor Emerita Shelly Miller and recent PhD graduate Alberto Garcia suggests airborne diseases like measles, influenza and COVID-19 can easily spread between units in multi-family buildings via a type of bathroom ventilation system commonly used around the world. The study, conducted inside an older high-rise in Spain early in the coronavirus pandemic, adds to a growing body of evidence that airborne viruses can spread between separated indoor spaces, transmitting disease without face-to-face contact.

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ME students, faculty earn inaugural Community Belonging Awards

alse6588 — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 21:03:05 +0000

ME students, faculty earn inaugural Community Belonging Awards alse6588 Fri, 04/17/2026 - 15:03

Undergraduate student Daniel Pagatpatan, Graduate student Olivia Felton and Associate Teaching Professor Carmen Pacheco are among the first recipients of the Community Belonging Awards, a new campuswide honor recognizing exceptional contributions by students, staff and faculty to fostering belonging within and across ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ�� communities.

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How ME researchers are studying the science of avalanches

alse6588 — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:00:35 +0000

How ME researchers are studying the science of avalanches alse6588 Wed, 04/15/2026 - 11:00

Colorado has seen how deadly avalanches can be. But as we face a climate crisis, it's increasingly important to understand the changing physics of avalanches. That's why Associate Professor Nathalie Vriend and her students in the Granular Flow Laboratory are conducting small-scale avalanches to get an up-close look of how snow behaves.

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Staple-like particles reveal new path to strong materials

alse6588 — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 17:18:17 +0000

Staple-like particles reveal new path to strong materials alse6588 Tue, 04/14/2026 - 11:18

Alexander Servantez

A tightly packed ball of office staples can be surprisingly strong.Try to pull it apart and the tangled metal resists like a solid object.

But with the right movement or vibration, that same bundle can quickly fall back into loose pieces.

A team of engineers and materials scientists in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ�� are exploring how this uncanny combination of strength and flexibility could inspire a new class of materials built on interlocking particles. By mimicking the way staples lock together and release, the researchers believe these emerging materials can one day form structures that are strong, adaptable and even recyclable.

“We’ve been playing around with the idea of building blocks and geometry for many years, but we started looking at interlocking, entangled particles only recently,” said Professor Francois Barthelat, the leader of the Laboratory for Advanced Materials & Bioinspiration. “We are excited about the combination of properties we can get out of these systems and we believe this technology has the potential to go in many directions.”

Unraveling the research

A bird nest made out of interwoven sticks and fibers.

The work, recently published in the Journal of Applied Physics, focuses on what the researchers call “entanglement”—when multiple particles become intertwined with one another, creating a link.

It’s not a new concept. In fact, nature is filled with examples of objects or materials that tangle and interlock with each other to create strong structures. Think about that giant bird nest on the tree in your neighborhood made out of interwoven sticks and fibers, or the interplay of hard minerals and soft proteins in your bones.

But how can scientists recreate that kind of natural entanglement in manufactured materials? The researchers in Barthelat’s lab say the answer revolves around one key concept: particle shape.

“Let’s take sand as an example. Sand is smooth and convex-shaped, meaning it cannot interlock from grain to grain,” PhD student Youhan Sohn said. “However, we found that if we change the shape of a grain of sand, we can drastically affect its behavior and mechanical properties, including the particle’s ability to link with other particles.”

Once the group came to this realization, they began running Monte Carlo simulations, a type of computational analysis, to predict exactly how the particles interlock with each other. Their goal was to find the optimal geometry that delivered the maximum entanglement.

A video demonstrating a pickup test used to analyze particle entanglement.

After finding the optimal shape, the team performed pickup tests to see how the entangled particles actually behaved.

The tests showed that a “two-legged” particle—similar in shape to a staple—had the greatest potential for entanglement. But the researchers also discovered several unexpected advantages that made the design even more intriguing.

The first was its rare blend of tensile strength and toughness, a combination the researchers say conventional materials rarely achieve simultaneously.

“Our entangled granular material using the staple-like particle demonstrates both high strength and toughness at the same time,” said PhD student Saeed Pezeshki.

Next, was its unique ability to rapidly assemble—and just as quickly come apart.

By applying different vibrational patterns to the material, the team was able to change its level of entanglement on demand. A light vibration, for example, could be used to interlock and strengthen the particles, while a larger vibration could cause them to completely unravel.

“It’s a strange material because it’s obviously not a liquid. However, it’s also not quite solid. This opens new and intriguing engineering possibilities,” Barthelat said. “Handling a bundle of these entangled particles feels very remote and exotic.”

Professor Francois Barthelat at the Triple E Fair showcasing his team's research to help middle school students explore engineering.

PhD student Youhan Sohn guiding middle school students through a series of pickup tests to help them visualize particle entanglement.

PhD student Saeed Pezeshki demonstrating the mechanical behavior of staple-like particles for middle school students.

Reassembling the impact

A close look at a free-standing arch made of crown-leg staples.

One of those possibilities comes in the realm of sustainability. The group believes that one day, large buildings and structures like bridges can be designed using entangled materials, allowing them to be disassembled when no longer needed or even fully recycled.

Or maybe entangled materials can make their way into the world’s next great robotic systems, sort of like the ones you’ve seen in some of your favorite sci-fi movies.

“I was talking with other students who believe this technology can be used in swarm robotics—where small robots can entangle, do a task and then disentangle when they are done,” said Pezeshki.

“Yes, kind of like that liquid metal T-1000 in Terminator 2 who can change shape to slide under a door and then transform back to a human’s size on the other side,” added Barthelat. “It’s expensive and scaling up is a challenge, but it’s something that’s on everybody’s mind.”

A close-up photo showing two spiky burrs in nature.

For now, the group is focused on building out the next phase of their research. They are currently testing a new particle shape with added protruding “legs”—similar to those spiky plant burrs that stick relentlessly to your shoes when you step on them—which they believe can generate even stronger entanglement properties.

But no matter what project they are working on, the team says the most important thing about their work is maintaining the passion and excitement.

“We’re not quite sure where this is going to go, but we’re going to continue the fun,” Barthelat said. “Most people don’t think about making strong materials in this way out of something like staples, because they think it’s counterintuitive. Until they try breaking a bundle of staples in half and see that it’s impossible.

“We love to take a difficult project like this and dig in.”

A tightly packed ball of office staples can be surprisingly strong. Try to pull it apart and the tangled metal resists like a solid object. But with the right movement or vibration, that same bundle can quickly fall back into loose pieces. Professor Francois Barthelat and his team are exploring how this uncanny combination of strength and flexibility could inspire a new class of materials built on interlocking particles.

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