Professor Nick Glumac, Associate Professor Kyle Smith, and Lecturer Brian Mercer were named as this year’s recipients of the 2026 MechSE Alumni Effective Teaching Awards: mechse.illinois.edu/news/82430

Illinois MicroTech presented "Le Louvre Heist," a museum-heist-themed interactive exhibition designed to make concepts in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and electrical and computer engineering accessible and engaging for audiences of all backgrounds.

Mechanical engineering PhD candidate Allison Rzepka, alongside advisor and associate professor Kathryn Matlack, recently published findings from their study of energy-absorbing composites in the International Journal of Mechanical Sciences: mechse.illinois.edu/news/82429

Energy expert Jigar Shah ('96, B.S., Mechanical Engineering) spoke with students in NPRE 480: Energy and Security during a recent class session focused on global energy transitions and policy: npre.illinois.edu/news/stories...

A MechSE-affiliated entrepreneurial team has won the Grand Prize in the Cozad New Venture Challenge. Learn more: mechse.illinois.edu/news/82503

ME 470 Senior Capstone Design Trade Show is happening NOW in Sidney Lu MEB!

MechSE professor Sameh Tawfick is leading a demonstration of additive manufacturing in space. Read more: grainger.illinois.edu/news/stories... @darpa.mil @uofigrainger.bsky.social

UIUC student entrepreneur Carter Schott is rethinking assistive technology through a user-centered lens. His venture, Innovative Independence, aims to empower people with disabilities by turning lived experience into meaningful innovation. Read more: ahs.illinois.edu/carter-schot...

In their first year participating, the Boring Illini placed 1st in the Vertical Competition category and set a world record for that category. They also achieved the 3rd longest dig across all competition categories and received the Rookie of the Year award.

Assistant Professor Lili Cai and collaborators recently published their findings on printable polymer nanocomposites for radiative cooling in the prestigious journal Nature Communications: mechse.illinois.edu/news/81776

Asif Ahmed, a mechanical engineering doctoral student, has won the campus-wide Research Live! Competition, the first MechSE student to win it in 10 years. Read more: mechse.illinois.edu/news/82122

Hey M.Eng. students, don't forget to stop by the M.Eng. office to pick up your MechSE swag today between 2-5pm as part of Graduate Student Appreciation Week!

MechSE's mechanical engineering graduate program is now ranked No. 6 in the nation. Read more: mechse.illinois.edu/news/82029

Parviz Moin, the Franklin P. and Caroline M. Johnson Professor in the School of Engineering at Stanford University, was the invited speaker for the 2026 Arthur Newell Talbot Distinguished Lecture: mechse.illinois.edu/news/81777

Next week is Graduate Student Appreciation Week! Check out the list of activities for MechSE grad students, starting on Monday with "Thanks a Latte" at 8:30am in 3100 Lu MEB!

MechSE alumna Li San Poh (BSME 1998) was recognized last week with a 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award from The Grainger College of Engineering: mechse.illinois.edu/news/81753

Researchers at MechSE and @ncsaatillinois.bsky.social have solved a previously unsolvable materials design problem using generative AI. Read more: mechse.illinois.edu/news/81565

Welcome back, Illini! What are you most looking forward to in the last half of the semester? Best answer wins a MechSE beanie!* *We apologize about the weather. Hope you aren't coming back from someplace warm and sunny. 😬

MechSE Assistant Professor Lili Cai was recently awarded an Illinois Innovation Voucher for her proposal, “Passive Daytime Radiative Cooling (PDRC) Scale-Up and Testing.” Read more: mechse.illinois.edu/news/81267

MechSE doctoral student Srividhya Sridhar won first place in the prestigious Alan Gent Distinguished Student Paper Award by the Adhesion Society: mechse.illinois.edu/news/81266

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Indigenous Pathways Program is now accepting applications for Summer 2026! Learn more and apply: access.illinois.edu/programs/ind... #IllinoisEngineering #NativeStudents #STEMPathways #IllinoisMechSE

Joe Tanner, a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign mechanical engineering alum (BSME ’73), will be inducted into the NASA Astronaut Hall of Fame on May 16, 2026: mechse.illinois.edu/news/stories...

MechSE Professor Joseph Bentsman passed away unexpectedly on February 23, 2026. He was 74. Read about Professor Joseph Bentsman's life and work: mechse.illinois.edu/news/81204

MechSE researchers are tackling some of today’s biggest challenges through interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative engineering. Explore how MechSE research is shaping the future: 🔗 mechse.illinois.edu/research

Did you know that 100% of our incoming PhD-track students received full tuition waivers? Learn more: mechse.illinois.edu/graduate/phd...

MechSE Professor Amy Wagoner Johnson has big plans for her sabbatical this calendar year, which will see her focusing on multiple efforts that aim to contribute to the evolution of women’s reproductive health research: mechse.illinois.edu/news/81073

This past fall, multiple Senior Capstone Design (ME 470) teams had the opportunity to foray into engineering education by developing project and demonstration materials for other required MechSE courses: mechse.illinois.edu/news/81036

Three MechSE alumni have been elected by their peers to the National Academy of Engineers, one of the engineering field’s highest professional distinctions. Read more: mechse.illinois.edu/news/81003

👉 Need help staying on track this semester? CARE offers drop-in tutoring, peer advising, and exam review sessions — 7 days a week. Study smarter, feel supported, succeed together.

Planning on taking the FE Exam? Sign up for this comprehensive review course, happening each Monday in 4100 Lu MEB from 5pm-7pm!

Can electrochemical desalination change the future of clean water? This MechSE team thinks so. 💧⚙️ mechse.illinois.edu/news/80747

Teaching Assistant Professor Jiajun He and mechanical engineering PhD student Beomhui Lee recently published work from He’s ongoing efforts to develop carbon materials from organic waste in Environmental Science & Technology: mechse.illinois.edu/news/80705

Mechanical engineering alumnus Michael Rutkowski (BSME 1989) is the newly named vice president of the MechSE Alumni Board, and the role is fitting. Read more: mechse.illinois.edu/news/80683

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's online M.Eng.ME in Mechanical Engineering is ranked #3 nationally! 🎓✨ Discover more: mechse.illinois.edu/news/80665 #Engineering #OnlineLearning #Veterans

Mechanical engineering seniors Margaret Dobson, Ben Guo, Maya Ramavarapu, and Kyle Zhou developed a novel testing machine for investigating strain-induced failure in nitinol: mechse.illinois.edu/news/80524

Professor Emeritus and registered professional engineer James W. Phillips was a staple in MechSE long before it had its name. Read more: mechse.illinois.edu/news/stories...

Join us today for MechSE's Graduation Open House! 4:00-5:00 pm near Starbucks in Lu MEB!

Illinois alumni and students are leading the AI revolution following their success in Y Combinator's Fall 2025 cohort. The cohort included MechSE alum Peter Chien (BSME 2022), co-founder of KaigoHealth. Read more: tec.illinois.edu/news/80223

The MechSE Makerworks Club is proud to present their new makerspace: the Snow Maker Studio! Several club members blew off steam on Reading Day by taking their talents to the snowy outdoors. Good luck with finals, and stay warm out there! ☃️

Teaching Assistant Professor Jiajun He and several members of his research team recently published work from their ongoing porous carbon study in Separation and Purification Technology: mechse.illinois.edu/news/79463

Hey MechSE students! Do you have comments or burning questions about our department? Come to the MechSE Forum! Wednesday, 12/3 @ 5-6:30 PM, JDP-MEL view.page/p/s5wcNS

From electric boats to educational trebuchets, the ME 470 Trade Show is happening now in Sidney Lu MEB! Come see our student teams show off their Senior Capstone Design projects!

Two great workshops this weekend hosted by @asmeillinois, @wece.uiuc, @iris.uiuc, and MathWorks! Make it a learning weekend and improve your skills in Matlab and Printed Circuit Board design!

MechSE Professor Amy Wagoner Johnson was recently featured on NPR's The Academic Minute podcast, produced by WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Listen in as she discusses how engineering can be used to further our understanding of pregnancy and fertility: academicminute.org/amy-wagoner-...

Next month, distinguished MechSE alumnus Sidney Lu (BSME 1981) will be inducted into The Grainger College of Engineering Hall of Fame. mechse.illinois.edu/news/78803

Mechanical engineering doctoral student Lucille Dentice was recently awarded a three-year graduate fellowship from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy to experimentally characterize creep in radiation-resistant alloys. mechse.illinois.edu/news/78323

This past August, MechSE participated for the first time in the Academic Redshirt in Science and Engineering (ARISE) summer bridge program. Read more: mechse.illinois.edu/news/78116

MechSE Teaching Assistant Professor Jiajun He recently won first prize in the Microtrac Scientific Challenge 2025. Read more: mechse.illinois.edu/news/78111

Five MRL Ph.D. students from materials science and engineering and mechanical science and engineering were selected to receive PPG-MRL awards that provide one year of support. Read more: mrl.illinois.edu/news/77625