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

This past summer, MechSE Associate Professor Craig Bradshaw hosted the 9th annual International Refrigeration and Compressor Course (IRCC). The course was supported by the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Center, for which Bradshaw is the Executive Director: mechse.illinois.edu/news/77726

Teaching Assistant Professor Jorge E. Correa Panesso (MSME 2013, PhD ME 2017) joined MechSE’s faculty this semester: mechse.illinois.edu/news/77725

Professor Leo Chamorro has started as the new Associate Head for Undergraduate Programs. Additionally, Professor Mariana Kersh has agreed to serve as MechSE Diversity Advocate & Director of Community, Opportunity and Engagement (COE): mechse.illinois.edu/news/77581

MechSE Professor Leonardo Chamorro & Professor James Best from the School of Earth, Society & Environment at Illinois have been awarded a grant from NSF to investigate the behavior of clay-laden flows under intense, unsteady shear: mechse.illinois.edu/news/77579

Boneyard Creek is giving peak autumn. 🍁 📘 ✏️ 🍂 🍎 Photo credit: Heather Coit/ Illinois Grainger Engineering

How can engineering save coral reefs? Find out in the latest edition of MechSE Magazine: mechse.illinois.edu/news/magazin...

MechSE Professor Huseyin Sehitoglu has won a four-year grant from the National Science Foundation’s Division of Materials Research to analyze shear-related failure of shape memory materials: mechse.illinois.edu/news/77369

Are you a current MechSE senior who is interested in pursuing an MS or PhD? Join us on Monday, September 8th at 12pm in 3100 Lu MEB!

Professors Elizabeth Hsiao-Wecksler, Shelby Hutchens, and Kyle Smith have been selected as members of the newest cohort of faculty to join the Faculty Entrepreneurial Leadership Program (FELP) at the University of Illinois: mechse.illinois.edu/news/77263

MechSE Professor Naira Hovakimyan has been elected as a Fellow of the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC), one of the most prestigious honors in the field of control theory and systems engineering. mechse.illinois.edu/news/77098

We are proud to announce that the Sidney Lu Mechanical Engineering Building renovation and expansion project has been awarded LEED Gold certification! mechse.illinois.edu/news/77106

As an elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, Professor Amy Wagoner Johnson was invited by the organization to serve on a workshop panel focused on the importance of advocacy in bioengineering and medical research: mechse.illinois.edu/news/76927

MechSE professor Mickey Clemon is part of an interdisciplinary research team investigating cooling methods for heat sinks by performing experiments onboard a satellite currently orbiting the earth. Read more: mechse.illinois.edu/news/76332 @uofigrainger.bsky.social

By encapsulating magnetic particles in lipid vesicles, researchers have created microscopic drug delivery containers which magnetic fields can steer to precise locations in the body. The result has promise for precision medicine and cancer treatment: mrl.illinois.edu/news/76869

Check out this awesome article from @uofigrainger about the 10th anniversary of POETS (Center for Power of Optimization of Electro–Thermal Systems): grainger.illinois.edu/news/stories... Photo credit: Heather Coit

Improving wool harvesting is a global effort. MechSE Professor Mickey Clemon has been working with University of Technology Sydney researchers to develop a safer, more efficient alternative to traditional shearing methods. Read more: mechse.illinois.edu/news/76928

WE WON!!! The Illini Solar Car Team won the 2025 Formula Sun Grand Prix single-occupant vehicle category! Our heartfelt congratulations to the brilliant team. You made your school proud. Photo credit: American Solar Challenge

The Grainger College of Engineering’s interdisciplinary undergrad team was awarded Best Technical Presentation at the NASA Human Lander Challenge forum last month! Congratulations to them and to their faculty advisor, MechSE postdoctoral researcher Vishwanath Ganesan.