College of Engineering News • Iowa State University

Inspired by Batman’s ingenuity, Cyclone brothers team up to start their own company

In “The Dark Knight” movie trilogy, Bruce Wayne (i.e. Batman without the mask) ventures into the Applied Sciences division of Wayne Enterprises. This is where he develops his unique, innovative tools for fighting crime in Gotham City. As major movie buffs and aspiring entrepreneurs, this served as the inspiration for the Jensen brothers when they …Continue reading “Inspired by Batman’s ingenuity, Cyclone brothers team up to start their own company”

Engineering alum strives to make college more accessible for disenfranchised students

As a collegian, Tina Akinyi remembers often being the only student of color in her classes and the sense of isolation she felt because of it. Now in her professional capacity, she hopes to remove that sense of isolation for future students by bringing more people of color and other disenfranchised students into higher education. …Continue reading “Engineering alum strives to make college more accessible for disenfranchised students”

Driven by a passion to engineer vehicles of the future

From fuel-efficient snowmobile engines to the electric motors in the Tesla Model Y, mechanical engineering student Katie Lyon has a passion for environmentally friendly vehicles. Lyon grew up in Burnsville, Minnesota and as a child loved playing with Legos, Lincoln Logs and other toys that allowed her to combine her creativity with her analytic skills. …Continue reading “Driven by a passion to engineer vehicles of the future”

OVPR welcomes 29 faculty to Research Collaboration Catalysts 2020-2021 cohort

Recent paper advances research in the field of heat transfer

A team of researchers have developed a novel way of distinguishing the atomic and molecular level thermal non-equilibrium in nanoscale materials, which can have a significant impact in the area of heat transfer according to one Iowa State University professor. Xinwei Wang, professor of mechanical engineering (ME) at Iowa State, was one of the authors …Continue reading “Recent paper advances research in the field of heat transfer”

Opposites attract: Cyclone engineers team up to improve battery reliability and safety

Energy storage reliability and safety could be improved on everything from electric vehicles to wind turbines because of a research project involving an interdisciplinary team of Iowa State University engineers. Chao Hu, assistant professor of mechanical engineering (ME), is the principal investigator (PI) on a project titled “Physics-Based Probabilistic Prognostics for Battery Health Management.” Simon …Continue reading “Opposites attract: Cyclone engineers team up to improve battery reliability and safety”

Iowa State alum turns passion project into a reality with the help of Boyd Lab

When Sebastien Mueller (‘19 mech engr) was young, his dad told a story about his quest to “save the Dahu,” a goat whose legs are shorter on one side than the other, making it so Dahus can only walk in circles around their mountain homes. The story was the inspiration behind the name for the …Continue reading “Iowa State alum turns passion project into a reality with the help of Boyd Lab”

ME student hopes NASA internship will propel her to career in aeronautic or automotive industry

From New Jersey to Australia to Michigan to California and back to Ames, Sara Mayne has done a lot during her short time as a mechanical engineering student at Iowa State University. Mayne grew up in South New Jersey, east of Philadelphia. She was attracted to STEM at an early age because of her parents, …Continue reading “ME student hopes NASA internship will propel her to career in aeronautic or automotive industry”

ME faculty, staff developing methods for teaching hands-on labs via the internet

Well before the COVID-19 pandemic vastly altered the everyday lives of people across the globe, a group of mechanical engineering (ME) faculty and staff at Iowa State University were working on ways to bring virtual, hands-on labs into the homes of students via the internet. In 2012, Jonathan Wickert, then dean of Iowa State’s College …Continue reading “ME faculty, staff developing methods for teaching hands-on labs via the internet”

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