Huang excited to usher in new generation of power electronics, converters

As more homes, industries, and power grid systems utilize solar and other renewable energy, and more vehicle owners switch to electric vehicles (EVs), the need for power converters is on the rise. But right now, they’re still expensive and not as efficient and compact as they could be. Qingyun Huang is working to change that. An assistant professor in electrical engineering and computer science, he’s excited to help usher in a new generation of power electronics that are efficient, compact, affordable, and reliable.

Mizzou Engineering secures Nanoscribe Quantum X Shape 3D printer

Purchased with nearly $1 million from a U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) grant, the Quantum X shape from Nanoscribe, a Bico company, uses a process called two-photon lithography to rapidly cure a liquid resin, making it ideal for rapid prototyping and wafer-scale processing of any 3D shape. It’s the fastest and most accurate 3D printer for high-end microfabrication tasks on the market. Mizzou Engineering is one of just a few U.S. organizations to have the printer in and one of fewer than 100 around the world.

Mizzou Engineers advanced energy, AI, materials, transportation, health in 2023

This past year, Mizzou Engineers worked on significant solutions to society’s most-pressing challenges. They advanced nuclear power. They studied ways to turn leftover bread crust into plastics that will degrade naturally in the environment. They made artificial intelligence explain itself. They invented new materials, investigated self-driving trucks and came up with an innovative system to optimize blood supplies.

Mizzou Engineer studies how construction methods impact drilled shaft foundations

A Mizzou Engineer has received funding from the Transportation Research Board — a division of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine —to study how construction methods may impact the foundations of bridges and other transportation structures.

Mizzou Engineer helps study effects of hurricanes on water, sediment quality

With heavy rainfall and strong winds, hurricanes can alter the make-up of ecosystems, pushing salt water into freshwater bodies and disturbing sediment on the ocean floor. While this impacts water quality and disrupts aquatic life, the effects of hurricanes on water and sediment quality aren’t well understood. Enter Maryam Salehi, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Mizzou. Salehi is an expert in the transport and fate of contaminants, including microplastic pollution.

Interdisciplinary team develops fast, reliable model to predict how seeds move

Playing an essential foundational role in an ecosystem, plants contribute to the well-being of human health by helping create resources like food and medicine. Therefore, to better understand how plants can maintain resiliency in the face of challenges like climate change, a team of researchers at the University of Missouri and Michigan State University recently collaborated to develop an innovative mathematical model that can provide fast and reliable predictions of how far wind can carry a plant’s seeds.

Mizzou faculty discuss road projects during MSPE Fall PDH Days

Two civil engineering faculty members joined industry professionals and state agencies for the Missouri Society of Professional Engineers (MSPE) Fall PDH Days in October.

Mizzou Engineer developing system to combat cybersickness experienced by soldiers using XR goggles

In theory, augmented and virtual reality are ideal tools to train soldiers for battle in safe, controlled settings. In reality, these extended reality (XR) goggles are causing all sorts of problems — headaches, nausea, eye strain and other forms of so-called cybersickness.

Passion for AI brings international student to Mizzou Engineering

For international student Ashwin Dhakal, the opportunities of AI symbolize the transformative experiences and personal growth he’s had at MU.

Algae-based manufacturing system uses CO2 to create eco-friendly plastic

Biodegradable plastics made from sustainable sources and CO2 are one step closer to reality thanks, in part, to a Mizzou Engineer’s expertise in bioprocesses and bioproducts.