Mechanical Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois

Congratulations to all of our graduates. We are so proud of you! 🎓

This semester, students in ME 370 (Mechanical Design I) were tasked with creating an inverted walker that would hang suspended from a rope and walk across it. They presented their final designs on the second floor of the Mechanical Engineering Lab, traversing ropes tied between railings overlooking the first floor. Course instructors, Professor Elizabeth Hsiao-Wecksler and Teaching Assistant Professor Kevin Wandke, provided the teams with a motor and batteries as well as a few design constraints – allowing students to harness their creativity to generate solutions based on the factors they thought were most important. Watch the crawlers here: https://lnkd.in/gj4gQeUB

The New York Times consulted MechSE Professor Nick Glumac, an expert on explosives, about the assassination of Russian general Igor Kirillov: “The timing is important because they could walk away from the zone of lethality very quickly,” Professor Glumac said, adding, “another 10 or 12 seconds later, they could have walked away with eardrum damage — not dead.” Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/d3D8-yQ8

The Renewable Energy & Turbulent Environment Group (RE-TE-G), led by MechSE Professor Leonardo Chamorro, has established itself as a talent incubator, consistently producing PhD graduates who go on to pursue successful careers in academia. Most recently, alumnus Dr. Jeffrey Cheng accepted a faculty position at the University of South Carolina, further affirming the group's reputation for academic excellence. Cheng’s success reflects the broader trajectory of Chamorro’s alumni, all but one of whom have secured faculty positions at leading institutions worldwide. Among the four most recent RE-TE-G graduates, three have transitioned to academia—Dr. Jin-Tae (Jimmy) Kim recently joined the Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) faculty, and Dr. Yaqing Jin is an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Dallas. Other RE-TE-G alumni are faculty at Penn State University, Union College, and the University of Science and Technology Beijing. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gZ24eNug

MechSE invites applications for teaching faculty at the ranks of assistant, associate, and full professor. We seek highly qualified applicants with a strong commitment to excellence in teaching with a commitment to scholarship and service. This is a full-time on-campus appointment on an academic year (nine-month) service basis, paid over twelve months. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gf55_pWU

What is being billed as the most exciting phase of a space manufacturing project called Mission Illinois is set to kick off this month. The project is currently gearing up to send a specialized construction apparatus to the International Space Station to demonstrate space-based or on-orbit manufacturing during the summer of 2026. The mission is backed by four and a half years of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency-funded research in space materials, manufacturing and structural design at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. “This will be the first demonstration of manufacturing in space,” said MechSE professor Sameh Tawfick, who is leading the project. “Realizing such structures will enable the next stage in humanity’s space utilization and a future beyond our imagination.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/gTb--pG6 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration Beckman Institute at Illinois The Grainger College of Engineering

A multi-institution team led by MechSE’s Janelle Wharry has received $2.5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to pursue the design of new materials that could make nuclear fusion power plants a reality. The grant is from ARPA-E’s Creating Hardened And Durable fusion first Wall Incorporating Centralized Knowledge (CHADWICK) program, which aims to explore promising alloy design spaces and manufacturing processes to develop next-generation materials for the “first wall” that surrounds the fusion core of nuclear fusion reactors. Read more: https://lnkd.in/g_BqAiay

MechSE is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Program Assistant. This position provides support for the MechSE Graduate Programs Office serving as first point of contact, as well as outreach, advisement and building relationships with potential applicants and current students. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gf55_pWU

MechSE alum Adam Tilton (BSME 2010) recently announced the successful seed funding of his latest startup, Driver. Featured in TechCrunch, Driver’s generative AI-powered platform can both translate complex technical documentation into concise, actionable explanations and generate comprehensive documentation quickly for new products. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gtjyXdmc TechCrunch

The University of Illinois Division of Research Safety (DRS) works to maintain a strong safety culture and safe campus when it comes to faculty and student research spaces and environments. This week, DRS Director Stephanie Tumidajski Hess featured MechSE Associate Professor Kyle Smith in the first edition of the division's “Safety Matters” e-newsletter: https://lnkd.in/epcAxNmJ