Jacobs School of Engineering News: Top Stories

Nanotube Defects Equal Better Energy and Storage Systems

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Most people would like to be able to charge their cell phones and other personal electronics quickly and not too often. A recent discovery made by UC San Diego engineers could lead to carbon nanotube-based supercapacitors that could do just this.

Systems Biology Approach Provides Insulin Resistance Insights

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Researchers from the University of California, San Diego recently offered the sharpest-yet picture of how core biochemical pathways in skeletal muscle cells and fat cells are altered in people who suffer from insulin resistance—a primary defect in type 2 diabetes and obesity. Taking a systems biology approach, the bioengineers and medical researchers also determined how a common class of drugs for treating insulin resistance—TZDs—alter these same core pathways. This led the team to uncover previously unknown effects of TZDs and insights that could lead to improved drug therapies for insulin resistance.

Swarms of Ocean Robots will Monitor Oil Spills

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PDT

To develop control systems for “swarms” of miniature robotic ocean explorers that could one day help predict where ocean currents will carry oil spills, engineers at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering recently won a nearly $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation. The engineers are leading the development of the control systems for swarms of small, inexpensive, underwater robotic ocean drifters that researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UC San Diego are designing, building and deploying.

Breakthrough Genome Sequencing Discovery

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Bioengineers at UC San Diego have made a breakthrough development that will now allow scientists to perform full delineation of the location and use of genomic elements.

Engineering Students Help Give San Diego a Solar Boost

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Engineering students at UC San Diego played a critical role in helping the university and the San Diego region secure a total of $154 million in federal bonds for solar installation projects.

Jacobs School Ranked 9th in the World

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PDT

The University of California, San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering is the 9th best in the world for engineering/technology and 15th in the world for computer sciences, according to an academic ranking of the top 100 world universities published by the Institute of Higher Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Electrical Engineers Go Head to Head with Genius

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Electrical engineers recently pitted Genius – the music recommendation system in Apple’s iTunes – against two experimental music recommender systems. Genius appears to capture acoustic similarities among songs within the same playlist, the researchers found.

Digital Signage to Make Campus Smarter, Safer, Greener

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Researchers from the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2) are installing a number of LED digital signs in classrooms throughout UC San Diego, with the eventual goal of outfitting the entire campus with the notification system.

UCSD Researchers Pave Way for Effective Liver Treatments

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PDT

A combination of bioengineering and medical research at the University of California, San Diego has led to a new discovery that could pave the way for more effective treatments for liver disease.

Structural Engineering Undergrad is Green Intern in Washington D.C.

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PDT

The nation’s first “green” intern in the U.S. Capitol--Mark Galvan--hails from the Jacobs School of Engineering at one of the country’s greenest universities, the University of California, San Diego.