Jacobs School NanoEngineering News: Top Stories

First Class of Nanoengineering Graduates Ready to Solve Technology's Most Challenging Problems

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 PDT

The University of California, San Diego conferred its first undergraduate degrees in nanoengineering this June. Although most engineering programs now offer courses about engineering at the nanoscale, very few provide a focused curriculum dedicated to this rapidly growing field. UC San Diego was the first in the nation to create a Department of NanoEngineering in 2007 and began offering it as an undergraduate degree program in fall 2010. Since then, undergraduate enrollment has grown from 51 students to 273, and is expected to reach nearly 400 students this fall with the arrival of a new crop of freshmen.

UC San Diego Creates Center for Brain Activity Mapping

Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:00 PDT

Responding to President Barack Obama’s “grand challenge” to chart the function of the human brain in unprecedented detail, the University of California, San Diego has established the Center for Brain Activity Mapping (CBAM). The new center, under the aegis of the interdisciplinary Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind at UC San Diego, will tackle the technological and biological challenge of developing a new generation of tools to enable recording of neuronal activity throughout the brain. It will also conduct brain-mapping experiments and analyze the collected data.

Nanosponges that Remove Toxins from Blood Take Top Prize at Research Expo 2013

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:00:00 PDT

More than 100 judges representing industry and engineering faculty circled around 200 engineering research posters at the University of California, San Diego April 18, asking the graduate students about their research. The students, representing the six academic departments of the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, explained the content of their research to the judges as well as Research Expo attendees from industry, academia, the government and nonprofits. Judges ranked the students on their research and on how well they articulated their work to judges who may or may not work in their particular engineering sub-field. Students were called to explain the essential findings and why they matter to other researchers, to industry and to society.

Biosensor Tattoo Monitors Sweat For Health Indicators

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 00:00:00 PDT

By integrating complex electrochemical sensors with simple, fairground tattoos, nanoengineers have created a highly sensitive, wearable biosensor that monitors electrolyte and metabolite levels in sweat to assess the metabolic health of a patient, and, in particular, their stamina.

Nanosponges Soak Up Toxins Released by Bacterial Infections and Venom

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 00:00:00 PDT

Engineers at the University of California, San Diego have invented a “nanosponge” capable of safely removing a broad class of dangerous toxins from the bloodstream – including toxins produced by MRSA, E. coli, poisonous snakes and bees.

Jacobs School Recruiting for 12 Positions in 2012-13

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 00:00:00 PDT

The Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego currently is recruiting for 11open faculty positions in the 2012-13 academic year. The positions fall within three strategic research focus areas identified by the school: energy, sustainability and environment; engineering in medicine; and information technology and applications. Several of the positions are part of a three-year recruitment plan in the area of advanced energy research.

Health Technologies Top List of New Calit2 Research Grants

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 00:00:00 PDT

The University of California, San Diego division of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology has given the green light to 17 new projects funded through the Calit2 Strategic Research Opportunities program. Seven of the projects are led by faculty at the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego. All told, the winning proposals garnered more than $826,000 in support from Calit2 for the year-long projects, effective October 1, 2012. That is an 18 percent increase in funding compared to the inaugural round of CSRO grants awarded in 2010.

New SME Building Dedication

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 00:00:00 PDT

The University of California, San Diego dedicated its new Structural and Materials Engineering building Sept. 14 during a standing-room only ceremony. The event brought together the engineers, medical device researchers and visual artists who will work in the building, as well as top campus administrators, supporters and industry representatives.

Nanoparticles Detect Biochemistry of Inflammation

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 00:00:00 PDT

Inflammation is the hallmark of many human diseases, from infection to neurodegeneration. The chemical balance within a tissue is disturbed, resulting in the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as hydrogen peroxide, which can cause oxidative stress and associated toxic effects.

Building machines to print tissue

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 00:00:00 PDT

Nanoengineers at the University of California, San Diego have developed a novel technology that can fabricate, in mere seconds, microscale three dimensional (3D) structures out of soft, biocompatible hydrogels. Near term, the technology could lead to better systems for growing and studying cells, including stem cells, in the laboratory. Long-term, the goal is to be able to print biological tissues for regenerative medicine. For example, in the future, doctors may repair the damage caused by heart attack by replacing it with tissue that rolled off of a printer.