This Thin Device Can Store Energy, Strengthen Structures and Be Recycled
August 20, 2026
Engineers developed a new type of supercapacitor that can do more than store electricity — it can also provide structural support and be quickly disassembled into reusable parts. It could offer a more sustainable approach to energy storage for lightweight electric vehicles. Full Story
Simulated Reality, Real Benefits
August 19, 2026
When first-year students at UC San Diego School of Medicine step into the Professional Development Center to do their first simulated patient interactions, they don’t meet a mannequin or a computer program. They meet a person — a simulated patient who is trained to portray everything from new?onset chest pain to a difficult conversation about recurrent cancer. The center is also a frequent collaborator for faculty at Jacobs School of Engineering, including engineers developing humanoid robots and other technologies to streamline surgery and various medical procedures. Full Story
From Wearable Sensors to Printed Placentas
August 19, 2026
Lindsey Burnett, MD, PHD, assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences (OBGYN & RS) in the Division of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery at UC San Diego School of Medicine and director of the Pelvic Health After Birth Program at UC San Diego Health, teamed up with Ken Loh, PHD, TaylorMade Golf Chancellor’s Endowed Faculty Fellowship in Structural Engineering at UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, to investigate whether progressive weight?bearing exercise can protect the pelvic floor. The researchers received a 2025 Galvanizing Engineering in Medicine award from the Institute of Engineering in Medicine for their Biomechanical Monitoring for Birth Injury Prevention pilot study. Full Story
Inexpensive Reflective Tiles Pave the Way for Cost Effective Millimeter Wave Wireless Communications
August 18, 2026
Inexpensive custom tiles designed by electrical engineers at UC San Diego can be used to reflect millimeter wave signals in ways that address path obstruction and improve wireless network coverage. Full Story
NSF Funds Major Center at UC San Diego to Make New Quantum Materials
July 30, 2026
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded University of California San Diego researchers a six-year $18M grant to fund a Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) focused on making new kinds of quantum materials. Full Story
Flipping the Switch: Triton Racing Goes Electric
July 30, 2026
After nearly 30 years of designing and building a formula race car powered by an internal combustion engine for the annual Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) collegiate competition, the Triton Racing student team at UC San Diego flipped a switch in 2023 and went electric. For the first time, the team was able to bring a functioning formula race car running on its own battery power that they designed and built, to the Formula SAE Electric competition this June, representing three years of intense learning and work. Full Story
UC San Diego Electrical Engineer Receives Popov Prize for Research in Approximation Theory
July 24, 2026
Rahul Parhi, faculty in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, has received the 2026 Vasil A. Popov Prize. This prize recognizes distinguished research accomplishments in approximation theory and related areas of mathematics. Full Story
New XPS Instrument at UC San Diego Gives Researchers a Closer Look at Material Surfaces
July 13, 2026
A new XPS machine at the UC San Diego Qualcomm Institute is helping researchers advance work in battery technology, surface coatings and medical devices. Full Story
Surgeons Use Teleoperated Humanoid Robots to Perform Live Surgery – a World First
July 8, 2026
For the first time, two teleoperated humanoid robots have been used to complete two surgeries during a preclinical trial, researchers report in the July 8 issue of the journal Nature. The work is the result of a collaboration between a team of engineers and a team of surgeons at the University of California San Diego. Full Story
UC San Diego Researchers Receive ARPA-H Award to Make Birth Safer
June 23, 2026
Researchers in obstetrics and engineering at UC San Diego were awarded up to $10.4 million from ARPA-H to enable more accurate identification of fetuses who are at risk of low oxygen during labor, as part of a larger effort to make birth safer in the U.S. Full Story