Research Highlights

Here is a sampling of the diverse and multidisciplinary research happening at the College of Engineering.

tiny balls make up the light absorbing filmIncreasing Efficiency of Dye-sensitized Solar Cells »
By using a popcorn-ball design—tiny kernels clumped into much larger porous spheres—researchers at the University of Washington are able to manipulate light and more than double the efficiency of converting solar energy to electricity. The research is conducted in the lab of Guozhong Cao, a UW professor of materials science and engineering.
Kristi Morgansen drives a robofishRobofish (or "Fin Actuated Autonomous Underwater Vehicles") »
Schools of fish and herds of animals can maneuver smoothly and in unison. Kristi Morgansen, an assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics and adjunct professor of electrical engineering, asks, "How are they doing it?" and getting results in the lab.
Vials - same substance, different colors due to particle sizeQuantum Dots: Silencing Genes with Nanoparticles »
RNA interference holds great promise for medical science, but so far it has been difficult to apply the technique in living cells. Xiaohu Gao, an assistant professor of bioengineering, is collaborating with UW and Emory University scientists to address the problem and succeeding with a nanotechnology known as quantum dots.
contact lens with circuitsContact Lenses for Superhuman Vision »
Engineers at the University of Washington have for the first time used manufacturing techniques at microscopic scales to combine a flexible, biologically safe contact lens with an imprinted electronic circuit and lights. The lens is one example of research by Babak Parviz, a UW assistant professor of electrical engineering, into "micro devices for human performance augmentation."
Port of TacomaDouble Cycling: Efficiency at the Ports »
Ports could use cranes more efficiently if they loaded and unloaded ships simultaneously. In doing so, the ports would increase efficiency, save costs and conserve fuel. Anne Goodchild, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, is collaborating on research that shows "double cycling" need not be complicated to yield significant improvements in efficiency.
image of a proteinFoldit: Competitive Protein Folding for Medical Science »
There are more than 100,000 different kinds in the human body. While we know many proteins' genetic sequence, we don't know how they fold up into complex shapes to play crucial biological roles. UW researchers, including Computer Science & Engineering associate professor Zoran Popović and professor David Salesin, have created a computer game that harnesses human intuition to solve problems that computers alone cannot. The game could develop into a tool to help defeat viruses such as HIV.
biofouling: marine hull with seaweed attachedAnti-Biofouling Materials »
Barnacles stick to ship hulls and proteins stick to artificial heart valves, adding significant fuel costs and causing infections. Shaoyi Jiang, a professor of chemical engineering and adjunct professor of bioengineering, is researching safe materials to solve these problems.