Mechanical Engineering

Rice tapped to develop 3D-printed ‘smart helmets’ for the military

Rice University researchers have embarked upon a project to build the first printable “smart helmet” with funding from the Department of Defense.

'Amazing in every way': Rice mourns death of Fulbright engineer Ricardo Poveda Calderon

Ricardo Poveda Calderon, a Rice doctoral student studying mechanical engineering, died Oct. 24. He was 32.

NIH funds effort to customize treatment of movement impairments

Existing treatments for movement impairments are “off the rack” rather than “custom-tailored,” but B.J. Fregly, a Rice University professor of mechanical engineering and bioengineering, wants to change that situation.

CPRIT grant establishes Genetic Design and Engineering Center

Rice faculty members led by bioengineer Gang Bao have been awarded a $4 million CPRIT grant to establish the Genetic Design and Engineering Center.

People, papers and presentations for Aug. 9, 2021

Rice celebrates Juneteenth and emancipations to come

Rice’s second annual Juneteenth celebration will bring together professors across the university — from Computational and Applied Mathematics to Modern and Classical Literature and Cultures — for three panels exploring ideas and questions central to the meaning and promise of the important holiday.

Argentine officials visit Rice

A delegation of top Argentine officials visited Rice June 8 for a meeting with President David Leebron and others from the university community to explore opportunities for collaboration, such as student and faculty exchange, study abroad programs and research.

NIH grant boosts computational search for cancer drugs

Computer scientist Lydia Kavraki of Rice University’s Brown School of Engineering has won a prestigious National Institutes of Health U01 grant to develop a new approach to model and analyze protein-ligand interactions in cancer research.

Nagarajaiah named distinguished member of American Society of Civil Engineers

Satish Nagarajaiah, a professor of civil and environmental engineering and of mechanical engineering at Rice’s Brown School of Engineering, has been elected a distinguished member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

Brain Drain team tops Engineering Design Showcase

A student-designed implantable pump to help relieve pressure on the brains of patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus or idiopathic intracranial hypertension has won the top prize in this year’s Brown School of Engineering Design Showcase.

Students wonder what to do with old windmill blades

Wind power has a bright future, but what happens when wind turbines power down? A worn blade the length of a football field isn’t easy to recycle.

Brain drain could give patients peace of mind

Pressure from excess cerebrospinal fluid on the brain is often relieved by surgically installing a shunt that carries the fluid to a reservoir. But when pressure in the reservoir itself is too high, the shunt needs a little help.

B.J. Fregly named ASME Fellow

B.J. Fregly, a professor of mechanical engineering and bioengineering and a CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research, has been named a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

Pedram Hassanzadeh wins NSF CAREER Award

Atmospheric blocking is known to cause or exacerbate extreme weather events, but much about them remains a mystery. Rice University fluid dynamicist Pedram Hassanzadeh has won a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award to study these events with an eye toward better understanding the physics behind their complex mechanics.

‘An unprecedented year’: Record number of Rice grad students awarded NSF fellowships

Two dozen current graduate students are among 44 affiliated with Rice to win Graduate Research Fellowships and three years of financial support.