College of Engineering

In the 127 years since the electron was discovered, it has undergone more scrutiny than perhaps any other particle. As a result, its properties are not just well known, but rote, textbook material. So it came as a shock last year when a new effect was seen in electrons. The UW's Matthew Yankowitz, assistant professor of both physics and materials science and engineering, and Xiaodong Xu, professor of both physics and materials science and engineering, are quoted.

In an experiment akin to stop-motion photography, an international team co-led by University of Washington scientists has isolated the energetic movement of an electron in a sample of liquid water â while âfreezingâ the motion of the much larger atom it orbits.

A team led by researchers at the University of Washington reports that it is possible to imbue graphite — the bulk, 3D material found in No. 2 pencils – with physical properties similar to graphite’s 2D counterpart, graphene. Not only was this breakthrough unexpected, the team also believes its approach could be used to test whether similar types of bulk materials can also take on 2D-like properties. If so, 2D sheets won’t be the only source for scientists to fuel technological revolutions. Bulk, 3D materials could be just as useful.

New electronic devices? New data storage methods? UW Physics & Materials Sciences Professor Xiaodong Xu studies the properties of single atomic layer semiconductors. He looks for new materials and new ways to control electrical conductivity.

Annie Liu, a junior majoring in Human Centered Design & Engineering and minoring in Digital Art and Experimental Media, has been awarded the Adobe Women-inTechnology Scholarship.

Amazon said it has become the world’s largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy after signing agreements Thursday to purchase energy from 26 wind and solar projects around the world. Stuart Adler, associate professor of chemical engineering at the UW and energy storage researcher at the UW Clean Energy Institute, is quoted.

Learn about how this exciting new coalition aimed at bringing about a revolution in quantum research and technology.

The College of Arts and Sciences mourns the loss of Paul G. Allen, a long-time friend of the UW, innovator and philanthropist. UW President Ana Mari Cauce called Mr. Allen a “man of extraordinary vision, leadership and generosity whose impact on our world is profound.” 

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded an expected $10.75 million, four-year grant for a new interdisciplinary research center.

Five faculty members at the University of Washington have been awarded early-career fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. 

A question-and-answer game tests the potential for direct brain-to-brain connection.

Eli Shlizerman, assistant professor in Applied Mathematics talks about new research on the internal, genetically encoded compass that the monarchs use in flight.

Applied Mathematics and CSE Professor Emo Todorov talks about the $1,000 breakthrough he helped create.

The semiconductors created by a team of UW physicists and engineers could support new uses in clean energy and optically-active electronics.

A collaboration between UW developmental psychologists and computer scientists aims to enable robots to learn in the same way that children naturally do.