June 2025: The UC Irvine Engineering+ Equation

June 2025

Message from Dean Egerstedt

Every now and then I find myself experiencing a steady drip of challenging and dissonant news. When that happens, I try to be purposeful and explicit about not missing the good stuff that occurs on a daily basis in the UCI Samueli School of Engineering, such as faculty making research breakthroughs or winning awards, students sharing notes of appreciation, or thorny issues getting resolved. I've started referring to these as micro-joys. Well, we are only weeks away from a true macro-joy! Commencement is just around the corner, where we get to celebrate our students as they leave our programs and go out into the world as innovators, researchers, educators, policymakers and entrepreneurs. That is what we ultimately are all about!

Best,

Magnus Egerstedt, Ph.D.

Stacey Nicholas Dean of Engineering

Undergraduate Engineer Recognized for Novel Breast Cancer Research

UC Irvine biomedical engineering undergraduate student Devin Johnson presented his research on a breast cancer monitoring and diagnosing device at the Institution for Advanced Computational Sciences and Center for Inclusive Education Symposium at Stony Brook University.

American Society of Engineering Commends Graduate Student

Anteater engineer Melissa Lepe was recognized with an Outstanding Graduate Student Award by the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) at the Pacific Southwest Regional Conference at Cal Poly Pomona.

NSF Grant Supports Innovative Biomanufacturing Process

Han Li, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, has received a $7.5 million award to support development of a novel biomanufacturing process to make valuable organic pesticide chemicals in a more efficient, environmentally friendly and economical way.

Wind Power Made More Practical

In a pioneering effort to reshape how America builds its clean energy infrastructure, Mo Li, professor of civil and environmental engineering, is leading groundbreaking research to develop novel concrete materials and advanced manufacturing methods for the next generation of massive wind turbines.

Students Rock Ingenious Musical Inventions at E-SONIC

Salt water that sings. Light that oozes notes. Gloves that become musical instruments. Students across several UCI schools formed seven teams and created never-before-seen musical instruments that were showcased at E-SONIC.

Grad Students Present Beach Erosion Solutions to San Clemente Mayor

Engineering graduate students are proposing ways to help San Clemente officials deal with beach erosion. The mayor’s office initiated the capstone project in hopes of getting new ideas for the problem that greatly affects the city’s economy and culture.

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