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Efficiency upgrade for OLED screens: A route to blue PHOLED longevity

Commercial devices currently settle for less efficient blue OLEDs, but a set of design innovations has made an efficient blue that is as durable as efficient green OLEDs.

The US has a new most powerful laser

Hitting 2 petawatts, the NSF-funded ZEUS facility at U-M enables research that could improve medicine, national security, materials science and more.

Careful heating unlocks unprecedented sensitivity to pressure in semiconductor materials

A simple and scalable annealing method boosts the quality of materials used in cell phones, sensors and energy harvesting devices.

U-M team’s genome sequencing breakthrough featured in CACM Research Highlights

Their work introduces a new computational framework that significantly increases the efficiency of genomic data processing.

PURE-ECE takes off with successful pilot year, showcased at Undergraduate Research Symposium

A new research program incentivizes undergraduate students and faculty members to collaboratively tackle ambitious research projects.

Alex Burgers receives NSF CAREER Award to advance quantum communications

Prof. Burgers will use atom-photon entanglement and nanophotonic structures to transmit quantum information over fiber optic cables.

Advanced microelectronics: Why a next-gen semiconductor doesn’t fall to pieces

The mechanism holding new ferroelectric semiconductors together produces a conductive pathway that could enable high power transistors.

Enabling stroke victims to “speak”: $19M toward brain implants to be built at U-M

Stroke victims may regain the ability to read, write and speak with the help of technology developed by David Blaauw and Cindy Chestek.

Best Student Paper Award for work in universal training of neural networks

ECE alum Mohammadreza Tavasoli Naeini, a former student of Prof. Al Hero, was first author on the paper and award recipient.

A new type of slot antenna for NextG communications

The antenna, designed by doctoral student Aditya Varma Muppala and Prof. Kamal Sarabandi, is featured by IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

Herbert Winful part of MURI team investigating AI-guided self-organization in nonlinear systems

Prof. Winful adds his unique expertise on the behavior of coupled semiconductor laser systems to a collaborative $9M project led by researchers at Yale University.

Home AC units can balance the electrical grid without impacting comfort

A real-world frequency regulation experiment demonstrates that managing AC units can help actively balance electricity supply and demand.

U-M awarded up to $7.5M to bring heat-tolerant semiconductors from lab to fab

Open-source effort led by Prof. Becky Peterson supports durable silicon carbide circuits that can operate at record high temperatures.

Magnetic switch traps quantum information carriers in one dimension

Innovations in quantum sensing and computing could follow the discovery of how chromium sulfide bromide responds to magnetic fields.

Research on time-varying, electrically-small antennas featured on IEEE TAP journal homepage

First author Zachary Fritts talks about the research in his newest paper, recently featured by IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

Bridging gaps in rural health care with AI-powered mobile clinics

General practitioners with AI help could make diagnoses, run and interpret tests, and perform procedures like specialists.

Johanna Mathieu and Anna Stuhlmacher receive HICSS Best Paper Award for work on the potential of drinking water networks as flexible electric loads

The team found that drinking water distribution networks in the U.S. represent a sizable resource when used as flexible electric loads.

Heat2Power: a hot new startup that converts stored heat into electricity

Heat2Power, co-founded by Profs. Stephen Forrest and Andrej Lenert, uses high-efficiency, low-cost thermophotovoltaic technology to turn stored heat into energy.

Lisa Li wins IEEE TCNS Best Paper Award for work on guarantees for model predictive control

Prof. Li’s paper, published in IEEE Transactions on Control of Network Systems, provides guarantees for large networks with incomplete information access.

Solving computationally complex problems with Ising machines

A team led by Prof. Pinaki Mazumder is designing quantum-inspired architectures from silicon to solve difficult problems more efficiently than previously possible.

Boosting AI model size and training speed with lightwave-connected chips

AI growth is capped by data transfer rates between computing chips, but transferring data with light could remove the ceiling.

Light, flexible and radiation-resistant: organic solar cells for space

Some carbon-based solar cells already show no drop in performance after three years’ worth of radiation, and the cause of degradation in others could be preventable.

Hamed Alkhathami receives Rackham International Student Fellowship

Alkhathami’s master’s work explores the application of quantum principles to optimize signal processing systems.

Kickstarter for Buddie: open source, AI-enabled earbuds

Collaborating faculty at the University of Michigan and Fudan University are crowdfunding a new wearable AI audio interface to enable always-listening context awareness, improve privacy, and allow AI application developers to try new ideas.

Chun-Wei Liu receives Rackham International Student Fellowship

Liu’s PhD work in quantum engineering explores collective effects of atom-atom interactions.

Toward quantum for the real world: photonic team in running for center-level funding

A team led by the University of Michigan aims to bring the extraordinary accuracy of quantum laboratory measurements to real-world devices.

Jesse Codling receives ACM BuildSys 2024 paper award for work on heart rate monitoring

Codling’s project, aptly named “FloHR,” uses geophones to measure human heart rate through floor vibrations in home environments.

New generative AI model can reconstruct a high-quality, sparse-view 3D CT scan with a much lower X-ray dose

Improvements move the deep learning technique towards use in 3D medical imaging.

Developing StiMote, a wireless neural stimulator for restoring vision

The highly collaborative project will leverage many tiny sensing computers, called “motes,” to communicate with the visual cortex of the brain.

Educating People-First Engineers: A Q&A with Cindy Finelli and Erin Cech

Preparing the next generation of engineers to consider public welfare when developing new technologies.

Andrew Owens’ research group uses visual illusions to test the limits of diffusion models

Members of Andrew Owens's research group, Daniel Geng, Aaron Park, and Ziyang Chen, are using ambiguous image generation to understand diffusion models.

Wei Lu earns 2024 Best Paper Award for work in spiking neural networks

The paper was published in Proceedings of the IEEE in September 2023, and already has more than 500 citations.

Fifteen papers by ECE researchers to be presented at the Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems

Topics of accepted ECE NeurIPS papers include diffusion models, large language models, multi-armed bandit models, and more.

ECE faculty design chips for efficient and accessible AI

Faculty specializing in architecture, hardware, and software innovation accelerate machine learning across a range of applications.

Alex Burgers receives AFOSR support for research on atom-photon interactions

Prof. Burgers will use optical tweezers to create quantum mirrors from 2D arrays of atoms in a first-of-its-kind experimental demonstration.

In vivo wireless readings from a bile duct stent sensor in a pig

New magnetoelastic sensor within a stent transmits information about potential blockages, demonstrating potential use for a wide range of body sizes.

Zetian Mi awarded $3M DARPA grant to scale next generation semiconductor materials on silicon

Mi's team will partner with industry to integrate defect-free III-V materials with silicon.

ECE Spinout company NS Nanotech releases first solid-state semiconductor to produce human-safe disinfecting UV light

NS Nanotech’s new product, enabled by ECE Prof. Zetian Mi’s research, can safely disinfect high-risk spaces like ambulances and school buses.

ECE startup MemryX releases MX3 Edge AI Accelerator

MemryX has announced production availability of a new AI chip, enabled by U-M ECE research.

Michigan AI Symposium showcases cutting-edge advances in embodied AI

The event brought together over 300 AI experts for a day of networking and discussions around this evolving field.

Space Force establishes $35M institute for versatile propulsion and power at U-M

To optimize power, efficiency and freedom to maneuver, engineers aim to demonstrate new technologies for power generation, electric propulsion and chemical rockets.

A pulsed, helical laser to control other light signals, speeding up fiber-optic communication

New device can act as an all-optical switch, the first step towards processing data encoded in light

Andrew Owens receives NSF CAREER Award for research to improve machine perception systems

Prof. Owens’ research will help fully autonomous systems interact with their environments without human supervision.

Matthew Raymond recognized for research using ML techniques to design new types of medicine

Doctoral student Matthew Raymond wants to facilitate the development of new and groundbreaking nanomedicines.

Can Yaras recognized for his research aimed at efficient algorithms for LLMs

Doctoral student Can Yaras wants to reduce the carbon footprint of AI.

Zetian Mi awarded $7.5M MURI for research on ferroelectric nitrides

Prof. Mi is the lead PI on a collaborative project that aims to advance ferroelectric nitrides for applications in next-generation microelectronics and quantum-photonic devices.

Arthur Xiao wins SID Detroit Metro Chapter Academic Award for work on red micro-LEDs

Xiao’s PhD work has focused on developing tiny, efficient, and stable red LEDs for use in virtual and augmented reality displays.

An OLED for compact, lightweight night vision

Thinner than a human hair, the device amplifies and converts near infrared light into visible light with the potential for low power consumption and long battery life.

In step toward solar fuels, durable artificial photosynthesis setup chains two carbons together

The system produces ethylene, an important ingredient of many plastics, with much higher efficiency, yield and longevity than competing systems.

Vijay Subramanian awarded $7.5M MURI to rethink game theory in dynamic environments

Prof. Subramanian is the lead PI on a collaborative project to improve the accuracy of modern game theory predictions and produce better outcomes.

Leveraging artificial intelligence for early detection of lung cancer

Predictive models developed by an interdisciplinary U-M research team have improved early lung cancer detection beyond traditional measures, with the potential to save lives.

Pei Zhang will contribute to a new NSF Center for Insights into the Pre-Emergence Phase of Pandemics

Prof. Zhang will develop sensor systems to model the movement and risk factors of animal populations in disease spread as part of the interdisciplinary NSF center.

Aline Eid receives MTRAC Award to commercialize radar vision for autonomous indoor navigation

Prof. Eid will partner with the industry startup Atheraxon to market technology for automated guided vehicles in warehouse environments and beyond.

Austin Lin awarded IEEE PES Prize Conference Paper for work quantifying HVAC load-shifting efficiency

PhD student Austin Lin presented his award-winning research at the 2024 IEEE Power & Energy Society General Meeting in Seattle.

OptoGPT for improving solar cells, smart windows, telescopes and more

Taking advantage of the transformer neural networks that power large language models, engineers can get recipes for materials with the optical properties they need.

Fourteen papers by ECE researchers to be presented at the International Conference on Machine Learning

Accepted papers for the ICML conference span topics including deep representation learning, language model fine-tuning, generative modeling, and more.

Updating the textbook on polarization in gallium nitride to optimize wide bandgap semiconductors

Understanding the phenomenon underpinning the material’s electronic performance will inform the design of smaller, faster and more efficient electronic and quantum devices.

John Kustin and Vangelis Dikopoulos win Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship to support work on intelligent audio systems

The pair of ECE PhD students will use the award to improve devices such as smart speakers, hearing aids, and car sound systems.

Engineers have a duty to protect public well-being, but less than half learn how to do so effectively

Training in formal classes proves the most effective way to prepare engineers to protect public welfare at work

Renewable grid: Recovering electricity from heat storage hits 44% efficiency

Thermophotovoltaics developed at U-M can recover significantly more energy stored in heat batteries.

Andrew Park wins iWAT Student Paper Award for work on STAR antennas

PhD student Andrew Park presented his award-winning poster at the 2024 International Workshop in Antenna Technology in Sendai, Japan.

AI chips could get a sense of time

Timekeeping in the brain is done with neurons that relax at different rates after receiving a signal; now memristors—hardware analogues of neurons—can do that too

University of Michigan team partners with Semiwise to tackle cryogenic control electronics technology

Prof. Dennis Sylvester and PhD student Qirui Zhang are working with UK-based company Semiwise Ltd. to design cryogenic circuitry and improve the efficiency of quantum computing.

Integrating battery storage into electrical grids can sometimes increase emissions due to market forces

An electricity market analysis found adding battery storage to enhance grid reliability may cause power generation markets to favor coal over natural gas.

Report issued on state of intelligent vehicle dependability and security

Safe operation of fully autonomous vehicles on public roads is not anticipated in the near future.

Joseph Costello awarded Rackham Predoc to support research on brain-machine interfaces

Costello is working to restore mobility to individuals by developing improved brain-machine interfaces.

Anjali Devi Sivakumar awarded Barbour Scholarship to support her research on analytical wearables for health monitoring

Sivakumar is developing analytical devices to measure and analyze insensible, or vapor, sweat for disease diagnosis.

Shubham Mondal awarded Rackham Predoc to support research on III-Nitride semiconductors for next generation electronics

Mondal’s materials research is expected to impact fields such as data centric computing, edge intelligence, and quantum photonic devices.

GenAI diffusion models learn to generate new content more consistently than expected

Award-winning research led by Prof. Qing Qu discovered an intriguing phenomenon that diffusion models consistently produce nearly identical content starting from the same noise input, regardless of model architectures or training procedures.

Auto industry deadlines loom for impaired-driver detection tech, U-M offers a low-cost solution

As the comment period closes on the new federal requirement, a U-M team led by Prof. Mohammed Islam demonstrates that upgrades to current technologies could do the job

Jiangnan Liu receives SVCF Scholarship to support research in quantum photonics

Liu is a PhD student investigating new materials for future opportunities in quantum photonics.

Augmented reality system for accessible play, iGYM, goes international

Using iGYM’s computer vision module, the U-M team partnered with the University of Tsukuba’s FUTUREGYM Team to develop new interactive games that allow children of all abilities to play together.

Shubham Mondal receives SVCF Scholarship to support his research in semiconductor materials

Mondal works to improve the operation of electronic and optoelectronic devices using III-Nitride based semiconductor materials.

Large open dataset aims to improve understanding of building electricity demand response

Data collected from 14 commercial buildings can help inform efforts to balance electrical grids, maintaining reliability.

Linking online and offline social networks to better predict real world impact

Prof. Lei Ying leads a new MURI that is focused on the interplay between online and offline networks and how they could impact disruptive behavior and events.

Living Labs: testing energy efficiency and flexibility in University buildings

Researchers advocate for pairing real-world data with model-based simulations to help the U.S. decarbonize and electrify commercial buildings.

ECE PhD student Duncan Madden recognized for his work on antenna arrays

Duncan Madden received 2nd place in the 2024 Ernest K. Smith USNC-URSI student paper competition.

Improving generative AI models for real-world medical imaging

Professors Liyue Shen, Qing Qu, and Jeff Fessler are working to develop efficient diffusion models for a variety of practical scientific and medical applications.

Blue PHOLEDs: Final color of efficient OLEDs finally viable in lighting

Synchronizing light and matter adds blue to the OLED color palette

Neural Collapse research seeks to advance mathematical understanding of deep learning

Led by Prof. Qing Qu, the project could influence the application of deep learning in areas such as machine learning, optimization, signal and image processing, and computer vision.

Improving the accuracy and applicability of large language models, like ChatGPT

Prof. Al Hero’s new method, which enhances the reliability of predictive models and promises to reduce the risk of AI hallucinations, was selected as a spotlight paper at NeurIPS 2023.

Understanding attention in large language models

How do chatbots based on the transformer architecture decide what to pay attention to in a conversation? They’ve made their own machine learning algorithms to tell them.

A coaching bot for students learning coding, computational Machine Learning, and AI

Prof. Raj Rao Nadakuditi is developing a generative AI coaching bot that provides feedback to strengthen self-regulated learning skills.

Nextgen computing: Hard-to-move quasiparticles glide up pyramid edges

Computing with a combination of light and chargeless excitons could beat heat losses and more, but excitons need new modes of transport

Shaping the quantum future with lightwave electronics

The semiconductor-compatible technology is a million times faster than existing electronics and could give us access to an entire new world of quantum phenomena.

Soon-to-be most powerful laser in the US is open for experiments

The NSF-supported facility at U-M is about to begin welcoming researchers to study extreme physics that could advance medicine, microelectronics and more.

U-Michigan a partner in two CHIPS Act Midwest microelectronics hubs

The latest DoD funding announcements bolster Michigan Engineering’s efforts to support revitalization of the U.S. semiconductor sector.

Research describing quantum-inspired computational imaging earns impact award

This Q&A with award co-recipient Alfred Hero offers a glimpse into the emerging field of single photon imaging.

Educating engineers as whole people

Researching education leads the way to a diverse, impactful community of professionals.

Wireless and battery-free sensors for sustainable smart cities

The sensors will provide real-time data for smart decision-making by allowing the natural environment and the built environment to communicate seamlessly.

New global partnership aims to advance renewable energy generation with net-zero hydrogen production technologies

The Global Hydrogen Production Technologies (HyPT) Center seeks to create a viable pathway to decarbonize energy-intensive industries such as ammonia, steel, cement, aluminum, transportation, and more.

Environmentally-friendly chrome-like finish for cars supports wireless sensing technologies for vehicle safety

Prof. L. Jay Guo led the design of novel thin film structures that mimic the chrome appearance, but are made with environmentally benign materials, which also work well with autonomous technology.

A look back at 25 years of University of Michigan innovation in computer architecture

Nine papers by EECS researchers have been highlighted as among the most significant of the last 25 years in an ISCA retrospective.

Semiconductor workforce program increases access to hands-on training

'In undergrad, you sometimes feel like you're just passing classes. But what we're doing here is science.'

New kind of superresolution explores cell division

Interactions between structures at the nanoscale sync up with the way the whole cell contracts and expands during this vital process.

Michigan and ECE advancing computer vision at CVPR 2023

Look at some of the ways ECE and other University of Michigan researchers are using computer vision for real-world applications.

Nanobiotics: AI for discovering where and how nanoparticles bind with proteins

A new tool in the fight against superbugs goes beyond protein folding simulations like AlphaFold, potentially revealing antibiotic candidates.

Organic photovoltaics offer realistic pathway to power-generating windows

A new fabrication process greatly improves the reliability of highly-efficient semi-transparent solar cells, which can be applied to windows to generate solar power.

New method to produce green hydrogen offers promising path to carbon neutrality

With next gen solar cell technology, Prof. Zetian Mi leads a DoE project to develop high efficiency, low cost, and ultrastable production of green hydrogen fuels directly from sunlight and water.

Inside the Quantum Research Institute

Mack Kira, co-director of the Quantum Research Institute with Steven Cundiff, is taking Michigan’s quantum activities to the next level.

Eliminating the Tradeoffs Between Farming and Solar Energy Development

Testing Semi-Transparent Solar Cell Technology at U-M’s Campus Farm.

Focused ambitions

While hunger for an artificial intelligence that can think like a human remains unsated, AI continues to appear in our lives in smaller ways.

Advancing chips for the auto sector is the goal of new Michigan-based initiative

U-Michigan joins industry, state, education partners to develop talent and technology.

Equity in the energy technology transition is new Institute’s goal

Prof. Johanna Mathieu is the new Associate Director of the Institute for Energy Solutions, which will continue U-M's 75-year legacy of leadership in energy research.

Quantum entanglement could make accelerometers and dark matter detectors more precise

And yes, they are looking to miniaturize it for smartphone dead reckoning.

From new material to device: Ferroelectric HEMT could be a game changer for next generation electronics

Prof. Zetian Mi’s team proved the viability of a reconfigurable, ScAlN/AlGaN/GaN ferroelectric HEMT transistor that is critical for next-generation communication and computing systems

Parag Deotare awarded DURIP grant to probe exciton energy transport at nanoscale

The tool is expected to advance the study of exciton dynamics, which could help identify new research directions for clean energy and information technology.

Ishtiaque Navid receives SVCF Scholarship to support his research in semiconductor materials

Navid’s research is focused on artificial photosynthesis and optoelectronics using III-Nitride based semiconductor materials.

Arthur Xiao receives SVCF Scholarship to support his research in semiconductor materials

Xiao has been working on several projects in Prof. Zetian’s Mi’s group, including micro LED technology and renewable energy.

Nanoscale ferroelectric semiconductor could power AI and post-Moore’s Law computing on a phone

Next-gen computing material gets down to the right size for modern manufacturing.

LNF Poster Winners announced

The winning research focused on emitting white light with OLEDs, improving atomic layer deposition methods, and high efficiency green and red MicroLEDs for AR/VR.

Scalable method to manufacture thin film transistors achieves ultra-clean interface for high performance, low-voltage device operation

Led by Prof. Becky Peterson, the research focuses on a category of materials important for low power logic operations, high pixel density screens, touch screens, and haptic displays.

Six ECE faculty will help shape the future of semiconductors as part of the JUMP 2.0 program

Elaheh Ahmadi, David Blaauw, Michael Flynn, Hun-Seok Kim, Hessam Mahdavifar, and Zhengya Zhang bring their expertise and creativity to this nationwide undertaking in the area of semiconductors and information & communication technologies.

Cheap, sustainable hydrogen through solar power

Withstanding high temperatures and the light of 160 suns, a new catalyst is ten times more efficient than previous sun-powered water-splitting devices of its kind.

A brain game may predict your risk of infection

When a person's cognitive function is highly variable, they're likely to be more infectious and have more symptoms after exposure to a respiratory virus.

Open-source hardware: a growing movement to democratize IC design

Dr. Mehdi Saligane, a leader in the open-source chip design community, was among the first researchers to fabricate a successful chip as part of Google’s multi-project wafer program.

Microelectronics researchers plan new initiative, enhanced collaboration to aid semiconductor industry

Leaders in microelectronics from across Michigan Engineering gathered to plan the formation of Michigan's Advanced Vision for Education and Research in Integrated Circuits, with an eye to building industry partnerships and strengthening US leadership.

Streamlining home assessments for energy justice

In a partnership with Ecoworks, Pecan Street, and Jefferson East, Prof. Johanna Mathieu is helping create a better process for Detroit homes to benefit from decarbonization, electrification, and renewable energy integration.

New non-invasive optical imaging approach for monitoring brain health could improve outcomes for traumatic brain injury patients

The SCISCCO system could better monitor brain and organ metabolism, helping to diagnose concussions, monitor cerebral metabolism in traumatic brain injury patients, and gauge the response of organs to treatments in an operating or emergency room scenario.

Miniature and durable spectrometer for wearable applications

A team led by P.C. Ku and Qing Qu have developed a miniature, paper-thin spectrometer measuring 0.16mm2 that can also withstand harsh environments.

Best paper for a low-power ADC circuit for brain-machine interface applications

Euisik Yoon’s team, led by Sungjin Oh, developed a low-power neural recording front-end circuit to interface with state-of-the-art neural probes.

Jesse Codling wins Best Presentation award for sensors that help protect these little piggies in their pens

Known affectionately as “The Sh*tty Project,” Codling, an ECE PhD student, monitors the vibrations in pig pens to track the health of the piglets and predict when they’re in danger.

Breakthrough in green micro-LEDs for augmented/mixed reality devices

Prof. Zetian Mi’s team are the first to achieve high-performance, highly stable green micro-LEDs with dimensions less than 1 micrometer on silicon, which can support ultrahigh-resolution full-color displays and other applications.

Seeing electron movement at fastest speed ever could help unlock next-level quantum computing

New technique could enable processing speeds a million to a billion times faster than today's computers and spur progress in many-body physics.

CHIPS and Science Act: Implications and Opportunities

The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 promises to revitalize the U.S. semiconductor industry. Dennis Sylvester offers his perspective on what it means for ECE.

A view into what’s really happening during gene editing for Precision CRISPR

Prof. Somin Lee and her research group developed a way to reduce trial and error in gene editing by getting a look at the process in real time

First light soon at the most powerful laser in the US

The ZEUS laser at the University of Michigan has begun its commissioning experiments

Walking and slithering aren’t as different as you think

New mathematical model links up slithering with some kinds of swimming and walking, and it could make programming many-legged robots easier.

Photosynthesis copycat may improve solar cells

The new approach moves energy efficiently and could reduce energy losses converting light into electricity.

The ethical implications of tech, and why it matters for engineers

Through the Ford School’s Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program, ECE PhD student Trevor Odelberg is studying how engineers can take better responsibility for the way their research impacts society.

Next generation neural probe leads to expanded understanding of the brain

The hectoSTAR probe, with 128 stimulating micro-LEDs and 256 recording electrodes integrated in the same neural probe, was designed for some stellar brain mapping projects

ZEUS Joins International Community of Extreme Light Virtuosos

As a member of the X-lites program, ZEUS joins an international community of extreme light labs working together to advance laser science for the benefit of society

Designing Synthetic Human Gut Microbiome with AI

Prof. Al Hero was interviewed and gave a presentation about his research using machine learning to improve our understanding of the human gut

Ester Bentley receives Impact award for her research with the goal of GPS-free navigation

Bentley presented her research as an NDSEG Fellow. She is working to make smaller, more affordable high accuracy navigation-grade gyroscopes.

Toward manufacturing semitransparent solar cells the size of windows

A peel-off patterning technique could enable more fragile organic semiconductors to be manufactured into semitransparent solar panels at scale.

Task Force report on grid stability concepts receives IEEE PES Prize Paper Award

The rapid growth of renewable energy led to an international task force to study its impact on the stability of worldwide power systems.

Solar-powered chemistry uses carbon dioxide and water to make feedstock for fuels, chemicals

Producing synthesis gas, a precursor of a variety of fuels and chemicals, no longer requires natural gas, coal or biomass.

Machine learning begins to understand the human gut

The new computer model accurately predicts the behavior of millions of microbial communities from hundreds of experiments, an advance toward precision medicine.

2022 IEEE APS R. W. P. King Award recognizes new theory in computational electromagnetics

Patel and Michielssen developed the Wigner-Smith time delay matrix for electromagnetics.

Emulating impossible “unipolar” laser pulses paves the way for processing quantum information

Quantum materials emit light as though it were only a positive pulse, rather than a positive-negative oscillation.

Overcoming the efficiency cliff of red micro-LEDs for virtual/augmented reality

Prof. Zetian Mi leads a team that created highly-efficient red micro LEDs suitable for augmented and virtual reality.

Atkins chairs National Academies report on speeding discovery with automated research workflows

Prof. Emeritus Daniel Atkins III chaired and Prof. Al Hero served on a National Academies committee that published a new report describing the impact of artificial intelligence and automated research workflow technologies in propelling research and scientific discovery.

Designing large neural codes for the next generation of communication systems

PhD candidate Mohammad Vahid Jamali won a Best Paper award at IEEE ICC for his work on Product AutoEncoders, which could help shape future generations of wireless networks, IoT, and autonomous systems.

Graphene-hBN breakthrough to spur new LEDs, quantum computing

Study uncovers first method for producing high-quality, wafer-scale, single-layer hexagonal boron nitride

Immune to hacks: Inoculating deep neural networks to thwart attacks

The adaptive immune system serves as a template for defending neural nets from confusion-sowing attacks

Qing Qu receives CAREER award to explore the foundations of machine learning and data science

His research develops computational methods for learning succinct representations from high-dimensional data.

‘Exciton surfing’ could enable next-gen energy, computing and communications tech

A charge-neutral information carrier could cut energy waste from computing, now that it can potentially be transported within chips.

New understanding of neurons in the hippocampus: they’re all the same

A longstanding collaboration between engineers and neuroscientists leads to new insights into how neurons work in the hippocampus.

Research on modeling time-variant systems earns Brockett-Willems Outstanding Paper Award

Prof. Peter Seiler co-authored the paper that focuses on reachability analysis for a variety of systems, including aircraft control and autonomous vehicles.

Quantum tech: Semiconductor “flipped” to insulator above room temp

Discovery could pave the way to high speed, low-energy quantum computing.

U-M forms collaboration to advance quantum science and technology

The Midwest Quantum Collaboratory studies quantum science and technology.

Research full speed ahead on manufacturable III-V materials for next-generation electronics

A recent breakthrough in ferroelectric III-V semiconductors at the University of Michigan has been followed by several advancements and new funding to bring the technology closer to market.

Optimizing the interactions between critical infrastructure systems for better flexibility, sustainability, and resiliency

PhD student Anna Stuhlmacher researches how the water distribution network can better provide services to the power network, which can allow for greater integration of renewable energy sources into the grid, reduce costs, and improve system resiliency.

Batteryless next-generation cellular devices could empower a more sustainable future

PhD student Trevor Odelberg is looking to enable long range, highly reliable, and low-power cellular IoT devices that one day can run entirely on harvested energy, reducing battery waste and empowering devices to last for decades.

Heath Hofmann named IEEE Fellow for his impact in the areas of electric machinery and drive systems

Prof. Hofmann’s control technology has been implemented in commercial vehicles, and he works tirelessly to enhance opportunities for underrepresented students.

Peter Seiler named IEEE Fellow for his impactful contributions to robust control theory

Prof. Seiler’s contributions to Matlab’s Robust Control Toolbox and to the control of vehicle platoons have resulted in major industrial applications.

Lei Ying named IEEE Fellow for fundamental research in cloud computing systems and wireless networks

Prof. Ying’s theoretical research addresses a broad range of fundamental problems arising from big-data analytics.

Euisik Yoon named IEEE Fellow for groundbreaking research in Bio-MEMS

Prof. Yoon’s research has contributed to a better understanding of the brain, as well as improved detection and treatment of cancer.

Zetian Mi named IEEE Fellow for his pioneering contributions to III-nitride photonics and clean energy

Prof. Mi’s research is impacting the future of alternative energy, as well as improved methods for water purification and air disinfection.

Mimicking a human fingertip's sensitivity and sense of direction for robotic applications

With the help of 1.6 million GaN nanopillars per sensor, the University of Michigan team was able to provide human-level sensitivity with directionality on a compact, easily manufactured system

Egg-carton-style patterning keeps charged nanoparticles in place and suitable for a wide range of applications

Prof. Jay Guo and his team discovered a scalable way to settle down and precisely arrange micro- and nano-sized particles according to size

New grant aims to create better algorithms to manage big data by getting “non-real”

Professors Laura Balzano and Hessam Mahdavifar are developing new ways to compress data through randomized algorithms to remove redundancies

New collaborative project for advancing energy justice in Detroit

In partnership with Detroit-based community organizations, Prof. Johanna Mathieu co-leads a team of researchers working to reduce disparities in household energy insecurity for low and moderate income households.

Cody Scarborough wins Best Student Paper Award at Metamaterials 2021

PhD student Scarborough was recognized for his work developing a more efficient method to convert signals to higher frequencies, benefiting applications that require very low power and low noise.

Elaheh Ahmadi receives DARPA Young Faculty Award to support future sensor and communication systems

Ahmadi’s research is focused on using GaN and Ga2O3 materials to provide higher output power per unit area at higher frequencies.

$1.7M to build everyday exoskeletons to assist with lifting, walking and climbing stairs

The modular exoskeleton system will help workers and the elderly, boosting ankle, knee and/or hip joints by mounting new motors to off-the-shelf orthotics.

$1.8M to develop room temperature, controllable quantum nanomaterials

The project could pave the way for compact quantum computing and communications as well as efficient UV lamps for sterilization and air purification.

Solar cells with 30-year lifetimes for power-generating windows

High-efficiency but fragile molecules for converting light to electricity thrive with a little protection.

$1M for open-source first-responder robots

An open-source perception and movement system, to be developed with NSF funding, could enable robots that partner with humans in fires and disaster areas.

$1 Million DARPA contract to empower the wireless systems of the future

Prof. Elaheh Ahmadi is working to design a new kind of semiconductor that can provide high power at high frequencies

Faster path planning for rubble-roving robots

Splitting the path into difficult and easy terrain speeds up path planning for robots that use “hands” to maintain balance on uneven ground.

Most powerful laser in the U.S. to begin operations soon, supported by $18.5M from the NSF

With first light anticipated in 2022, the NSF will provide five years of operations funding, ramping up as the ZEUS user facility progresses to full capacity.

High Efficiency Ultraviolet Light Emitting Diodes to sterilize pathogens, including COVID-19

Research led by Prof. Zetian Mi has been honored with the 2020 Editor-in-Chief Choice Award from "Photonics Research."

$20M NSF AI-EDGE Institute aims to transform 5G and beyond networks

University of Michigan is a core member of a new NSF-led Institute that is a collaboration between 11 institutions, three government research labs, and four global companies

Using remote sensing to track microplastics in the ocean

Electrical Engineering undergrad Madeline Evans is a key researcher on a project that uses NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System to monitor microplastic pollution that harms marine ecosystems.

Michigan startup MemryX, Inc. promises faster, cheaper AI processing

The ECE startup builds neuromorphic computer chips uniquely suitable for AI applications

Embracing Risk: Cyber insurance as an incentive mechanism for cybersecurity

This new book by Mingyan Liu offers an engineering and strategic approach to improving cybersecurity through cyber insurance

$7.5M MURI to make dynamic AI smarter and safer

Researchers from four U.S. institutions aim to pull the best from control theory and machine learning to build safer mobile, intelligent systems.

Nanotech OLED electrode liberates 20% more light, could slash display power consumption

A five-nanometer-thick layer of silver and copper outperforms conventional indium tin oxide without adding cost.

Snails carrying the world's smallest computer help solve mass extinction survivor mystery

The study yields new insights into the survival of a native snail important to Tahitian culture and ecology and to biologists studying evolution, while proving the viability of similar studies of very small animals including insects

Tracking ocean microplastics from space

Satellites give new insights on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, plus sources and flows of ocean microplastic.

Dawn of nitride ferroelectric semiconductors for next-generation electronics

The ability to precisely tune electrical polarization switching through molecular beam epitaxy is a gamechanger

Helping robots learn what they can and can’t do in new situations

What should a robot do when it cannot trust the model it was trained on?

ADHD in engineering: Improving education for neurodiverse college STEM students

The researchers look to increase the diversity of the STEM workforce.

Cody Scarborough wins Best Student Paper Award for contributions to Metamaterials research

Scarborough was recognized by the European Conference on Antennas and Propagation for developing a superior method to model and simulate traveling-wave modulation along two dimensions in metamaterials.

Setting the nation’s engineering research agenda

Michigan Engineers involved in NSF Engineering Research Visioning Alliance, a force multiplier for high-impact research.

Artificial photosynthesis devices that improve themselves with use

"Our discovery is a real game-changer. I’ve never seen such stability."

Building ethical engineering leaders: public welfare awareness in graduate education

A new NSF-funded project will result in a unique engineering graduate course on professional responsibility

$6.25 million to develop new semiconductors for artificial photosynthesis

An interdisciplinary team from four universities are developing a new class of semiconductors for novel artificial photosynthesis and the production of clean chemicals and fuels using sunlight, as part of a DoD MURI

Research to advance low-power speech recognition highlighted by Intel

Michael Flynn and his group are applying their groundbreaking work in beamforming to the challenge of low-power on-chip speech recognition.

“Egg carton” quantum dot array could lead to ultralow power devices

By putting a twist on new “2D” semiconductors, researchers have demonstrated their potential for using single photons to transmit information.

Fairer AI for long-term equity

Prof. Mingyan Liu is a key member of a project to mitigate bias in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning systems for long-term equitable outcomes.

First IFIP Workshop on Intelligent Vehicle Dependability and Security

The workshop, co-organized by a team including two EECS faculty, focused on ensuring the safety of Level 3 autonomous vehicles, where humans must be ready to take over control.

Elaheh Ahmadi receives CAREER Award to improve efficiency in high power electrical systems

The research could improve efficiency in systems such as electric vehicles, grid systems, mass transit, and industrial automation

Pioneering a way to keep very small satellites in orbit

More than 250 students had a hand in a satellite launching on January 10th, the first in space for a project to keep nanosats in orbit by harnessing Earth’s magnetic field.

DYNAMO achieves first observation of the “charge separation effect”

Research led by Prof. Stephen Rand, Director of the Center for Dynamic Magneto-optics (DYNAMO), has important potential for energy conversion, ultrafast switching, nanophotonics, and nonlinear optics.

Mapping quantum structures with light to unlock their capabilities

Rather than installing new “2D” semiconductors in devices to see what they can do, this new method puts them through their paces with lasers and light detectors.

U-M, community partners tackle energy insecurity in three Detroit neighborhoods

Johanna Mathieu is one of four principal investigators on a project to improve home energy efficiency and to lower monthly utility bills.

Podcast: Artificial photosynthesis for sustainable solar fuels

In S1E1, Prof. Zetian Mi talks unlocking quantum properties to close the loop on carbon emissions.

First digital single-chip millimeter-wave beamformer will exploit 5G capabilities

The digital beamforming chip offers significant advantages over current analog beamforming solutions.

Touchless respiratory and heart rate measurement for COVID-19 health screening

New technology provides a contactless method to add respiratory rate and heart rate to temperature readings .

Tracking Monarch Butterfly Migration with the World’s Smallest Computer

In a project funded by National Geographic, ECE researchers are teaming up with the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology to advance our understanding of monarch butterfly migration with the most ambitious iteration of the Michigan Micro Mote yet.

5G and ECE: Connecting the world

5G is a technology built on the work of electrical and computer engineers, and reliant on ECE research to fulfill its promise.

New grant to expand open source control software for an intuitive robotic prosthetic leg

University of Michigan researchers have been awarded an NSF grant to design an open source framework for robotic prosthetic legs that function more naturally and offer a wider range of capabilities.

Burn after reading

A self-erasing chip for security and anti-counterfeit tech.

Coordination and collaboration are critical to U.S. leadership in plasma science: a Q&A with the Plasma 2020 Decadal Study co-chair

Plasma science has the potential to speed advances in medicine, energy, electronics and more—including helping us deal with pandemics.

Mirror-like photovoltaics get more electricity out of heat

By reflecting nearly all the light they can’t turn into electricity, they help pave the way for storing renewable energy as heat.

Magna cum Laude Merit Award for research to detect the progress of diseases such as multiple sclerosis

The researchers’ imaging technique is fast, accurate, and reproducible

U-M startup SkyGig aims to take 5G to the next level

With new funding in the company, the hardtech startup is bringing revolutionary technologies to reshape mmWave wireless.

Detecting environmental pollutants with a smaller, portable, fully electric gas chromatograph

Prof. Yogesh Gianchandani and Dr. Yutao Qin received an “Outstanding Paper Award” for their fully electronic micro gas chromatography system.

Full-color nano-LEDs for better, longer lasting LED performance

Research led by Prof. Zetian Mi to advance LEDs for high-efficiency, high-performance displays is recognized with the Distinguished Paper Award from the Society for Information Display.

Research on neural probe that sheds multicolor light on the complexities of the brain recognized for its impact

Prof. Euisik Yoon and his team are recognized for their work designing low-noise, multisite/multicolor optoelectrodes that will help neurologists learn more about neural connectivity in the brain.

Melissa Haskell receives NIH Fellowship for research to improve brain imaging

ECE postdoc Melissa Haskell works on improving functional magnetic resonance imaging so we can better measure and understand brain activity.

Autonomous well monitoring solution recognized with a Best Innovators award

The WAND wireless sensor developed in a collaboration between Total, an oil & gas company, and the University of Michigan is revolutionizing well monitoring

The Future of Lasers

A research profile of Prof. Gérard Mourou and other ECE scientists talks about the future of lasers, from transmuting nuclear waste to shooting space junk.

Urban solar energy: Solar panels for windows hit record 8% efficiency

Transparent solar panels on windows could take a bite out of a building’s electricity needs.

U-M startup NS Nanotech unveils new generation of LEDs for high-efficiency, high-performance displays

Brighter, crisper screens that draw half the power and lasts twice as long are possible with NS Nanotech’s next-gen LEDs.

Professors Jay Guo and Zetian Mi awarded MTRAC funding for research in autonomous and green vehicles

Guo is working to boost the visibility of autonomous cars for improved safety, and Mi is building a prototype solar hydrogen production system that could out-compete electric cars.

Space motor helps make robotic prosthetic leg more comfortable and extends battery life

Getting rid of some gears enabled a free-swinging knee, regenerative braking and brought the noise level down from vacuum cleaner to fridge.

Improving cancer and disease treatments by understanding electromagnetic communication among biological cells

Prof. Kamal Sarabandi and ECE PhD student Navid Barani won a best paper award for their research on how biological cells may use electromagnetic signal transmission to communicate.

Making plastic more transparent while also adding electrical conductivity

Michigan Engineers change the game by making a conductive coating that’s also anti-reflective.

Tracking COVID-19 spread faster, and more accurately

A new application for an ongoing NSF project could bolster contract tracing efforts.

New machine learning method improves testing of stem-like tumor cells for breast cancer research

To improve the prediction and identification of stem-like cancer cells, Prof. Euisik Yoon’s group developed a method that is 3.5 times faster than the standard approach.

Lights in the labs – and eyes – of researchers coming back to work

‘Noncritical’ in-person research begins ramping up, with public-health protocols.

Battery-free sensor startup takes aim at industrial efficiency

Part of the team that brought us the world’s smallest computer in 2015 brings the future of computing technology into the present.

Improved neural probe can pose precise questions without losing parts of the answers

It will now be possible to study brain activity when timing is important, such as the consolidation of memory.

Game theory and the COVID-19 outbreak: Coordinating our interests at individual to national levels

A major defense project pivots to explore how to encourage COVID-safe behavior effectively.

Catching nuclear smugglers: fast algorithm could enable cost-effective detectors at borders

The algorithm can pick out weak signals from nuclear weapons materials, hidden in ordinary radiation sources like fertilizer.

“Ultra low-power receivers for IoT applications” wins Outstanding Invited Paper

Prof. David Wentzloff’s paper examining the trends and techniques to achieve ultra-low power receivers was honored by the IEEE Custom Integrated Circuits Conference

Plasma jet wands could rapidly decontaminate hospital rooms

Room-temperature plasma beams could essentially dissolve away bacteria and viruses.

Elaheh Ahmadi receives ONR Young Investigator Award to prepare for the next generation of wireless technology

Prof. Ahmadi will contribute to the science and technology of efficient, high-frequency, high-power transistors for 5G and beyond

Live public street cams are tracking social distancing

Voxel51, a U-M startup led by Prof. Jason Corso, uses custom AI to continuously track vehicle, cyclist, and pedestrian traffic in real time at some of the most visited places in the world.

Could a smartwatch identify an infection before you start spreading it?

A wrist-worn device detected disrupted sleep 24 hours before study participants began shedding flu viruses.

Guidance on decontaminating face masks: U-M researchers contribute to national effort

Collaborative website launched while U-M researchers continue advanced testing.

Using machine learning to detect disease before symptoms manifest

Prof. Alfred Hero speaks to ECE about his work using data to predict the transmission of infectious disease among people who are pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic and how it relates to COVID-19.

Small, precise and affordable gyroscope for navigating without GPS

Accurate gyroscopes are a bottleneck for backup navigation systems in autonomous vehicles.

Hessam Mahdavifar receives CAREER award to empower next gen communication

Mahdavifar is preparing for a future of billions of connected devices and an unprecedented increase in mobile traffic.

Best paper award for optimizing wireless power transfer

Prof. Al-Thaddeus Avestruz and PhD student Xin Zan were honored at the IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition for their work improving the efficiency and reliability of wireless power transfer.

Building CubeSats to test electrodynamic tethering in space with MiTEE

Mi-TEE (Miniature Tether Electrodynamics Experiment) is a University of Engineering project directed by Prof. Brian Gilchrist that aims to test the tethering technology in space.

Toward a portable concussion detector that relies on an infrared laser

By looking at tissue oxygen and cell metabolism at the same time, doctors could have a fast and noninvasive way to monitor the health of brain cells.

A 3D camera for safer autonomy and advanced biomedical imaging

Researchers demonstrated the use of stacked, transparent graphene photodetectors combined with image processing algorithms to produce 3D images and range detection.

Hun-Seok Kim receives CAREER Award to facilitate Internet of Things connectivity

Kim takes an interdisciplinary approach to tackle challenges in heterogeneous classes of energy-efficient and versatile communication systems.

‘Green methane’ from artificial photosynthesis could recycle CO2

A catalyst on a solar panel can make methane, the main component of natural gas, with carbon dioxide, water and sunlight.

Creating a place where kids of all abilities can play together

Prof. Hun-Seok Kim helped design iGYM, an augmented reality system that allows disabled and able-bodied people to play physical games together.

Enabling large-scale testing of cancer drugs with machine learning

Prof. Euisik Yoon and his team developed a new machine learning tool that enables large-scale testing of cancer drug effectiveness with microfluidics.

Beyond Moore’s Law: taking transistor arrays into the third dimension

Thin film transistors stacked on top of a state-of-the-art silicon chip could help shrink electronics while improving performance.

Wireless Communication Under the Sea

U-M researchers have created a new means of enabling reliable wireless underwater communication, which could aid military, environmental, and conservation purposes.

U-M to become Mount Olympus with ZEUS, the most powerful laser to be built in the U.S.

The three-petawatt system could unlock secrets of the universe, advance cancer treatments, improve security screenings for nuclear threats, and much more.

Elaheh Ahmadi receives AFOSR Young Investigator Program award

Prof. Ahmadi will investigate promising new materials needed for an increasingly electrified world

Jamie Phillips named Director of the Lurie Nanofabrication Facility

Phillips – who specializes in optoelectronic devices for next generation infrared detectors, solar cells, and thin film electronics – shares his goals for the 13,500 sq. ft. state-of-the-art cleanroom facility.

Two ‘U’ researchers receive Distinguished University Innovator Award

The Michigan Daily profiles Professors David Blaauw and Dennis Sylvester, who are this year’s recipients of the 2019 Distinguished University Innovator Award.

Machine Learning and Systems: A conversation with 2020 Field Award winners Al Hero and Anders Lindquist

Hero and Lindquist took a few minutes to talk about the impact of machine learning on Signal Processing and Control Systems, and what they plan to do about it

Blaauw, Sylvester are 2019 Distinguished University Innovators

Pioneering computer technology that is spurring innovation and disruption across industries has earned David Blaauw and Dennis Sylvester, professors of electrical engineering and computer science, this year’s Distinguished University Innovator Award.

Commission on Carbon Neutrality talks progress, environmental justice at town hall

Prof. Stephen Forrest, who serves as co-chair of the commission, attended the forum to address concerns and give updates on the plan of action.

A World Record for Robotic Deep Freeze Walking

Cassie Blue, the bipedal robot, takes advantage of the 2019 polar vortex to set a record-breaking walk.

Most powerful laser in the US to be built at Michigan

Using extreme light to explore quantum dynamics, advance medicine and more.

Channel Coding for Next Generation 5G and Beyond

With the help of two NSF awards totaling $1.7m, Prof. Hessam Mahdavifar is tackling new problems to improve the reliability of communication systems for 5G and beyond.

Commission co-chairs: Climate change solutions need broad commitment

An update on the work done by U-M's Commission on Carbon Neutrality, co-chaired by Prof. Stephen Forrest.

Can organic solar cells last – even into the next millennium? These might.

Finally, proof that organic photovoltaics can be as reliable as inorganic, with real-life desert testing

AI-powered Whatsapp Bot fights fake news in India

CE undergrad Amulya Parmar designed a machine learning algorithm to curb fake news as part of the Tavtech Fellowship program.

U-M researchers provide control software to ensure autonomous vehicles stay in their lane

The team was awarded a Best New Application Paper Award by the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society for their work developing reliable control systems for Lane Keeping and Adaptive Cruise Control.

Kamal Sarabandi welcomes Emperor and Empress of Japan at IGARSS 2019

Predicting future disasters is an important goal of those participating in the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium

The new quantum spurs action by the Michigan Quantum Science & Technology Working Group

The new working group showcased Michigan’s strength in Quantum Science at a workshop attended by researchers throughout the University of Michigan.

Xianhe Liu receives Best Poster Award at ICNS 2019

The research impacts development of high-efficiency, micro LEDs, used in a variety of applications.

Beyond Apollo 11: U-M ECE’s role in advancing space exploration

For the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, U-M ECE takes a look back – and a look forward – to how our professors, students, and alums have made their mark on the field.

First programmable memristor computer aims to bring AI processing down from the cloud

Circuit elements that store information in their electrical resistances enable a brain-like form of computing, storing and processing information in the same place.

The National Academy of Engineering invites Prof. Johanna Mathieu to symposium to advance the engineering frontier

The symposium brings together 82 young engineers from different technical areas from around the country.

Six teams of ECE researchers make the finals at AP-S/URSI 2019

Second Prize overall went to doctoral student Xiuzhang Cai for his radar target classification research applicable to autonomous vehicles.

Counting snowflakes for better water resource management

Mostafa Zaky has built an award-winning model that helps estimate the amount of water stored in snowpacks, which could improve climate change and flood forecasting, as well as overall water resource management.

Kirigami can spin terahertz rays in real time to peer into biological tissue

The rays used by airport scanners might have a future in medical imaging.

Louise Willingale creates extreme plasma conditions using high-intensity laser pulses

Prof. Willingale’s research in plasma physics advances many research areas from spectacular astrophysical phenomena to cancer treatment to fusion power.

Building community through clean energy

From Long Beach, CA, to a Nepalese national park and world heritage site, undergrads Ashley Gee and Camille Burke came away with unforgettable experiences and a greater appreciation for how engineering can change the world for the better.

Computer vision: Finding the best teaching frame in a video for fake video fightback

The frame in which a human marks out the boundaries of an object makes a huge difference in how well AI software can identify that object through the rest of the video.

Advancing AI for Video: Startup launches powerful video processing platform

Voxel51 uses AI processing to identify and track objects and activities through video clips.

New DOE project aims to convert a traditional engine into a hybrid OP engine with the help of control algorithms

A new project funded by ARPA-E partners Achates Power and the University of Michigan in the development of a novel hybrid electric engine.

Michigan Mars Rover Team has best ever finish at the annual University Rover Challenge

MRover placed 7th overall at the annual challenge where rovers use AI to navigate tough terrain while collecting soil samples to practice testing for evidence of life in the universe.

Afshari group receives Best Invited Paper award at the 2019 IEEE Custom Integrated Circuits Conference

Terahertz and sub-terahertz imaging can provide superior results in some biomedical imaging, spectroscopy, and water saturation detection.

A high-efficiency GaAs solar cell to power the Internet of Tiny Things

The Michigan Micro Mote gets a new gallium arsenide solar cell for added power and adaptability.

SLAM-ming good hardware for drone navigation

Researchers built the first visual SLAM processor on a single chip that provides highly accurate, low-power, and real-time results.

Blood biopsy: New technique enables detailed genetic analysis of cancer cells

Capturing cancer cells from blood samples offers a non-invasive way to observe whether the cancer is disappearing or whether it is becoming resistant to the treatment.

Communicating with the world’s smallest computers

Researchers built the first millimeter-scale transmitter and antenna that can talk Bluetooth Low Energy with ease.

Biopsy alternative: “Wearable” device captures cancer cells from blood

New device caught more than three times as many cancer cells as conventional blood draw samples.

The Future is Carbon Neutral

Prof. Stephen Forrest is co-chair of U-M’s Commission on Carbon Neutrality as part of U-M’s commitment to combat climate change and craft a sustainable future for all.

Unravelling the mysteries of bacterial communication

EECS-ECE PhD student Navid Barani received the IEEE APS Doctoral Research Award for his work modeling how bacteria use electromagnetic waves to communicate, which could lead to medical breakthroughs.

2018 Nobel Prize Laureate Gérard Mourou talks high-intensity optics

Gérard Mourou, Professor Emeritus of EECS, returned to campus to discuss winning the Nobel Prize and his work in high-intensity optics.

Extreme light: Nobel laureate discusses the past & future of lasers

Lasers of tomorrow might neutralize nuclear waste, clean up space junk and advance proton therapy to treat cancer, says Gerard Mourou.

A new $1.6M energy project to develop low cost manufacturing of white organic lighting

Prof. Stephen Forrest is developing an automated high-yield roll-to-roll process to manufacture organic LEDs for lighting.

New research for the future of sustainable power and energy

Take a look at some of the exciting new projects that will help define the next evolution of sustainable power and energy.

Battery economics could power the future of energy

Prof. Johanna Mathieu of EECS and Prof. Catherine Hausman of Public Policy are heading a new project to explore the social costs and benefits of battery energy storage on the electrical grid.

ECE student Brandon Russell explores space phenomena in a lab

PhD student Brandon Russell is awarded the Rackham International Student Fellowship for his research on magnetic fields in high-energy plasmas, which could help advance the development of clean energy and our understanding of energetic astrophysical phenomena.

How air conditioners could advance a renewable power grid

In an approach that won’t disrupt consumers, researchers will tackle two of the biggest issues in the energy industry.

More efficient machine vision technology modeled on human vision

Prof. Robert Dick and advisee Ekdeep Singh Lubana developed a new technique that significantly improves the efficiency of machine vision applications

Johanna Mathieu receives NSF CAREER Award to help build a smarter, more sustainable grid

Mathieu will develop optimization and control methods to leverage the flexibility available from distributed energy resources.

Time-varying metamaterials for next generation communication, sensing, and defense systems

With $7.5M MURI grant, Professor Anthony Grbic is developing metamaterials for a new generation of integrated electromagnetic and photonic systems.

Toward brain-like computing: New memristor better mimics synapses

Competition and cooperation, which regulate the strengthening and weakening of connections in the brain, can now be modeled directly.

ECE and data science: a natural connection

Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) faculty and students at Michigan are part of the revolution in data science that is happening today.

Miniature satellites to maximize global communication

Havel Liu is working on a project to revolutionize satellite systems, improving communications during natural disasters and providing a blueprint for receiving future interplanetary voicemails

$1.6M for solar cell windows and high-temperature solar power

New sustainability research garners support from Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office.

A window into the future of solar power

Windows in the buildings of the future could double as efficient solar cells.

A new company, Omniscent, is sniffing out dangerous levels of toxic chemicals in the air

Subscription service offers real-time monitoring

$6.8M initiative to enable American laser renaissance

After Europe and Asia surpassed U.S. in high intensity laser research in the early 2000s, the Department of Energy is funding new collaborative research network to make the U.S. more competitive.

U-M researchers develop small device that bends light to generate new radiation

This device, the size of a match head, can bend light inside a crystal to generate synchrotron radiation in a lab.

Photosynthesis and Clean Energy

Prof. Zetian Mi talks about a new way to create energy from the sun – borrowing from the idea of photosynthesis.

Mackillo Kira Elected OSA Fellow for contributions to quantum optics

Prof. Kira was recognized for his pioneering contributions to the theory of semiconductor quantum optics.

$1.8M for ‘active learning’, a step toward broader change in higher education

Rare in engineering education research, the project involves a randomized control trial to determine if it’s effective.

It takes two photonic qubits to make quantum computing possible

Professors Ku and Steel are applying their expertise to take key next steps toward practical quantum computing

Conducting an orchestra of sensor nodes

Keeping time in the Internet of Things with frequency scaling

Solving impossible equations

Eric Michielssen has discovered a new way to rapidly analyze electromagnetic phenomena, and it’s catching on.

The new law that will guide the future of information processing

The law of small numbers could impact the next generation of tools that deal with data.

Deciphering GPS satellites to see inside hurricanes

To dial in on exact wind speeds, researchers needed to reverse engineering the signals from satellites.

Blue Sky and Research Accelerator Initiatives fund solar fuel and high-power research

Blue Sky: Up to $10M toward research so bold, some of it just might fail

Inspired by startup funding models, Michigan Engineering reinvents its internal R&D grant structure.

Memory-processing unit (MPU) could bring memristors to the masses

AI, weather forecasting and data science would all benefit from computers that store and process data in the same place. Memristors could be up to the task.

Beyond Moore’s law: $16.7M for advanced computing projects

DARPA’s initiative to reinvigorate the microelectronics industry draws deeply on Michigan Engineering expertise.

Michigan chips will be first to test next-generation hardware design tools

U-M team will serve as model for nimble and innovative system-on-chip design.

A new hybrid chip that can change its own wiring

The speedy and efficient system-on-chip could unify wireless communication.

Enabling anyone to design hardware with a new open-source tool

Six-month hardware design process will be turned into 24-hour automated task.

Jason Corso on artificial intelligence

The most exciting use of AI for me focuses around a better collective use of our available resources, says Prof. Corso.

Mars Rover Team tackles major redesign, places in top 10 at competition

This year’s model, “Phoebe,” received a major design overhaul that gave her a speed boost and new codebase that can be used for years to come.

Hun-Seok Kim receives DARPA Young Faculty Award to advance research in IoT networks

Kim’s research is expected to impact the future design and wireless operation of the next generation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices

An even smaller world’s smallest ‘computer’

The latest from IBM and now the University of Michigan is redefining what counts as a computer at the microscale.

How to color-code nearly invisible nanoparticles

With a bit of metal, nanoparticles shine in colors based on size.

Paper award for training computer vision systems more accurately

PhD student Jean Young Song offers an improved solution to the problem of image segmentation.

Mingyan Liu, 2018 Distinguished University Innovator, talks about her company and data science commercialization

Mingyan Liu, recipient of the 2018 Distinguished Innovator of the Year award, gave a talk about her startup company and participated on a panel discussing data science commercialiation.

Exoskeletons compete to boost strength of rescue workers

Five college teams test robotic suits that could enhance humans’ abilities.

Mengqi Yao receives High Quality Paper Award at PowerTech Conference

In recognition of demand response research.

Stephanie Crocker Ross receives Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship

Dissertation recognized as unusually creative, ambitious and impactful.

Harvesting clean hydrogen fuel through artificial photosynthesis

New device doubles previous efficiency, opens path to commercial viability.

Light could make semiconductor computers a million times faster or even go quantum

Electron states in a semiconductor, set and changed with pulses of light, could be the 0 and 1 of future “lightwave” electronics or room-temperature quantum computers.

Huanting Huang and the mathematical shape of trees

An award-winning modeling method will help us better understand our natural environment

$6.25M MURI project will decode world’s most complex networks

New tools could fight crime, protect financial system

Organic solar cells reach record efficiency, benchmark for commercialization

The multi-layered organic solar cells will be able to curve in clothing or be transparently built into windows.

Game theory for electric vehicle charging

Solar cells enable self-powered camera

A solar cell combined with a camera sensor collects photons to provide electricity.

Improving communication between humans and robots in 20 noisy questions

Hero and his team may have discovered a better way to facilitate communication using a twist on the classic game of 20 Questions.

Dmitry Berenson receives NSF CAREER Award to advance a robot’s ability to handle soft objects

Berenson works to improve the ability of autonomous robots to handle soft, deformable objects.

SMAP Update: A mission to manage water globally

The satellite mission to collect global data of surface soil moisture can help weather forecasting around the world.

Necmiye Ozay receives ONR Young Investigator Award to advance research in autonomous systems

Research will focus on how autonomous vehicles adapt to wide-ranging changes.

Louise Willingale advancing scientific knowledge of plasmas

Using some of the best lasers in the world, Willingale is shedding light on the impact of solar events on Earth.

Professor Leung Tsang Receives 2018 Van de Hulst Award

Prof. Tsang is a world-renowned expert in the field of theoretical and computational electromagnetics, and in particular microwave remote sensing of the earth.

Amir Mortazawi introduces robust wireless power transfer

Compared to conventional methods of wireless power, which require a specific distance and alignment, Prof. Mortazawi’s version operates over a range of distances and orientations without a drop in power.

Semiconductor breakthrough may be game-changer for organic solar cells

Buildings, clothing could generate power.

A shoe-box-sized chemical detector

New quick-learning neural network powered by memristors

U-M researchers created a reservoir computing system that reduces training time and improves capacity of similar neural networks.

Stephen Forrest: ECE Bicentennial + Beyond lecture

This series of talks features world-renowned faculty with a long history at Michigan.

New biodegradable hydrogel offers eco-friendly alternative to synthetics

A water-absorbing hydrogel made from bacteria provides a safer soil solution.

Seed-sized U-M computers pumped into oil wells featured at the Houston Museum of Natural Science

Millimeter-sized computers log the temperature and pressure from deep within oil wells.

Deep UV LEDs lead to two best poster awards at ISSLED 2017

New techniques to construct deep UV LEDs prove prize-worthy.

U-M, Cavium partner on Big Data research computing platform

The new partnership will provide scalable storage and an analytic software framework available to all U-M researchers.

$1.6M toward artificial intelligence for data science

DARPA is trying to build a system that can turn large data sets into models that can make predictions, and U-M is in on the project.

Cooling off with lasers

Lasers are typically thought of as hot. What if they were able to cool?

Precise pulses explore light’s magnetism

A new laser will investigate an unusual magnetic effect that may lead to efficient solar energy harvesting.

Doubling the power of the world’s most intense laser

It could enable tabletop particle and X-ray sources as well as the investigation of astrophysics and quantum dynamics.

Using University of Michigan buildings as batteries

How a building’s thermal energy can help the power grid accommodate more renewable energy sources.

Bionic heart tissue: U-Michigan part of $20M center

Scar tissue left over from heart attacks creates dead zones that don’t beat. Bioengineered patches could fix that.

Getting people moving – Walking exoskeletons could mobilize disabled patients

Prof. Jessy Grizzle has long said that his work in robotics could one day be used to help the disabled. Now he and his group, alongside French company Wandercraft, are working to make that claim a reality in the form of walking exoskeletons.

Latest two-legged walking robot arrives at Michigan

Built to handle falls, and with two extra motors in each leg, the new robot will help U-M roboticists take independent robotic walking to a whole new level.

BigANT tackles the wave field

Prof. Shai Revzen’s lab in ECE has developed an inexpensive technique to rapidly fabricate a variety of useful robots.

Best Paper Award recognizes research in electrical engineering student motivation

Phillips, Lenaway, Daly, and Foley concluded that early exposure to EE technical areas was likely the best way to draw more students to the field further down the line.

IGARSS Interactive Symposium Paper Award for modeling the world’s forests

The paper outlines a better way to quantify forest structure, which has been successful in two tree species.

$7.75M for mapping circuits in the brain

A new NSF Tech Hub will put tools to rapidly advance our understanding of the brain into the hands of neuroscientists.

Fred Buhler builds better chips for “Aweslome” applications

Fred Buhler founded Aweslome to provide custom-build chips for a broad range of applications, including machine learning, neural networks, security, and circuits testing.

Student hybrid rocket team takes first place at inaugural competition

The Michigan Aeronautical Science Association (MASA) won the first ever Spaceport America Cup, an intercollegiate rocket engineering competition with over 110 teams from colleges and universities in eleven countries.

Two students earn scholarships to pursue work in sustainable energy

Two electrical engineering students, Paul Giessner and Noah Mitchell-Ward, were awarded scholarships from the Utility Variable-Generation Integration Group (UVIG) to support their education in wind and solar power.

Seeing through materials

By developing a fast algorithm to map out the paths light takes through yogurt, researchers aim to someday see through skin.

Dmitry Berenson helps robots play nice with people

Putting our arm movements into code.

Next-gen computing inspired by biology

New memristor chips can see patterns over pixels.

Anna Stuhlmacher: Power to change the world

Anna Stuhlmacher, PhD in electrical engineering, is looking for ways to change the world through power and energy.

‘Sister cell’ profiling aims to shut down cancer metastasis

Michigan engineers release individual cells from a specially-designed chip using laser pulses.

Making learning addictive

Alumnus develops platform that allows instructors to turn almost any course into a multiplayer online game.

2017 ISCA Influential Paper Award for groundbreaking research in power-efficient computing

This award recognizes the paper published 15 years ago (2002) that has had the biggest impact on the field

Building more stable four-legged robots

A biologist turned roboticist takes a closer look at dog gaits to help design better movements for four-legged robots.

Behzad Yektakhah earns paper award for research in seeing through walls

Yektakhah’s system improves on the speed, portability, and accuracy of many commercial models

MICDE grant funds renewable power research

Prof. Mathieu is partnering with IOE faculty to improve the nation’s grid system

How to build a BigANT – Shai Revzen’s critter-inspired robots

How to build fast and cheap robots

Transparent Silver: Tarnish-proof films for flexible displays, touch screens, metamaterials

A little silver goes a long way to improving touchscreens, displays, and much more

Ultrashort light pulses for fast “lightwave” computers

Extremely short, configurable “femtosecond” pulses of light demonstrated by an international team could lead to future computers that run up to 100,000 times faster than today’s electronics.

Shai Revzen part of a new five-institution MURI focused on the control of dynamic systems

As a member of the DDOTS to PICS MURI, Revzen will advance modeling and control of dynamic systems.

Cindy Finelli: Community building and envisioning the future of engineering education research

Finelli takes on the future of educating engineers

Gopal Nataraj receives U-M Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship to support high-impact research in medical imaging

Award for outstanding doctoral candidates near the end of their study.

CASSIE: A tougher, lighter bipedal robot with eyes

New walking robot based on birds

Michigan’s millimeter-scale computers featured at ISSCC2017, and in IEEE Spectrum

Professors Blaauw and Sylvester showcase capabilities of tiny computing

Mingyan Liu: Confessions of a pseudo data scientist

Liu’s most recent research involves online learning, modeling of large-scale internet measurement data, and incentive mechanisms for security games.

U-M first in line for new bird-inspired walking robot

Cassie is the first offering from new startup Agility Robotics, and is loosely modeled on the cassowary, a flightless bird similar to an ostrich.

Becky Peterson receives NSF CAREER Award for research in amorphous semiconductors for next generation electronics

In this project, Prof. Peterson will develop new alloys of amorphous oxide semiconductors with precisely tuned semiconductor energy band structures, in order to enable new categories of electronic and opto-electronic devices.

A fantastic voyage: ERC for WIMS

The first-ever Engineering Research Center in Wireless Integrated Microsensing and Systems has forged advances in many fields.

$1.1 million grant to develop robot emergency response capabilities

Office of Naval Research has awarded Dmitry Berenson, an assistant professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, $1.1 million to help advance emergency response capabilities for robots.

Ushering in the next generation of flat-panel displays and medical imagers

Prof. Kanicki expects breakthroughs in both the flat-panel display and imager industries using his-ITZO TFT technology in the near future.

Wide-ranging ECE research presented at 2016 Engineering Graduate Symposium

Systems to study cancer stem cells, new methods to remotely measure snow and ice thickness, radar for autonomous vehicles, navigation systems that don’t rely on GPS, nanowire lasers, and methods to model lithium-ion batteries were just a few of the many winning projects presented by ECE students

Alum startup wins $25,000 at Accelerate Michigan Competition

Movellus Circuits won $25,000 in the University Research Highlight and People’s Choice categories

The Michigan Probe: Changing the Course of Brain Research

Some believed early Michigan brain researchers were engaging in “science fiction” – until development of an advanced tool for forging breakthroughs proved them wrong.

Parag Deotare receives AFOSR Award for research in Nanoscale Exciton-Mechanical Systems (NEXMS)

Prof. Deotare’s work will deepen our understanding of the underlying physics of exciton-mechanics interactions and help engineer novel devices for energy harvesting and up-conversion.

COVE: a tool for advancing progress in computer vision

Centralizing available data in the intelligent systems community through a COmputer Vision Exchange for Data, Annotations and Tools, called COVE.

Cancer stem cells: new method analyzes 10,000 cells at once

A new tool for making sense of the cells believed to cause cancer relapses and metastases.

Solving the “Christmas light” problem so solar panels can handle shade

Just 10 percent shade cover can drop electricity production by 50 percent. A new U-M-led project aims to change that.

Jasprit Singh: Seeking a better life through engineering

During his 30-year career, Prof. Singh enlightened students into the physics and mysteries of electrical engineering, and sharing his belief that technology can enhance healthy and peaceful living

Necmiye Ozay receives NASA Early Career Faculty Award for research in cyber-physical systems

Prof. Ozay’s award-winning work will be used in future space missions

Students seek the secrets of the brain in study abroad program

IPAN sent eight undergraduates to Germany for a month of lab work, learning about the intricacies of the brain.

Solar power plant: $1.4M grant aims to cut costs

With the help of the grant, improved devices, in combination with a new coating from a U-M engineering lab, could make concentrated solar power cheaper and more efficient.

Two Michigan papers win top awards at IEEE Security and Privacy Symposium

One of the paper describes and demonstrates a malicious hardware backdoor. The other demonstrated security failings in a commercial smart home platform.

MARLO makes initial attempt at the Wave Field

For now, Grizzle and his graduate students are only attempting the easiest routes, between the grassy two- to three-foot moguls, over smaller undulations that he calls “merely very difficult.”

An award winning radar system for collision avoidance and imaging

Armin’s research is focused on the development of a sub-millimeter-wave radar system for the next generation of navigation and imaging sensors.

A new way to test low-frequency antennas for long-range communication

Choi has developed a new technique for testing these antennas based on very-near-field measurements and a newly-developed, high-precision formula to compute the antenna’s radiation fields.

A new, low-cost way to monitor snow and ice thickness to evaluate environmental change

Mohammad has developed a new way to remotely measure the thickness of ice and snow with a technology he calls wideband autocorrelation radiometry (WiBAR).

Two papers by Michigan researchers chosen as IEEE Micro Top Picks

The two papers from Michigan introduced the Sirius personal digital assistant and the MBus bus for modular microcomputing systems.

Leaders in neuroscience look to the future

ICAN bring engineers and neuroscientists together to review the recent advancement in neurotechnology and neuroscience, define the need for next-generation tools, and enhance the translation of technology to the scientific community.

U-M cyber security startup purchased by FICO

Analytic software company FICO of San Jose, Calif., bought QuadMetrics to help in its development of a FICO Enterprise Security Score.

Michigan shines at the National Robotics Initiative 5 year anniversary

The NRI is a multi-agency effort to accelerate the development and use of robots that work beside or cooperatively with people.

Injectable computers can broadcast from inside the body

This platform has enabled a variety of sensors that can fit inside the human body, made possible by several breakthroughs in ultra-low power computing.

Injectable computers

With a radio specifically designed to communicate through tissue, researchers from the Electrical and Computer Engineering are adding another level to a computer platform small enough to fit inside a medical grade syringe.

Novel collaboration to probe brain activity in unprecedented detail

A pilot program will bring together researchers from different universities to collaborate on advancing research that may lead to a better understanding of the human brain.

Fighting cyber crime with data analytics

QuadMetrics offers a pair of services to help companies both assess the effectiveness of their security and decide the best way to allocate (or increase) their security budget.

Alfred O. Hero, III named John H. Holland Distinguished University Professor of EECS

Hero is honored for his extraordinary accomplishments that have brought distinction to himself, his students, and to the entire University.

MARLO, the free-standing two-legged robot, conquers terrain with innovative control algorithms

The robot’s feedback control algorithms should be able to help other two-legged robots as well as powered prosthetic legs gain similar capabilities.

Making Memory Smaller, Better, Faster, Stronger

Prof. Wei Lu and former student Dr. Sung Hyun Jo co-founded Crossbar, Inc. to tackle the physical limitations of conventional memory technology.

Students receive prizes for simulating the best landing of a rocket booster

The goal of the class project was to control the safe landing of a rocket booster after it disengaged from the portion of the rocket that would continue into Space.

Lights Out

The power goes out. The aurorae stretch to the tropics. Could a major solar storm mean a year without electricity?

How the Net Was Won: Michigan Built the Budding Internet

The ARPANET came before it. And the World Wide Web and browser technology would later make it accessible for the masses. But in between, a small Ann Arbor-based group labored on the NSFNET in relative obscurity to build—and ultimately to save—the Internet.

Charles F. Brush

Lighting Up the World.

Emmett Leith (1927 - 2005)

Inventor of Practical Holography

Claude Shannon centennial celebrants recall U-M grad’s advances, societal impact

Shannon theorized the binary code of zeros and ones that makes cell phones, email and the Internet possible.

A better 3D camera with clear, graphene light detectors

While 3D films are currently made using multiple cameras to reconstruct each frame, this new type of camera could record in 3D on its own.

Steven Battel elected to National Academy of Engineering

Mr. Battel is an expert on low-noise instrumentation power systems and is internationally recognized for his expertise in the design and development of space high voltage systems.

MBus is the missing interconnect for millimeter-scale systems

The M3 is a fully autonomous computing system that acts as a smart sensing system.

Necmiye Ozay receives CAREER award for research in cyber-physical systems

Cyber-physical systems are smart, networked systems with embedded sensors, processors, and actuators that are designed to interact with the physical world.

Somin Lee receives AFOSR Young Investigator Award for research in bioplasmonics

The award supports research that will help our understanding of how tissues form distinct shapes and structure to become organs, such as lungs, salivary glands, and mammary glands.

Googling the physical world

IoT applications are the next wave of computing and the next driving force of the semiconductor industry. The startup PsiKick [now Everactive] is helping shape this future.

Mapping the brain: probes with tiny LEDs shed light on neural pathways

The new probes can control and record the activity of many individual neurons, and are believed to be the smallest implantable LEDs ever made.

$5M for international neurotechnology “dream team”

A “dream team” of experts in sensors, electronics, data analysis and neuroscience has been awarded a $5 million grant to help unravel the mysteries of the brain and cross-train a group of internationally-connected neuroscientists and engineers.

Eric Michielssen named Louise Ganiard Johnson Professor of Engineering

Eric is an international leader in the field of computational electromagnetics and specializes in the development of fast-solution methods and optimization algorithms.

Layered graphene beats the heat

An international team of researchers, led by faculty at the University of Michigan, have found that a layered form of graphene can expel heat efficiently, which is an important feature for its potential applications in building small and powerful electronics.

Using energy storage in an environmentally friendly way – Yashen Lin earns a Dow Sustainability Fellowship

The results of Lin’s research can help us better understand how introducing DES affects the environmental impact of a power system.

Inspired by art, lightweight solar cells track the sun

By borrowing from kirigami, the ancient Japanese art of paper cutting, researchers at the University have developed solar cells that can move with the sun.

Using data science to achieve ultra-low dose CT image reconstruction

Ultra-low dose CT scans that provide superior image quality could not only benefit patients, but they could open up entirely new clinical applications.

The economics of energy – Hamidreza Tavafoghi earns a Dow Sustainability Fellowship

Hamid is studying ways to increase the use of renewable energy sources on the grid.

Next generation laser plasma accelerator

One of the most promising avenues for achieving new target levels of high peak intensity and high average power in an ultrafast laser system is to turn to fiber lasers.

Researching the future of remote sensing

Directed by Kamal Sarabandi the new program aims to create theoretical models for remote sensing of ice and snow.

Stephanie Crocker earns NSF Graduate Research Fellowship to bring sustainable energy to the grid

Stephanie seeks to provide continuous energy balancing on the grid by automatically controlling loads.

New Michigan-Saudi Arabia collaboration promises exciting new research – beginning with the auto industry

KACST will provide manpower and will collaborate with Michigan faculty and students on their projects.

Alyssa Kody earns NSF Fellowship for research in energy harvesting and wireless sensing

The small-scale embedded wireless systems Alyssa works with are used in a variety of applications spanning many fields; from structural to ocean engineering.

What makes cancer cells spread? New device offers clues

Why do some cancer cells break away from a tumor and travel to distant parts of the body? A team of oncologists and engineers from the University of Michigan teamed up to help understand this crucial question.

Iverson Bell – Researching the future of space satellites

Mr. Bell is investigating the potential of electrodynamic tether propulsion technology to enhance the capabilities of an emerging class of smartphone-sized satellites.

‘Space tethers’ can be used to fling spacecraft into interplanetary space

The tether could be used to deorbit out-of-use spacecraft, push spacecraft from low Earth orbit into higher orbits, or even push spacecraft out of Earth’s orbit altogether.

Thomas Chen earns NSF Graduate Research Fellowship for research in artificial neural networks for computer vision

Thomas and his group are working to improve upon artificial neural network design through a process called sparse coding.

ECE welcomes new engineering robotics center

The center, to be built on North Campus, will offer state-of-the-art facilities in a 3-story, 100,000 square foot building.

Mobile Friendly – apps to improve life

Technology continues to transform the health care industry, and researchers at the University have utilized mobile apps to expand the impact of their work.

Elnaz Ansari earns Towner Prize for Distinguished Academic Achievement

Her research interests include analog, digital, and mixed-signal designs.

ECE’s ideas worth spreading – TEDxUofM

Profs. Shai Revzen and Herbert Winful spoke about their passion for their work at the sixth annual conference, themed “Constructive Interference”.

Stephen Forrest receives 2015 Distinguished University Innovator Award

Prof. Forrest is widely acknowledged as one of the most successful academic inventors and entrepreneurs today.

Michigan Micro Mote (M3) makes history as the world’s smallest computer

A brief history of what led to the technical feat known as the Michigan Micro Mote, a tiny speck of a computer that does it all.

Yi-Chin Wu receives ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award for research in network security

Her dissertation focused on “opacity,” which captures whether a given secret of the system can be inferred by intruders who observe the behavior of the system.

Researchers build groundbreaking device for NASA SMAP mission

The SMAP mission is NASA’s most ambitious sensing project yet for measuring global soil moisture levels.

Somin Lee receives CAREER award for research in nanoscale biotechnology

Prof. Lee will develop improved methods for gene therapy by delivering corrected genes directly to the cell nucleus of damaged genes.

Wei Lu editor of new book – Semiconductor Nanowires: From Next-Generation Electronics to Sustainable Energy

The book is part of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Smart Materials series.

The future of solar: $1.3M to advance organic photovoltaics

The grant is aimed at advancing organic photovoltaics, a carbon-based version of solar technology that promises to change the way the sun’s energy is collected.

HEV fuel economy meets drivability in Outstanding Control Systems Paper

The research aimed to find a happy medium between fuel economy and drivability in hybrid electric vehicles.

Yelin Kim wins Best Student Paper Award at ACM Multimedia 2014 for research in facial emotion recognition

She computationally measures, represents, and analyzes human behavior data to illuminate fundamental human behavior and emotion perception, and develop natural human-machine interfaces.

Kamal Sarabandi elected President of IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society

The IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society is a remote sensing organization with more than 3700 members around the globe.

Student Spotlight: Kyusang Lee: A leader in flexible solar cell technology

Kyusang developed an innovative new fabrication technique to build lightweight, flexible devices not possible with conventional silicon.

New approaches to solar cell technology featured in Sustainability Hour

The professors addressed two very different problems the industry faces with current technology.

Robert Dick to apply cyber information to air quality management

The grant is part of a new $12.5M initiative by the National Science Foundation to encourage computing innovations for a sustainable society.

Johanna Mathieu working to bring power from sustainable sources to your home

Prof. Mathieu is working how best to integrate wind and solar power into the nation’s established electrical grid system.

Becky Peterson awarded DARPA Young Faculty Award to investigate new materials for power semiconductor devices

Prof. Peterson’s findings could be used in wireless sensing and actuation systems, including those that deal with monitoring of the environment and medical conditions.

Necmiye Ozay awarded DARPA Young Faculty Award for research in cyber and physical systems

Prof. Ozay’s research interests lie at the broad interface of dynamical systems, control, optimization and formal methods with applications in system identification, verification and validation, autonomy and vision.

Mapping the brain with lasers

Yoon is leading a team that will design new light sources with lasers capable of zooming in on individual neuron circuits within the brain.

Live long and phosphor: Blue LED breakthrough for efficient electronics

Researchers at the University have extended the lifetime of blue organic light emitting diodes by a factor of ten.

Pallab Bhattacharya to receive 2015 IEEE David Sarnoff Award

Since coming to the University in 1984, Prof. Bhattacharya has pioneered several important technological advances.

Student Spotlight: Tal Nagourney – Exploring navigation

Tal is researching fabrication techniques for a micro rate-integrating gyroscope, using a vacuum mold and blowtorch.

Fighting lung cancer: Faster image processing for low-radiation CT scans

This advance could be important for fighting lung cancers, as symptoms often appear too late for effective treatment.

Iverson Bell’s small satellite wins big

Iverson developed an experimental facility to simulate key characteristics of the space environment.

ECE welcomes four new faculty for 2014-15 academic year

These faculty deepen ECE’s areas of expertise in computer vision, communications and information theory, environmental remote sensing, and laser-plasma interactions.

Peter Tchoryk: An entrepreneurial CEO

At MAC, Peter’s been able to combine his passions for scientific research and entrepreneurial creation.

Shrinking the size of optical systems, exponentially

The researchers believe that metasurfaces could one day be used to completely control the phase, amplitude, and polarization of light.

Jiangfeng Wu receives Best Paper Award for research in safe fracking

The Mikio Takagi Student Prize is given to the top three Student Prize Paper Awards granted at the IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium.

Dipak Sengupta (1931-2014): In memoriam

Faculty and staff alike will miss his cheerful and gentle presence.

Wakefield and Kieras win Best Paper Award at ICAD 2014

The paper addresses how to manage multiple sources so that the user can maximize the information gained from each acoustic source.

New research program to investigate optical energy conversion

The fundamental objective of the research initiative is to uncover, explain, and exploit dynamic magneto-optical processes and materials for new technological capabilities.

Metal particles in solids aren’t as fixed as they seem, new memristor study shows

The findings show, for the first time, exactly how some memristors remember.

A new way to make laser-like beams using 250x less power

With precarious particles called polaritons that straddle the worlds of light and matter, University of Michigan researchers have demonstrated a new, practical and potentially more efficient way to make a coherent laser-like beam.

T-ray converts light to sound for weapons detection, medical imaging

U-M researchers demonstrated a unique terahertz detector and imaging system that could bridge the terahertz gap.

Leaders in ultra low power cicuits and systems presenting at VLSI Circuits Symposium

All of the research being presented focuses on getting the absolute best performance from the tiniest circuits, sensors, and electronic devices.

New tech could lead to night vision contact lenses

The detector developed by University of Michigan engineering researchers doesn’t need bulky cooling equipment to work.

Keravnos Energy wants to make fast electric vehicle charging economical

The idea behind Keravnos Energy is for there to be an energy transfer between three entities: the building, a large stationary battery, and the car.

Transparent color solar cells fuse energy, beauty

The cells, believed to be the first semi-transparent, colored photovoltaics, have the potential to vastly broaden the use of the energy source.

‘Photon glue’ enables a new quantum mechanical state

Researchers at the University of Michigan and Queens College used light to create links between organic and inorganic semiconductors in an optical cavity.

What are quantum computers going to do for us?

Michigan Engineering professor Duncan Steel explains how quantum computing works, using quantum bits that take on superpositions of 0 and 1 simultaneously.

Biochips for better cancer therapy

One promising area of cancer treatment is photodynamic therapy, which combines the agents of a photosensitive drug, light, and oxygen.

Zhaoshi Meng receives Best Paper Award at CAMSAP 2013

This work will provide a way to efficiently reveal relationships between even distant entities in a network.

Smartphone as Mentor: How tech could change behavior

What if smartphones could act as mentors in mindfulness?

Byeongseop Song receives Rackham International Student Fellowship

The Fellowship will help Song to continue his studies in the area of optoelectronics.

Pin-Yu Chen receives Rackham Chia-Lun Lo Fellowship

Chen’s work can be used in community detection in social networks, network vulnerability assessment in communication systems, and more.

Two-legged robot walks outside at U-M

MARLO and its counterparts represent the second bipedal robot model in the world with a gait that isn't flat-footed.

MCubed A Year Later: A record of fostering innovative research

Several of the cubes enabled research to progress to the point that faculty are applying for larger grants to continue the work.

Students take a field trip to a wind farm

“The trip made me more aware of some of the practical things … like the sound of the turbines, and how they alter the look of the land.”

New algorithms and theory for shining light through non-transparent media

Their technique utilizes backscatter analysis to construct “perfectly transmitting” wavefronts.

How a metamaterial might improve a depression treatment

The headpiece design is a big departure from today’s figure 8-shaped devices made of just two coils.

Making the Internet of Things happen

Wentzloff aims to remove the necessity of a power outlet or even a battery to power miniature sensors.

Research Spotlight: Better miniaturized vacuum pumps for electronics and sensors

The three microdevices created at Michigan are each particularly suited to specific applications.

David Chen awarded NASA Fellowship to improve extreme weather prediction

The goal of the study seeks to enhance the accuracy of determining ocean surface windspeed.

Image processing 1,000 times faster is goal of new $5M contract

Lu plans to design and fabricate a computer chip based on so-called self-organizing, adaptive neural networks.

Jae Young Park receives Best Student Paper Award for research impacting structural health monitoring

SHM systems are critical for monitoring aging structures and infrastructure in a cost-effective manner.

Faster, more powerful mobile devices: U-M startup Crossbar could disrupt the memory market

RRAM is a new form of nonvolatile memory that has the potential to replace the flash memory commonly used in tablets, digital cameras and solid-state drives.

When GPS fails, this speck of an electronic device could step in

The research group developed special fabrication processes that allows them to stack and bond seven different devices in layers.

Neural Probe Research recognized with Best Paper Award at 2013 Transducers Conference

“We present a novel strategy to scale up the number of electrodes with minimized risk.”

Research in production systems engineering is recognized with Best Paper Award

“The paper introduces a new management paradigm: ensure the desired lead time while maximizing the throughput.”

MEMS research recognized with Best Poster Award at 2013 Transducers Conference

This research is targeted at developing a precision master clock for a chip-scale Timing and Inertial Measurement Unit.

New laser shows what substances are made of; could be new eyes for military

By shining the laser on a target and analyzing the reflected light, researchers can tell the chemical composition of the target.

Workshop to chart the future of nano and micro manufacturing

“This workshop is a first step toward developing a roadmap for practical innovations in nano/micro-manufacturing.”

A new laser paradigm: An electrically injected polariton laser

“It is no longer a scientific curiosity. It’s a real device.”

Research in distributed networks earns Notable Paper Award at AISTATS

The research provides a way to efficiently reveal relationships between even distant entities in a network.

ECE alum Kevin Xu wins Social Computing Challenge Competition

The challenge problem required the participants to interpret data sets in a way that could be used to predict social behavior.

Advancing secure communications: A better single-photon emitter for quantum cryptography

The new device improves upon the current technology and is much easier to make.

Researchers funded to develop a leap forward in Processor Architectures

The project proposes to produce a parallel heterogeneous 3D near-threshold computing system with unprecedented energy efficiency.

After Newtown: A new use for a weapons-detecting radar?

The technology could potentially identify a hidden weapon from a distance in less than a second.

Scientific Milestone: A room temperature Bose-Einstein condensate

A BEC is an unusual state of matter in which a group of boson particles can exist in a single quantum state, allowing scientists to observe novel quantum phenomena.

Cockroaches and Robots: Reverse engineering the balance systems of animals

These new insights could one day help engineers design steadier robots and improve doctors’ understanding of human gait abnormalities.

Translating animal movement into better robotic design

Revzen believes that his findings can be used to engineer better man-made devices, including prosthetic limbs and complete robots.

Next-Gen E-Readers: Improved peacock technology could lock in color for high-res displays

Prof. Jay Guo found a way to lock in structural color, which is color made with texture rather than chemicals. The research could lead to advanced color e-readers, more energy efficient electronic devices, and improved data storage and cryptography.

David Wentzloff receives CAREER Award for research in energy-autonomous systems

His research addresses critical needs in the area of wireless communication for the growing field of ubiquitous, energy-autonomous sensing devices.

Zhaohui Zhong receives CAREER Award for research in graphene-based optoelectronics

The use of graphene-based hot carrier optoelectronics is the key novelty of Prof. Zhong’s research.

ECE faculty are MCubing to find answers – fast

The goal of MCubed is to jumpstart novel, high-risk and transformative research projects.

Using HERCULES to probe the interior of dense plasmas

Thanks to HERCULES, scientists are now able to study very dense plasmas — a crucial step in nuclear fusion and astrophysical research.

Super-fine sound beam could one day be an invisible scalpel

“We believe this could be used as an invisible knife for noninvasive surgery,” Guo said. “Nothing pokes into your body, just the ultrasound beam.”

Predicting your risk of illness

Imagine a future when you could predict whether or not you are at risk of becoming sick.

James McCullagh receives Best Student Paper Award for research to keep bridges safe

McCullagh is working to develop energy harvesting devices and circuits to power wireless sensor nodes which can monitor bridge health.

Seunghyun Lee takes the gold for all-graphene flexible and transparent circuit

Lee believes that graphene will play a pivotal role in realizing high speed, mechanically compliant, and transparent electronic systems in the future.

Nathan Roberts earns Best Paper Award for research to assist in remote patient monitoring

Roberts is helping to develop low-power sensor nodes that will be worn on the body to detect certain medical conditions.

Two CSE faculty help make the Ibn Sina School for computer science a reality

2012 ICCAD Ten Year Retrospective Most Influential Paper Award to David Blaauw, Trevor Mudge, and EECS alumni Steve Martin and Krisztián Flautner

The research addressed voltage scaling of processors at the point where, at very low voltages, voltage leakage begins to dominate the computational power consumption.

Bourne Pursuit: Improving computer tracking of human activity

Researchers have found a way to improve a computer’s human-tracking accuracy by looking at where the targets are going, but also at what they’re doing.

Developing the wireless component for personalized health devices

The program aims to create wearable systems that monitor a person’s environment and health in search of connections between pollutants and chronic diseases.

Combining flexible, transparent electronics with high speed communications for the first time

Prof. Zhaohui Zhong and his team of graduate students have built the first flexible, transparent digital modulator for high speed communications.

UG Research Spotlight: Fred Buhler spends his summer improving circuit testing

The project involved designing new boards and writing test software, as well as writing software to control instruments and some integrated circuit design.

Nano-origami project combines art and engineering to further technology

With an origami-like approach, manufacturers could use existing machinery to make high-tech “paper” that can be folded into the desired device.

Mina Rais-Zadeh receives NASA Early Career Grant to develop technology needed for picosatellites

Prof. Rais-Zadeh intends to develop a chip-scale timing unit that offers an order of magnitude higher performance compared to existing solutions.

Student Research: Amit Patel earns prize in IEEE AP-S Student Paper Competition for antenna research

The method can be useful in the design of low-profile antennas integrated into body panels of vehicles.

Silvio Savarese’s research applying computer vision techniques to construction sites leads to best paper award and a new spinoff company

“We have pioneered an integrated scene understanding framework that enables the automatic tracking of structural changes, allowing data to be collected easily.”

Rebecca Wolkoff awarded scholarship to continue her work in sustainable energy

The UVIG works with the U.S. Department of Energy to provide a forum for the critical analysis of wind and solar technology.

Research Spotlight: Sensors and actuators for portable microsystems

Though a number of research challenges remain to realize the potential of microdischarge-based devices, the authors’ work demonstrates their promise.

Shang-Hua Yang receives SPIE Scholarship in Optics & Photonics

Yang’s research is focused on designing plasmonic nano-structures to enhance efficiency of conventional photoconductive terahertz emitters.

Mingyan Liu receives Best Paper Award at the 11th ACM/IEEE Conference on Information Processing in Sensor Networks

The goal is to be able to monitor the soil moisture with as few measurements as possible and with a high degree of accuracy.

Robots Building Better Maps: For robots and other mechanical creatures

Nick’s primary research involves creating algorithms that decipher what the cameras and lasers are detecting to generate a map.

U-M researcher involved in $10 million project to advance computer programming

The five year project includes multiple research institutions, partners in industry, and educational outreach to the next generation of computer scientists.

Artificial synapses could lead to advanced computer memory and machines that mimic biological brains

“This hybrid circuit is a critical advance in developing intelligent machines.”

A new way to cool materials with light

The work advances the scientific understanding of laser cooling technologies currently being pursued to explore the boundary between classical and quantum physics.

Chris Berry awarded 2012 Michigan Space Grant Consortium Fellowship

The proposed emitter incorporates plasmonic photoconductors to more efficiently convert power from incident laser light into terahertz radiation.

Next-generation computer memory firm receives U-Ms first startup investment

Crossbar is developing a new nonvolatile memory technology that will offer unprecedented density and power improvements in tomorrow’s electronics.

Research Spotlight: 3-D electrical force fields manipulate microscale particles

The primary advance shown in this research as compared to earlier work is the successful use of a 3-D potential force field.

New technology allows CT scans to be done with a fraction of the conventional radiation dose

“We’re excited to be adding Veo to the measures we already have in place to ensure that we get diagnostic images using the lowest amount of radiation possible.”

Raj Nadakuditi receives AFOSR Young Investigator Award

Prof. Nadakuditi plans to provide an analytical characterization of the fundamental limits of multi-modal sensing of weak signals.

Prof. Raj Nadakuditi receives 2012 SPS Young Author Best Paper Award

Nadakuditi’s research has applications in biomedical signal processing, wireless communications, geophysical signal processing, array processing, and finance.

Sid Bao earns Best Student Paper Award for Computer Vision Research

Bao’s research is in Semantic Structure from Motion, a new framework for jointly recognizing objects as well as reconstructing their underlying 3D geometry.

Jinyoung Hwang receives Best Poster Award for research leading to improved solar cells

The researchers succeeded in drastically suppressing the thermal emission rate in GaSb/GaAs quantum dots — resulting in more efficient solar cells.

A smarter way to make ultraviolet light beams

The researchers have optimized an optical resonator to take an infrared signal from relatively cheap telecommunication-compatible lasers and boost it to an ultraviolet beam.

‘Perfect black’ coating can render a 3D object flat, raises intriguing dark veil possibility in astronomy

The carbon nanotube carpet is about half the thickness of a sheet of paper and absorbs 99.9 percent of the light that hits it.

David Blaauw Elected Fellow of the IEEE

Prof. Blaauw was a core member of the Michigan team that developed the award-winning circuit known as Razor in 2003.

ePack, Inc. wins Masco Next Gen Manufacturing Award at Innovation Competition

“ePack utilizes state of the art micromachining technology to provide a cost effective and high performance packaging service for micro- and milli-scale devices.”

New method for building a low-cost, high-performance electric machine and drive could result in huge energy savings

Prof. Hofmann intends to design, build and test a 30kW brushless, self-excited synchronous field winding prototype machine that overcomes the weaknesses of the current technology.

New research program aims to make better “sense” of the world

Applications of this research range from soil sensors which allow for increased understanding of global climate change to futuristic sensory skins which can monitor the integrity of an object.

Research about resilient sensor networks for power plant monitoring is recognized with Best Track Paper Award

The sensor network addressed in the paper assesses the operating conditions of a power plant. It is intended to measure process variables and assess plant status.

Modernizing the nation’s electric grid for alternative energy

“We are proposing an integrated solution that will combine the construction of well-positioned storage facilities that will route excess energy to where it needs to be.”

Colored solar cells could make display screens more efficient

Professor Jay Guo has developed the reflective photovoltaic color filter device that can convert absorbed light to electricity.

Laura Freyman awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

Freyman is studying Electrical Engineering and is a member of the Michigan Integrated Circuits Laboratory.

Powering breakthrough technologies

Ambiq Micro could revolutionize ubiquitous computing, with energy-efficient microcontrollers that are 10 times more energy efficient than conventional microprocessors.

Next-generation Systems Information Theory

This MURI has the goal of laying the foundation for a new systems information theory that applies to general controlled information gathering and inference systems.

New NSF Center for Photonic and Multiscale Nanomaterials

“Advances in photonics depend critically on new materials, and this new center brings together top minds to focus on two of the most exciting new directions in materials for nanophotonics.”

New laser could treat acne with telecom technology

The laser could treat acne by targeting the oil-producing sebaceous glands, which are known to be involved in the development of the skin disease.

Breakthrough: Researchers find wide gap in immune responses of people who did or didnt get the flu after exposure

If scientists can understand what happens at the genome level that makes people more or less susceptible to viral illness, they could potentially develop therapies to prevent illness.

New techniques in medical informatics lead to improved diagnosis of MDS

The technique involves a visualization method that renders clinical flow cytometry data more interpretable to pathologists.

Making smart dust a reality

This research is expected to have a fundamental and long term impact on a diverse set of applications ranging from energy conservation to health care.

MABEL the bipedal robot

MABEL, at one time the world’s fasted running bipedal robot, now sits in the biomechanics exhibit at the Chicago Field Museum.

Gyemin Lee receives Best Paper Award for research in machine learning for biomedical diagnosis

Lee’s primary motivation is to apply his research methods to hematopathology, the study of blood-related diseases.

Using imprint processing to mass-produce tiny antennas could improve wireless electronics

The antenna is typically the largest wireless component in mobile devices, and shrinking it could leave more room for other gadgets and features.

A minimally-invasive brain implant to translate thoughts into movement

The implant is called the BioBolt, and unlike other neural interface technologies that establish a connection from the brain to an external device such as a computer, it’s minimally invasive and low power.

Wayne Stark and Changhun Bae receive 2011 JCN Best Paper Award

Prof. Stark’s research relates to wireless networks and understanding their fundamental limits in terms of energy efficiency and bandwidth efficiency.

Most powerful millimeter-scale energy harvester generates electricity from vibrations

The researchers have built a complete system that integrates a high-quality energy-harvesting piezoelectric material with the circuitry that makes the power accessible.

Solar power without solar cells: A hidden magnetic effect of light could make it possible

This new technique could make solar power cheaper and, with improved materials, more efficient.

Connor Field — Growing energy on a solar farm

“Energy will be the major concern in the United States for my generation,” Connor says. “Now is the time to research and invest in the technologies that will power our future.”

Safer medical imaging with microwaves

The goal of the research is to develop an alternative method to x-ray imaging that is safer and uses nothing stronger than radio frequency waves.

Chris Berry awarded Michigan Space Grant Consortium Fellowship

Berry is designing an emitter to operate as a light-weight, local oscillator for a terahertz spectroscopy system suitable for use in space.

Engineers rebuilding Liberian universities and infrastructure

Through visiting professorships, summer programs and more, the U-M community will contribute to the revitalization of the nation.

Toward computers that fit on a pen tip: New technologies usher in the millimeter-scale computing era

U-M faculty have developed what is believed to be the first complete millimeter-scale computing system, with applications in radio communication and wireless sensing.

Three EECS Teams are winners in 2011 DAC/ISSCC Student Design Contest

The contest is highly competitive and features the best student projects from the largest and most prestigious conferences in their respective fields.

Xi Chen and Prof. Robert Dick receive DATE Best Paper Award

The authors analyzed performance and accuracy for a variety of dynamic thermal analysis techniques and used their findings to develop a new analysis technique. Congratulations!

Zhengya Zhang receives NSF CAREER Award

The proposed research addresses the frontiers of error-correction coding and very-large-scale integration by advancing algorithms and circuit techniques.

Jackie Vitaz receives Top Prize at USNC/URSI

Paving the way for ubiquitous computing

Until now, ubiquitous computing has been hampered by the size of necessary batteries—but Ambiq Micro is changing that, with their energy-efficient micro-controllers.

HERCULES laser rivals a synchrotron for short pulse x-ray beams

By using the wiggling motion of electrons in a plasma bubble generated by the ultrashort laser pulse, researchers produced X-rays comparable to that produced in a synchrotron facility.

EECS Researchers win Best Paper Award at ICCAD 2010

Their paper introduces new techniques that improve speed, solution quality, simplicity, and integration with other optimizations for global placement technology.

New equation could advance research in solar cells

A groundbreaking new equation could do for organic semiconductors what the Shockley ideal diode equation did for inorganic semiconductors.

Laser-based missile defense for helicopters being developed

Protecting helicopters in combat from heat-seeking missiles is the goal of new laser technology created at the University of Michigan and Omni Sciences, Inc., which is a U-M spin-off company.

New work resolves long-standing questions about short pulses in quantum cascade lasers

Can the laser’s pulse propagate in such a way that it does not change its energy, and leaves the system in the excited state? Does the pulse speed up during propagation?

EECS Faculty receive 2010 HP Labs Innovation Research Awards

Zhengya Zhang earns Best Paper Award at Symposium on VLSI Circuits

The resulting 65nm CMOS test chip achieved an energy efficiency of 21 pJ/bit making it a promising candidate for low-power, high-performance applications.

Soil moisture study aims for climate change insights

Moghaddam will oversee the design and fabrication of the AirMOSS instrument, a high-powered, low-frequency radar that NASA/JPL collaborators will build for the project.

Organic laser breakthrough

The team is working toward building organic lasers that, like many inorganic lasers today, can be excited with electricity rather than light.

Ambiq Micro: Taking a startup to the next level

“Imagine a microprocessor so tiny and long lasting that it can be implanted in the eye of a glaucoma sufferer to measure the progress of the disease.”

WIMS and CUOS among 60 Years of Sensational Research by NSF

The WIMS has impacted health care, environmental monitoring, the national infrastructure while CUOS specializes in ultrafast lasers.

Ruzbeh Akbar receives NASA Fellowship for SMAP Mission Research

SMAP is a satellite mission for mapping surface soil moisture and freeze/thaw states for the purpose of scientific advances and societal benefits.

Millimeter-scale, energy-harvesting sensor system developed

The system could enable new biomedical implants as well as home-, building- and bridge-monitoring devices.

P.C. Ku Awarded DARPA Young Faculty Award

The Award engages rising research stars and provides high-impact funding to develop their ideas in the context of Department of Defense needs.

Mona Jarrahi awarded a DARPA Young Faculty Award

The award acknowledges Prof. Jarrahi’s efforts to develop a new generation of compact high power terahertz sources.

U-M researchers win 2010 Signal Processing Best Paper Award

The work, published in 2006, will be acknowledged at the EUSIPCO Conference in Denmark.

Mini generators make energy from random ambient vibrations

The energy-harvesting devices are highly efficient at providing renewable electrical power from arbitrary, non-periodic vibrations.

EECS professors receive research grants from Google

The research funded by Google involves redesigning servers and data centers to improve their energy efficiency.

Wei Lu receives CAREER Award

Lu was awarded an NSF CAREER grant for his research project, which intends to develop unconventional, high-performance memory and logic systems.

Tony Grbic awarded Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers

The PECASE is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers.

Al Hero receives 2009 Signal Processing Magazine Best Paper Award

The paper addresses the importance of knowing where networks of sensors are located once they’ve been deployed.

Clay Scott Receives CAREER Award for Research in Signal Processing

Thomas B. A. Senior Receives the 2010 IEEE Electromagnetics Award

The award is based on outstanding contributions to electromagnetics in theory, application or education.

Best Paper Award in Automation Research

The award was given at the IEEE Conference on Automation and Engineering. Congratulations, Lindsay!

Tal Carmon receives Young Investigator Award for research in lasers and optics

The award will support Professor Carmon in three years of basic research on continuous on-chip extreme UV emitters.

Duncan Steel will advance quantum information processes in new MURI

Steel will concentrate his efforts on solid state systems, specifically with epitaxially grown InAs/lGaAs semiconductor quantum dots.

Mark Kushner to head new $10M DoE plasma research center

The research that will be conducted at the center could lead to more efficient solar cells, finer-featured microchips and new medical tools.

Ford, U of M explore new ways to speed development of future hybrid vehicles

“The main goal of this project,” explained Opila, “is to bring advanced methods to HEV and plug-in HEV design.”

Yong Long receives Best Poster Award for work in medical imaging

Long’s work describes a new algorithm for performing model-based methods in a way that requires less computation yet provides improved image quality.

David Wentzloff awarded Young Faculty Award (YFA) by DARPA

Prof. Wentzloff is working to develop a wireless 3D interconnection fabric that can provide communication channels and crossbar routing.

Ellersick Prize for Best Paper Awarded to authors in communications

“The paper studies the key enabling technologies of Cognitive Radio and makes contributions in two key areas: sensing and learning.”

Sensing Sensors: NSF Funding News Ways to Monitor Infrastructure for Safety

The program aims to develop revolutionary wireless sensor node, optimized for infrastructure monitoring.

EECS researchers receive Best Paper Award at ISLPED

The paper explores logic and memory circuit topologies for a new type of transistor in development at IBM.

Ian Hiskens receives stim money for wind energy

The grant is to be used to develop new techniques for assessing the impact of wind generation on power system voltage control and transient stability.

Ali Nazari receives Best Paper Award at ISIT 2009

Nazari’s research is focused on an information theoretic approach to the problem of multi-terminal communications systems.

Michael Thiel earns first place in SEMCAD X Student Research Award

Thiel’s detection method allows the analysis of human backscattering within a realistic building environment.

Michael Benson receives NASA Fellowship

For his research, Benson plans to utilize SAR in order to estimate variable vegetated parameters and monitor the planet’s crustal movement.

Smart bridges under development with new grant

The monitoring system will collect data from surface and penetrating sensors, then wirelessly relay the information to an inspector on site or miles away.

Pallab Bhattacharya To Receive 2008 John Bardeen Award

The Bardeen Award recognizes an individual who has made outstanding contributions and is a leader in the field of electronic materials.

Microsystems research for energy scavenging and power generation

The research has applications in health care, environmental monitoring, security, energy conservation and exploration, and more.

Jerzy Kanicki’s group earns Excellence Award for Basic and Original Technology

This work investigates the fundamental effects of illumination on amorphous InGaZnO thin-film transistors.

University of Michigan Office of Technology to showcase inventions

Guo’s computer chip imprinter is one of more than 300 inventions that researchers disclosed last year to U-M’s Technology Transfer office.

Ted Norris and CUOS: Reaching new frontiers in ultrafast optical science

Comprised of electrical engineers, astrophysicists, physicists, materials scientists, biomedical engineers, and doctors, CUOS explore ultrafast laser applications.

Microchip sets low-power record with extreme sleep mode

The Phoenix Processor uses 30,000 times less power in sleep mode and 10 times less in active mode than comparable chips now on the market.

Tony Grbic receives NSF CAREER Award to advance metamaterials

Grbic was awarded the grant for his project: Advances in Metamaterial Structures and Devices

Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award, Jessy Grizzle

Distinguished Faculty Achievement Awards honor senior faculty who consistently have demonstrated outstanding achievements in the areas of scholarly research and/or creative endeavors; teaching and mentoring of students and junior faculty; service; and a variety of other activities.

Kamal Sarabandi Receives Humboldt Research Award

The Humboldt Research Award is a highly competitive award granted to scientists and scholars from all disciplines.

Jamie Phillips receives Young Faculty Award

Tony Grbic Receives AFOSR Young Investigator Award

This three-year grant will support research that is expected to open new opportunities in antenna design and microwave/millimeter-wave device development.

In tunneling physics, a decades-old paradox is resolved

Professor Winful sheds light on one of the most perplexing mysteries of quantum tunneling.

Eric Tkacyk receives Best Paper Award for research in biomedical optics

Tkaczyk hopes that his technique will be used to further the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. Congratulations!

Pallab Bhattacharya: The race is on

His work involves the conception and realization of synthetically modulated semiconductor structures and nanophotonic devices.

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