News Archive - Jacobs School of Engineering

Study Uncovers Metabolic Cause for Rare Eye Disease

An international team of researchers has discovered a cause for a rare eye disease affecting the macula that leads to loss of central vision, called macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel).

Synthetic Biologists Extend Functional Life of Cancer-Fighting Circuitry in Microbes

Bioengineers and biologists at the University of California San Diego have developed a method to significantly extend the life of gene circuits used to instruct microbes to do things such as produce and deliver drugs, break down chemicals and serve as environmental sensors.

How to Simulate Softness

UC San Diego researchers discovered clever tricks to design materials that replicate different levels of perceived softness. The findings provide fundamental insights into designing tactile materials and haptic interfaces that can recreate realistic touch sensations.

Lasers Enable Engineers to Weld Ceramics, No Furnace Required

Using lasers, engineers have developed a new ceramic welding technology that works in ambient conditions, making it more practical than traditional methods that require melting the parts in a furnace at extremely high temperatures. This could make it possible to build ceramic-encased electronics.

Study Identifies Main Culprit Behind Lithium Metal Battery Failure

Researchers have discovered the root cause of why lithium metal batteries fail, challenging a long-held belief in the field. The study presents new ways to boost battery performance and brings research a step closer to incorporating lithium anodes into rechargeable batteries.

Global Rankings Name UC San Diego 4th Best Public Research University

The University of California San Diego has been named the fourth best public university in the United States by the 2019 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). The rankings list the campus as the country’s 15th best university and 18th in the world.

UC San Diego Receives $9 Million in Grants to Pinpoint Cellular Cause of Type 1 Diabetes

UC San Diego School of Medicine has been awarded $9 million to fund research projects using human pluripotent stem cells, CRISPR and human organoids to dissect beta cell defects and create a human cell model of type 1 diabetes aimed at identifying the cellular actions leading to disease onset.

Thinnest Optical Waveguide Channels Light Within Just Three Layers of Atoms

UC San Diego engineers have developed the thinnest optical device in the world: a waveguide that is three layers of atoms thin. The work is a proof of concept for scaling down optical devices to sizes that are orders of magnitude smaller than today’s devices.

Eye-Controlled Soft Lens Paves Way to Soft Human-Machine Interfaces

UC San Diego engineers have developed a soft robotic lens whose movements are controlled by the eyes—blink twice and the lens zooms in and out; look left, right, up or down and the lens will follow. The lens is the first example of an interface between humans and soft machines.

Graeve Selected by HACU as Inaugural Leadership Fellow

UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering professor Olivia Graeve has been selected by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities as a fellow in its inaugural Presidential Leadership Academy, designed to increase Hispanic representation in top leadership positions in higher education.