Are inventors born or made? Berkeley engineers explore that question in the award-winning documentary Pathways to Invention, premiering on PBS stations nationwide in May. The documentary, featuring CEE professor Ashok Gadgil, is a 60-minute special that follows eight "modern inventors of diverse backgrounds and their journeys as they develop life-changing innovations."
This year, UC Berkeley's Cal Seismic Design team attended the annual Seismic Design Competition hosted by the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) held in Seattle, Washington, from April 9th to April 12th. The student teams had to build a complex wooden building model that could withstand simulated earthquakes by being tested on a shaking table.
Professor Arpad Horvath was selected as one of the 13 finalists for the Distinguished Teaching Award (DTA) hosted by the Berkeley Center for Teaching and Learning. More than 140 student, faculty, and staff nominations were received campus-wide. While all 13 finalists had outstanding and inspiring records and firm nomination and support letters, five instructors ultimately received the award.
In honor of Earth Day, students from Professor Tina Chow's CE105 class and MS/PhD students in Environmental Engineering teamed up with Edison High School in Southwest Stockton to build and distribute air purifiers in their community. On April 13, students from the two campuses teamed up to construct 120 box fan air purifiers from essential household items, serving to protect vulnerable community members from the effects of harmful air pollutants.
CEE Professor Shaofan Li recently published his new book, "Introduction to Computational Nanomechanics," from Cambridge University Press. The book provides a comprehensive guide to computational nanomechanics, discussing basic concepts and implications in computational physics, materials, mechanics, and engineering, among many other disciplines.
A UC Berkeley engineering research team led by Professor Kenichi Soga was recently granted $3 million by the California Energy Commission to enhance the seismic risk assessment of natural gas storage and pipeline infrastructure. Over three years, the team will use remote and embedded sensing technology and advanced data management and analysis techniques to monitor gas infrastructure continuously.
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In collaboration with esteemed partners from academia and industry, CEE is poised to address the pervasive issue of aviation system disruptions in a newly funded research initiative. With a recent boost in funding from NASA, the initiative focuses on bolstering the resilience of the National Airspace System (NAS) against the myriad of weather-related, facility, and technical issues it confronts.
Berkeley CEE's competition teams had a strong showing in the 2024 MidPac ASCE Student Symposium co-hosted this year by CSU Sacramento and University of the Pacific from April 4 to April 6.
RAPID CEE hosted a Lantern Festival Social Lunch Event for students on Tuesday, March 19, as a combined event to celebrate the Holi festival, Ramadan, and Easter. Activities included making Holi-themed Tie-Dye Shirts, Ramadan-themed Coasters & Garlands, and Easter Paper Mache Eggs.
