University of Utah Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

05/14/2026

The Department of Mechanical Engineering is happy to recognize Gabriel Parra for receiving the 2026 Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award for the College of Engineering. This award recognizes his exceptional commitment to advancing research within the department. Parra is a member of the Human-Robot Empowerment Lab (HRELab) where he works with Dr. Laura Hallock and other undergraduate and graduate students.

Learn more: https://www.mech.utah.edu/gabe-parra-receives-outstanding-undergraduate-researcher-award/

05/12/2026

Mechanical engineering graduate student Alex Edwards, student in the Movement Bioengineering Lab, is a recipient of the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP). This prestigious fellowship supports outstanding doctoral and research-based master’s students doing research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Edwards’s research is focused on developing clinically accessible mobile sensing tools that are used to monitor the progression of movement-related conditions. Specifically, the work leverages current musculoskeletal modeling software alongside machine learning algorithms to increase the accessibility of whole-body musculoskeletal dynamic analysis.

Mechanical engineering graduate student Alex Edwards, student in the Movement Bioengineering Lab, is a recipient of the National Science Foundation’s […]

05/06/2026

Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. student Olivia Draughn, member of the Multiscale Mechanics & Materials Lab, was selected for the prestigious Rickover Fellowship in Nuclear Engineering. This fellowship helps prepare students for roles in naval nuclear propulsion and supports the advance of fission energy development through research.

Draughn will be working at the intersection of computational materials science and solid mechanics, with a focus on how microstructural features influence the performance of engineering materials. This research aims to connect grain-scale physics to macroscopic behavior, improving predictive models of deformation and failure, particularly in additively manufactured materials.

Learn more: https://www.mech.utah.edu/ph-d-student-olivia-draughn-receives-rickover-fellowship/

04/29/2026

Each year, the University of Utah recognizes the achievements of exceptional faculty members in teaching, research, mentorship and service. This year, Dr. Pania Newell of the Department of Mechanical Engineering was recognized with the John G. Francis Prize for Undergraduate Student Mentoring, highlighting her commitment to students.

https://www.mech.utah.edu/newell-receives-john-g-francis-prize-for-undergraduate-student-mentoring/

04/21/2026

The Department of Mechanical Engineering is proud to announce Seo Young Ahn as the recipient of the 2026 Best Dissertation Award for her outstanding doctoral research titled “Nano/Micromechanical Investigation of Nature-Inspired Porous Materials.”

Seo’s dissertation represents an exceptional contribution to experimental mechanics and materials science, uncovering how complex porous architectures found in nature govern mechanical behavior across multiple length scales. Nature-inspired porous materials, ranging from biological systems to engineered microstructures, are widely recognized for their remarkable combinations of strength, toughness, and multifunctionality. However, the fundamental relationship between their hierarchical structure and mechanical and fracture response has remained a major scientific challenge.

https://www.mech.utah.edu/me-outstanding-dissertation-award-seo-young-ahn/

04/15/2026

Join us today in the Union Ballroom as we showcase 24 senior design projects from the Department of Mechanical Engineering!

02/27/2026

A leading cause of disability in the United States is hemiparesis, a condition where impaired motor control, muscle weakness, and spasticity affect one side of the body. Occurring in 80% of stroke survivors, reduced mobility and decreased quality of life are challenges that impact millions of individuals.

Walking may seem like a simple activity, but it relies on complicated biomechanics. The impact of even a small loss of strength on one side of the body is multiplied as muscles on the other side engage to compensate. As a result, those with hemiparesis expend 60% more energy walking than those with a healthy gait. This means slower walking speeds, lower endurance, more pain, and a greater risk of falls.

Researchers at the University of Utah’s John and Marcia Price College of Engineering are now piloting a device that can rebalance this equation. In a paper recently published in the journal Nature Communications, the team has shown that their portable, lightweight hip exoskeleton can reduce the energy required to walk by nearly 20% in individuals with hemiparesis after stroke.

Visit the Price College of Engineering website to read more about it:

  A leading cause of disability in the United States is hemiparesis, a condition where impaired motor control, muscle weakness, […]

01/27/2026

The Department of Mechanical Engineering is excited to welcome Dr. Darshan Bamney as an assistant professor this spring. Dr. Bamney’s research lies at the intersection of materials science, mechanical engineering, and advanced computing, with a focus on understanding how the internal microstructure of structural materials fundamentally influences their properties and performance. This research has broad applicability to the energy, aerospace, and automotive sectors, among others. Dr. Bamney uses cutting-edge multiscale modeling techniques, ranging from atomistic to the continuum scale, and techniques to closely connect simulations and experiments.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering is excited to welcome Dr. Darshan Bamney as an assistant professor this spring. Dr. Bamney’s […]

12/15/2025

Henry Fu, professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has been elevated to the grade of Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). This grade of ASME membership recognizes exceptional engineering achievements and contributions to the engineering profession and to ASME.

Professor Fu was recognized for his contributions through scholarly and educational activities in the area of micron-scale fluid mechanics and biologically inspired swimming, as well as application of these fundamentals to microbiotics.

Visit our website to read more: https://www.mech.utah.edu/fu-named-asme-fellow/

12/10/2025

Congratulations to Associate Professor Amir Arzani for being selected as the 2026 Y.C. Fung Early Career Award Medalist from ASME. Arzani’s work was recognized “for pioneering scientific machine learning research in cardiovascular biomechanics, development of the innovative concept of wall shear stress topology in blood flow characterization, and development and dissemination of open-source educational material to support computational biomechanics research and student training.”

Visit our website to learn more: https://www.mech.utah.edu/arzani-receives-asme-2026-y-c-fung-early-career-award/