Alumni Event: Engineering Responses to COVID-19 – January 14, 2021
The Department of Mechanical Engineering invites our alumni to a special event on Thursday, January 14, 2021. Join us at 5 PM for an online panel featuring a Mechanical Engineering alum, faculty member, graduate student, and undergraduate who have been tackling the unique challenges presented by COVID-19. Their solutions vary from software applications, to device design, […]
UBC News: Marginalized groups experience higher cumulative air pollution in urban Canada
Different marginalized groups are exposed to higher cumulative air pollution in Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto, according to new research from the University of British Columbia. The study, published last week in Environmental Research Letters, shows that in Vancouver, Indigenous residents are most at risk, while the burden falls on immigrant and low-income residents in Montreal and […]
MECH students design affordable, see-through full-face COVID respirator
UBC Engineering students have designed a full-face respirator that they claim is transparent, breathable and comfortable to use. The respirator protects against COVID-19 and other harmful particles, like wildfire smoke, and it is lightweight enough to wear all day, says the team. “At just 270 grams and $65, it’s slimmer and cheaper than other full-face respirators […]
UBC AeroDesign Places 1st at SAE Aero Design West
(UBC AeroDesign poses with their Advanced Class aircraft prototype before the shut down of in-person gatherings in March, 2020) Despite a summer without many of the usual aspects of the design competition experience – such as access to the machine shop or the ability to travel – UBC AeroDesign has still brought home first and […]
UBC News: Is there something in the air? These UBC researchers want to know
We all know air quality can sometimes be imperfect. The smells and aromas produced by traffic, businesses and industry, and thousands—if not millions—of people living in close proximity can combine to produce an olfactory experience that’s less than pleasant. Enter Naomi Zimmerman and Amanda Giang, a pair of UBC researchers who are studying the different scents that permeate […]
Congratulations November 2020 Graduates!
Congratulations to the class of 2020! We’re excited for you to celebrate your university achievements, and to embark on your next chapter and the bright future ahead. If you couldn’t make the Virtual Graduation Reception and Awards Ceremony on November 23rd, you can watch the recording here. It features words from Department Head Dr. Steve […]
Dean Olson in Stanford study listing of top 2% of scientists in their field
Ten Canadian engineering deans are listed on the recently-released Stanford University’s published list of 1965-2019 top 100,000, or 2% in their field, scientists in the world. The list was created based on a rigorous composite indicator of 6 metrics over 1965-2019.
Steven Rogak recieves $250K for COVID-19 Research Project
Steven Rogak, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of British Columbia, has been awarded $250,000 through the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s Exceptional Opportunities Fund to “cover the urgent need for equipment” for his ongoing research related to COVID-19. Rogak’s project, which aims to assess the effect of aerosol and droplet control measures in indoor spaces, is one of […]
PhD Student Pranav Shrestha becomes UBC Public Scholar, seeks to develop low cost microscope for sickle cell disease screening
As a new UBC Public Scholar, Mechanical Engineering PhD student Pranav Shrestha is working toward developing an inexpensive microscope capable of detecting sickle cell disease, increasing access to screening in rural communities. “In this project, we plan to explore the feasibility of inexpensive and portable alternatives to conventional screening techniques. We plan to develop an inexpensive […]
Quantifying the bond between SARS-CoV-2 and human cell receptors
At its heart, mechanical engineering is the understanding of energy transfer and forces, physics concepts not usually associated with medicine. However, even at the scale of a human cell, those concepts are at play, and understanding them could be the key to designing effective treatments. SARS-CoV-2 is a tiny particle that has stopped the world, […]