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Events

Upcoming IMSE Events

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Sep 8 5:00 pm

PhD Virtual Information Session Hosted by the Institute of Materials Science and Engineering

Oct 12 9:00 am

PhD Virtual Information Session Hosted by the Institute of Materials Science and Engineering

Nov 18 5:00 pm

PhD Virtual Information Session Hosted by the Institute of Materials Science and Engineering

New platform explored to meet emerging need in mechanobiology

Jae Park, a doctoral student in the lab of Alexandra Rutz, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, has developed a unique, dynamic platform with electricity-conducting biomaterials in which stiffness can be modulated by applying voltage. Such a platform can help researchers learn more about the potential to use conducting polymers to study mechanobiology and to study the effect of stiff environments on cells, which play a role in fibrosis and some types of cancer. (Credit: Jae Park)

06.12.2026

Samsung grant will fund better energy storage systems

Researchers at WashU have found a promising way to improve electrostatic capacitors using an innovative design of the ferroelectric materials that maintain electric polarization. The work caught the eye of component manufacturer Samsung Electro-Mechanics, which provided a $1.8 million grant to take this technology to the next level. (Photo: Shutterstock)

06.11.2026

Mixed plastic waste target of upcycling process to cut waste, emissions

Christopher Cooper, at WashU McKelvey Engineering, is developing a two-step process to recycle pure and mixed plastics by breaking them down into pieces and rebuilding the pieces into new materials with a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. (Photo: iStock)

06.01.2026

WashU Expert: Scaling up the circular economy

WashU engineer Feng Jiao has been working to make carbon conversion technologies more scalable for industry. (Photo: Feng Jiao)

05.12.2026

Synthetic biology leads to recyclable textiles: Engineered protein fibers for a cleaner future

Researchers develop engineered protein polymers that can be easily recycled and reused

05.10.2026

Diamonds are not a geoengineer’s best friend

WashU researchers find that diamond dust is not ideal for strategic stratospheric aerosol injection. (Photo: Shutterstock)

03.20.2026

Making Sense of Quantum Breakthroughs

WashU physicists in Arts & Sciences, led by Shaffique Adam, explain surprising findings from a cutting-edge quantum microscope. Their work, reported in Nature, opens possibilities for advanced technologies.

03.02.2026

Putting some ‘muscle’ into material design

Researchers at WashU have created protein fibers inspired by various animal muscle proteins. These materials are grown in bioreactors and can be stronger than many synthetic fibers. (Image: generated in ChatGPT)

03.02.2026

For Zack Rehfuss, high-pressure physics makes diamonds

The graduate student works at the limits of pressure and temperature to create diamonds, advance quantum science, and launch a business venture.

02.04.2026