Mechanical Engineering Stories

Henry installing an ORCA at Port Heiden

Community of collaboration: UAA and UAF partner up on energy research

February 1, 2021

UAA mechanical engineering undergraduate Henry Toal works as an intern in the Anchorage office of the ÐÜèÔÚÏßÊÓƵ Center for Energy and Power (ACEP), a program based at the University of ÐÜèÔÚÏßÊÓƵ Fairbanks, where he has had the opportunity to contribute to several research projects.  Learn more about numerous partnerships in research across the UA system’s three universities.

Kirsten Alvarado

Student Spotlight: Kirsten Alvarado

January 27, 2021

"The schooling has developed my way of thinking to use logic and work through problems that initially seemed impossible. It's prepared me to never give up and patiently work through things. Most importantly, it taught me that hard work is really all it takes." Mechanical Engineering student Kirsten Alvarado reflects on her motivation to pursue her degree and how hard work pays off.

Raghu

July 30, 2020

Our very own professor of Mechanical Engineering Raghu Srinivasan and UAF Professor of Mechanical Engineering Lei Zhang have been awarded the NASA EPSCoR Research Award for their research on corrosion in cold regions.

Getu Hailu and Martin Henke in a research lab

A researcher’s guide to keeping batteries cool

May 25, 2020

Getu Hailu, Ph.D., assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the UAA College of Engineering, and Martin Henke, a student in the mechanical engineering master’s degree program, are working together to determine a simple and efficient way of keeping the batteries cool.

Raghu

Award-Winning Research

November 12, 2019

Mechanical Engineering professor, Raghu Srinivasan, has recently won awards and grants to continue his work on corrosion in cold climates.

UAA alumnus Kohl Keil

Taking his Talents Abroad by Earning a Prestigious Congress-Bundestag Scholarship

April 23, 2019

Congratulations to UAA CoEng Alumnus Kohl Keil (B.S. Mechanical Engineering ’18), for receiving the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX) Award. Keil will spend a year studying, interning and living in Germany. 

UAA Robotics Club members use a 3D printer to fabricate parts for the team’s new rover in the robotics lab in UAA’s Engineering and Industry Building

UAA Robotics Club Advances to 2019 University Rover Challenge (URC) Finals

April 16, 2019

UAA's Robotics Club earned the right compete at the 2019 University Rover Challenge (URC),  May 30 - June 1 at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in Utah! Their hard work placed them among 36 finalists selected after the most competitive review in the competition’s history. 

2019 MP Corrosion Innovation of the Year UAA team members

April 1, 2019

Congratulations to Dr. Raghu Srinivasan and his mechanical engineering students--Breton Henry, Ezra Adams, Jarek Halat, Jasper Jackson and Aaliq Rowland--on their National Association of Corrosion Engineers International (NACE) 2019 MP Corrosion Innovation of the Year Award. The team created an adjustable atmospheric corrosion test rack to study corrosion in extremely cold climates to win the award.

Birch Boyer mentoring a young student during UAA's Summer Engineering Academies program

Presidential Scholar joins UAA Mechanical Engineering Program

July 26, 2018

Freshman Birch Boyer, a recipient of both the U.S. Presidential Scholar and Engineering Dean’s Excellence Awards, will bring his impressive background of academic achievement and community involvement to UAA's Mechanical Engineering program.

Peter Renner

Graduating Mechanical Engineering Student Wins NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

May 7, 2018

UAA Mechanical engineering student, Peter Renner, has joined the ranks of our nation’s highest achievers, being recognized with a prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.

UAA mechanical engineering professor Matt Cullin with undergraduate research assistant, Keir Johnson

Mechanical Engineering Professor and his Student Assistant Study Pipeline Longevity

April 26, 2018

Professor Matt Cullin and his undergraduate assistant, Keir Johnson, have used a  ConocoPhillips Arctic Science and Engineering Endowment Award to create a tool to study the effects of corrosion on pipelines. By replicating the conditions that can lead to a catastrophic oil spill, they hope to prevent such future disasters.

Renowned Nordic skier Reese Hanneman, photographed in front of UAA’s Engineering and Industry Building.

Olympic Cross-Country Skier Pursuing Degree in Mechanical Engineering

April 23, 2018

Accomplished cross-country skier, Reese Hanneman, spent his life training for the Olympics - a goal finally achieved with his 14th place showing in the men's 4x10 km relay at the Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.  Reese will now focus his energies on continuing his mechanical engineering studies.

Victor Samoei

Lending a hand: How mechanical engineering alumnus Victor Samoei paid it forward

January 12, 2018

On Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017, Victor Samoei walked across the stage in the ÐÜèÔÚÏßÊÓƵ Airlines Center during UAA's fall commencement ceremony. The new mechanical engineering graduate looked out into the audience waving to his mother and father who had traveled halfway around the world from Kenya, Africa, to experience this moment.

NASA Dive Team

Student Engineers Test Asteroid Anchor at NASA HQ

June 14, 2017

ÐÜèÔÚÏßÊÓƵ students recently traveled to Johnson Space Center in Houston, where NASA tasked them with developing the next stage of space exploration. 

Elliot Morris

Opera-Singing Engineer Helps Launch Robotics Club

October 31, 2016

He's the only mechanical engineering student singing in the chorus of the Anchorage Opera, can combine circuit boards, software and kinematics equations to bring robots to (virtual) life, and he calls Giuseppe Verdi his “homeboy."