On Friday, June 4th, the School of Engineering hosted a special presentation by alumnus and NASA astronaut Richard Mastracchio, who was joined by two retired Hamilton Sundstrand engineers, Donald Rethke (aka "Dr. Flush") and Richard Wilde. The all-star event took place before a rapt audience of more than 300 people of all ages that included alumni as well as eager school children.

Antibodies -- the specialized proteins responsible for identifying and routing out disease -- are the subject of a five-year National Science Foundation (NSF) Early Career Development grant awarded to Dr. Tai-Hsi Fan, an assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering.

The Electrical & Computer Engineering department will team with UConn's Center for Continuing Studies (CCS) to offer an intensive one-week residential workshop on Robust Design. The certificate program will take place at the Merlin D. Bishop Center on the Storrs campus from April 26-30, 2010.

Dr. Alexander Agrios wants to build a better solar cell. "Dye-sensitized solar cells offer a radically different way to collect solar energy compared to silicon-based solar cells -- a major advantage being that they are produced using less expensive materials," he says.

On Friday, April 30th, graduating seniors showcased the culminating projects of their undergraduate years in a once-yearly expo that draws visitors from across the region. This year, for the first time, Senior Design Demonstration day was staged in the venerable Wilbur Cross building. There, scores of student teams discussed their projects, demonstrated prototype models and enthused about the experience of solving real-world engineering challenges.