The Summer ’26 issue of Berkeley Engineer magazine is here!
Our cover story centers on how Ken Goldberg, professor of @ucberkeleyieor and of @ucb_eecs , is redefining robot manipulation with creativity and code.
You can also learn about:
- researchers led by Michael Gollner, associate professor of @berkeleymechanicalengineering , working to understand how wildfire spreads through communities.
- how SOAR provides large-scale fabrication workspaces for student organizations at UC Berkeley.
- the conceptual underpinnings behind the Strauch Hypercube, the floating lightwork in our Grimes Engineering Center.
Read the issue at the link in bio: engineering.berkeley.edu/magazine
(Cover by Adam Lau/UC Berkeley Engineering)
#DidYouKnow: We continue to offer the top public engineering grad program in the nation (as well as No. 3 overall), according to @usnews ! 🏆
“It is notable that many of our departments are much smaller in size than their peers,” said Mark Asta, dean designate of UC Berkeley Engineering. “The results show how we continue to punch above our weight.”
See how our majors stack up: bit.ly/3NQJkgy
Go Bears! 🐻⚙️
(Photo by Steve McConnell/Berkeley Engineering)
A Berkeley-led team found a way to change the electronic properties of a common semiconductor material, potentially laying the foundation for faster, lower-power data storage and processing!
The researchers discovered they can transform titanium dioxide (TiO₂) into a ferroelectric material by reducing its thickness to less than 3 nanometers (nm), roughly the diameter of a single strand of human DNA!
These findings could open a pathway toward ultra-scaled, energy-efficient electronic devices.
This work also reveals a broader scientific insight:
“We’ve shown that simply reducing a material’s thickness can fundamentally change its properties as well as unlock functionalities with many exciting, new applications,” said Sayeef Salahuddin, professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences and of materials science and engineering.
Read our story: bit.ly/4nB9Xn1
Meet Berkeley Engineering’s student speakers for this year’s commencement ceremonies!
Sarah Saadeh (B.S.’26 CE) will speak at the baccalaureate degree ceremony.
Devan Perkash (MEng’26 EECS) will speak at the master’s degree ceremony.
Megan Teng (Ph.D.’26 ME) will speak at the doctoral degree ceremony.
Learn more: bit.ly/3KziaDM
SCET’s Collider Cup culminates with a bang! 🏆✨
We are excited to share that four teams, all formed in our classrooms by students who were strangers just a few months ago, are now heading to the Berkeley SkyDeck Pad-13 incubator. @berkeley_skydeck
Our panel of venture capital judges was impressed by the level of critical thinking, functional prototypes, and compelling pitches presented by every team on stage. This milestone reflects not only the talent and dedication of our students, but also the incredible work of our instructors, course coordinators, front desk interns, and operations interns who helped make the event and the semester possible.
Congratulations to all of the teams for an outstanding finish. Learn more - link in bio.
#SCET #collidercup #berkeleyskydeck #studentinnovation #entrepreneurship #startupeducation #ucberkeley @berkeley_engineering
On May 1, our Class of 2026 Master of Analytics students came together to present the culmination of months of collaboration, experimentation, and real-world problem solving. Working in teams throughout the semester in their Analytics Lab course, students applied machine learning, optimization, simulation, data visualization, and AI to tackle complex industry and societal challenges with both technical depth and creativity.
From AI-powered fashion technology and smarter Airbnb market insights to ocean cleanup optimization and interactive museum discovery tools, this year’s UC Berkeley Master of Analytics Lab Showcase highlighted how students are applying analytics and AI across a wide range of industries to solve real-world challenges.
Beyond the projects themselves, the showcase reflected what makes the Berkeley Master of Analytics community so special: curiosity, collaboration, resilience, and a shared drive to create meaningful solutions. It was inspiring to see students exchanging ideas with alumni, faculty, industry partners, and one another — celebrating not only what they built, but the community they are building together.
Congratulations to all of our student teams for an outstanding showcase, and thank you to everyone who joined us in supporting the next generation of analytics leaders.
Photos by Andrew Kim (@andrewakim.photography )
We’re proud to announce our keynote speakers for this year’s commencement ceremonies!
Warren “Woody” Hoburg (M.S.’11, Ph.D.’13 EECS), astronaut at @NASA , will speak at the baccalaureate degree ceremony.
Sandra Rivera, chair of the board at VSORA, will speak at the master’s degree ceremony.
Reginald DesRoches (B.S.’90 ME, M.S.’92 CE, Ph.D.’97 CEE), president at @RiceUniversity , will speak at the doctoral degree ceremony.
Learn more: bit.ly/3KziaDM
Strauch Hypercube Timeline
Last year we were honored to receive a commission from the Mosse Foundation to create an artwork for the new UC Berkeley Grimes Engineering Center. The Strauch Hypercube is an algorithm-driven system, pulling from generative pattern forming simulations such as Conway’s Game of Life, Fluid Dynamics and Chladni Figures to continuously reshape the visual output.
You can see Finalist Projects and vote for your favorite at Link in Bio.
Wayne Zhao, PhD candidate in Materials Science & Engineering is using "digital laboratories" to build a greener future. Wayne uses advanced computer modeling to design brand-new materials at the atomic level.
His goal? Finding the perfect formula to turn sunlight into clean hydrogen fuel more efficiently than ever before.
This the final video in our Graduate Student Research in Progress series spotlighting #BerkeleyGraduateStudent research in three minutes or less. #GradLifeAtBerkeley #Research
Major congrats to our very own Esha Ananth (M.E.T. ‘26) and Mia Wesselkamper (M.E.T. ‘25; MIT PhD Candidate) for receiving NSF Graduate Research Fellowships, one of the most prestigious awards for early-career PhDs! 🧠 👩🏫 🐻
Join Gauri Mutha (B.S.’27 EECS, MSE) on a day in her life as an engineering student at UC Berkeley!
She adds: “As an international student at UC Berkeley pursuing electrical engineering and computer sciences as well as materials science and engineering, every day here feels like proof of how far I’ve come and how much this place has given me.
Berkeley has challenged me in the best ways — through rigorous classes, research opportunities, late nights in labs and conversations with people who constantly inspire me to think bigger.
Coming here meant building a life far from home, learning to navigate a new country and finding my place in one of the most intellectually exciting communities in the world.
Berkeley has given me more than an education; it has given me courage, independence, friendships, purpose and the confidence to dream beyond what I once thought was possible.
I’m grateful for the professors, classmates, mentors and friends who have shaped my journey and made this campus feel like home. Every day here reminds me that growth is not always easy, but it is always worth it. Proud to be a Bear. Go Bears!”
Want to share your journey at Berkeley Engineering? Reach us at [email protected]!
(Video by Gauri Mutha)
Can we interest you in some Berkeley Engineering gear? 🐻⚙️
Our online pop-up shop runs ’til May 18. We’ve got exclusive designs from T-shirts to water bottles to dad caps… and more!
Get your gear: bit.ly/4wl2jkP
Go Bears!
