CU Boulder Engineering

A new $10 million gift from the Mortenson family will help the Mortenson Center in Global Engineering & Resilience continue and expand its work alongside communities globally—improving access to safe water, reliable infrastructure and sustainability resources.

The gift builds on a longstanding family commitment to CU Boulder and the Mortenson Center by funding two new professorships and adding flexible resources to the center’s endowment.

Thank you to Alice Mortenson, the Mortenson Family Foundation and Mortenson Construction for your philanthropy to propel CU Boulder forward!

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https://bit.ly/47em9Tb

A bridge does more than connect two sides of a river. 🤝

New research led by Evan Thomas, professor in CU Engineering's Mortenson Center in Global Engineering & Resilience, found that pedestrian bridges in rural Rwanda can transform communities, improving household income, agricultural activity, school attendance and access to health care. 🏠🪴 ✏️🍎🩺

The study is the world's first randomized controlled trial of civil engineering infrastructure and includes one of the largest data sets ever collected on poverty indicators. The findings provide evidence that thoughtfully designed infrastructure can expand opportunity and improve quality of life.

By combining engineering, data and community impact, this work demonstrates how engineering solutions can help address global challenges and create meaningful change.

https://cuboulder.engineering/4xpxnPo

The bridges of Rwanda open up new worlds New research led by Professor Evan Thomas found that pedestrian bridges in rural Rwanda improved household income, agricultural activity, school attendance and

🚀 What does it take to explore the most distant planets in our solar system?

University of Colorado Boulder Aerospace PhD student and Smead Scholar Cate Leszcz is using computational fluid dynamics and some of the world's most powerful supercomputers to better understand the challenging atmospheric conditions of the solar system's ice giants.

Her research investigates the extreme heating spacecraft can experience during hypersonic atmospheric entry, generating insights that could help guide heat-shield design for future missions to planets such as Uranus and Neptune.

By advancing our understanding of these distant worlds, Cate's work is helping pave the way for the next generation of planetary exploration.

https://cuboulder.engineering/3T8YsrY

From conducting research in Antarctica to studying how extreme weather affects the electric grid, University of Colorado Boulder senior Nainika Gupta is using environmental engineering to address some of society's most pressing challenges.

Her research spans climate, water, energy and infrastructure, from studying Antarctic ice sheets and firn aquifers to examining how severe weather impacts power outages and grid resilience.

For Nainika, engineering is about more than solving technical problems. It's about understanding how environmental change affects people and communities and creating solutions that help build a more resilient future.

https://cuboulder.engineering/4Ah3kwc

What happens when engineering students combine technical expertise, entrepreneurial spirit and a real industry challenge?

Sami Yohannes and Caleb Woldemichael, current University of Colorado Boulder engineering students, turned a common pain point in the engineering and construction industry into an AI-powered startup. Through their company, YW Holdings, they developed a tool that helps streamline the time-intensive RFP process, allowing firms to automate workflows and focus more on engineering innovation.

Their journey highlights the power of mentorship, hands-on learning and taking initiative. With support from alumnus Marco Campos and insights gained through industry collaboration, they built a solution designed by engineers, for engineers.

Just as inspiring, they are paying it forward by mentoring future STEM students and committing a portion of their company's revenue to expand educational opportunities in Eritrea and Ethiopia.

cuboulder.engineering/4itHCi4

Engineering students turn industry challenge into AI startup ‘built by engineers, for engineers’ Sami Yohannes and Caleb Woldemichael turned an industry challenge into an AI startup, developing a tool that helps engineering and construction firms streamline

What does the future of aerospace innovation look like?

Join us for the next installment of our Leading with Impact series on Sept. 16 in Denver, featuring University of Colorado Boulder engineering alumni who are helping shape the future of aerospace and space exploration.

Moderated by John Evans, chair of the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, this engaging discussion will explore emerging technologies, groundbreaking research collaborations, and the opportunities and challenges driving the next era of discovery.

Connect with alumni, faculty, industry leaders and the broader community while learning how CU Engineering is advancing innovation with impact, from Earth to space.

📅 Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026
📍 The Jacquard Hotel, Denver
🕡 Panel begins at 6:30 p.m. MT

RSVP 🔗 https://cuboulder.engineering/3SEz79i

Leading with Impact The “Leading with Impact" event series brings together experts and industry leaders affiliated with the College of Engineering & Applied Science to explore the

Aircraft turbulence isn't just uncomfortable for passengers. It can also increase drag and fuel consumption.

University of Colorado Boulder Aerospace Engineering Professor Mahmoud I. Hussein is developing new ways to reduce turbulence and improve aircraft efficiency using engineered microscopic vibrations created by synthetic subsurface materials.

His team recently achieved two major breakthroughs:
🔹 Super-resonance, enabling control across a broad range of frequencies.
🔹 Scatterless interference, allowing turbulence to be delayed across larger surfaces such as aircraft wings.

Together, these advances bring the technology closer to real-world flight applications and could enhance aerodynamic performance in passenger aircraft, hypersonic vehicles and other next-generation aerospace systems.

cuboulder.engineering/3Sya33L

Tailored surface vibrations to improve aerodynamic performance in passenger jets A passenger jet soars across the sky at 640 mph, its wings pummeled with wind and boundary-layer turbulence, challenging the plane’s operation and efficiency.

CU Boulder is at the forefront of quantum innovation.

A scientific quest to build more accurate clocks, faster computers and new sensors to detect the faintest signs of disease and disaster is getting a $37.5 million financial boost.

The National Science Foundation (NSF), through its Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes, is investing in the next phase of CU Boulder and its partners’ work to advance quantum science research and engineering.

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https://bit.ly/4qBWrkt

How unpredictable is war? More than you might think.

New research from the University of Colorado Boulder is helping quantify the risks of conflict escalation. A study led by computer science professor Aaron Clauset found that escalation is remarkably common in armed conflicts, with even limited wars carrying a persistent risk of becoming significantly more severe over time.

The findings reveal how conflicts can rapidly intensify as alliances shift and negotiations break down, offering new insights that could help policymakers better understand and reduce the risks of escalation.

cuboulder.engineering/4xmGvVY

War is hell. CU research finds some conflicts have a persistent risk of escalating By analyzing decades of war death statistics, researchers found large civil wars tend to cool off over time, but wars between nations show a persistent risk of