Dartmouth Engineer Magazine: Summer 2020

In this Issue

Why Dartmouth's approach to engineering might just be the answer to solving the world's most complex challenges. Plus, new models to optimize fight schedules and minimize delays, campus in the time of COVID-19, and more.

Features

Thinking in Systems

Dartmouth's approach to engineering might just be the answer to solving complex problems of the modern world—from climate change, to energy, to pandemics. The world's current challenges set the stage for engineers to take a more active role in public discourse and policy. READ MORE»

Flying in the Face of Danger

Keji Wei Th’19 spends every day thinking about disasters. Unexpected catastrophes, such as typhoons and earthquakes, wreak havoc on lives, including plans to visit loved ones, trips abroad, or just try to get back home. It’s Wei’s job to get people to where they need to go. READ MORE»

Campus in the Time of COVID

Thayer School’s motto—“To prepare the most capable and faithful, for the most responsible positions and the most difficult service”—has taken on new meaning. Here are stories from faculty and staff that speak to the challenges and triumphs in unprecedented times. READ MORE»

Great Hall

Q&A: Needle in a Haystack

On September 30, 2017, an Airbus A380 took off from Paris headed for Los Angeles. It never arrived. While over Greenland, an engine failed and a fan hub fell from the plane. Dartmouth Engineer spoke to PhD students Austin Lines and Joshua Elliott, who did the impossible—locate the missing part on the vast Greenland ice sheet. READ MORE»

WATCH THE VIDEO

Resilient Robot Bug

LAB REPORT | Dartmouth developed a flexible, miniature robotic bug that can crawl on different terrains and through narrow spaces and can be completely flattened without losing functionality.

Clearer Cancer Imaging

LAB REPORT | Dartmouth engineers, along with partners from Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center are developing a better cancer imaging tool to minimize unnecessary breast biopsies.

Transforming Power

Dartmouth and leading industry partners have founded an NSF-funded research center focused on integrated power management and delivery.

NASA: Big Idea Challenge

For the second straight year, Dartmouth engineering students are finalists in NASA’s Breakthrough, Innovative and Game-changing (BIG) Idea Challenge.

Kudos: Green Returns

Students develop an easier return system for Green2Go reusable food containers, plus faculty awards, student publications, and more.

Three Innovators Retire

Long-time professors and stalwarts in Dartmouth's engineering halls John Collier, Alexander Hartov, and Michael Mayor retired June 2020.

New Faculty: Yan Li

Yan Li joined the Dartmouth Engineering faculty in January as an assistant professor of engineering.

Better Face Masks

Dartmouth engineers designed and assembled high-performance face masks with better protection for people at greater risk of infection.

I Want One of Those

A team of undergrads identified a problem with the way students use and dispose of plastic cups. Even when cups end up in a recycling receptacle, a single cup holding even a small amount of fluid can contaminate the entire collection—making it ineligible for recycling. The group’s answer: an automatic cup washer to prevent that contamination.

SOLO: Some (Cups) Only Live Once

Dartmouth engineering students demo their ENGS 21 project: SOLO—an automatic cup washer to reduce plastic cup waste.

Alumni News

Just One Question | Q: What advice would you offer to new graduates?

Alumni Notes | Notes and news from Dartmouth Engineering alumni

Obituaries: Summer 2020 | Remembering our Dartmouth Engineering alumni and friends

On The Job: Eric Din

Eric Din ’14 Th’16 co-founded Seattle-based Hive Battery Labs to improve Lithium-ion battery diagnostics.

On the Job: Sandy Beauregard

Sandy Beauregard Th’07 is the Director of Sustainability at Colby College.

Spotlight

A round-up of spotlight news on Dartmouth Engineering alumni.

I'm an Engineer and...

“I'm an Engineer and a Humanitarian”

“Engineering and humanitarian aid go hand in hand. Engineers have an obligation to try to help solve some of the world's problems.”
—Ethan LaRochelle, PhD candidate