In the News | Dartmouth Engineering

ScienceBlog

Aug 27, 2026

A Windmill in Malawi

William Kamkwamba '14 is featured in a retrospective on how he built a windmill from scrap materials as a 14-year-old in Malawi, an achievement that later led him to Dartmouth and inspired his bestselling memoir, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, and a 2019 Netflix film.

Valley News

Aug 26, 2026

Upper Valley Schools That Spent Years Adding Tech Are Starting to Take It Away

Professor Rafe Steinhauer and his team's work with the Lebanon School District in addressing AI and screentime, are featured in an article about how Upper Valley schools are reconsidering the role of technology in classrooms. "AI is the future of software," said Steinhauer. "That doesn’t mean it’s the future of education. And it shouldn’t be, in my opinion."

The Verge

Aug 24, 2026

The Cat-And-Mouse Game Over 3D-Printed Guns Has Begun

Professor Solomon Diamond comments on efforts to block 3D printers from producing firearms and says a proposed workaround would likely defeat hash-based detection systems. Diamond adds that hash matching could still have value by deterring less motivated users from downloading gun files.

Universe Today

Aug 11, 2026

Europa's Interior Ocean Could Be Harder to Reach Than We Thought

Professor Jacob Buffo suggests that Europa's icy shell may pose a greater barrier to accessing its subsurface ocean than previously believed. Using computer simulations, the researchers found that water rising through fractures in the ice would likely cool rapidly and freeze, potentially limiting future efforts to sample material from the moon's ocean.

NPR: AirTalk

Aug 04, 2026

The fight over 3D printed guns

Professor Sol Diamond participated in a discussion about the pros and cons of a new California bill that would require 3D printer companies to equip their printers with technology to stop the printing of gun parts. “We can take an already deployed technology from [geometric identification] and bring it to bear on this particular problem,” said Diamond.

The Cool Down

Aug 04, 2026

In the South and Midwest, Heat Waves Could Push Data Centers Off the Grid and Onto Generators

Professor Junbo Zhao discusses how greater coordination between data centers and grid operators, along with expanded power generation and smarter grid technologies, are needed to reduce strain on the electric grid during periods of peak demand.

NOTUS

Jul 30, 2026

Trump Keeps Greenlighting Requests to Push Data Centers Off the Grid

Professor Junbo Zhao discusses how the rapid growth of data centers is straining the nation's electric grid during periods of peak demand. Zhao says greater coordination between data centers and grid operators, along with new generation and grid technologies, will be needed to maintain reliability.

Earth.com

Jul 30, 2026

Europa's hidden ocean may be harder to reach than scientists thought

Professor Jacob Buffo is mentioned as being part of a study challenging the idea that water from Europa's subsurface ocean can travel through cracks in the moon's ice shell to the surface. Simulations suggest turbulent flow would cause the water to freeze before reaching the surface, making the ocean more difficult to access than previously thought.