Department of Mechanical Engineering Archives - News Center

URochester men's soccer team player Johnny Makula curves a soccer ball during a kick to demonstrate the Magnus effect.

Science & Technology

The Magnus effect: The science that allows soccer players to ‘bend it like Beckham’

‘Miracle’ goals scored from seemingly impossible angles are made possible by physics.

Two URochester students get situated within an off-road vehicle.

Campus & Community

Driven to be ever better through off-roading

URochester students gain hands-on engineering experience through designing, building, and racing off-road vehicles together.

The shape of a brain but composed entirely of water that is sloshing around, all set against a black background.

Science & Technology

AI reveals how the brain clears harmful waste

The new approach combines MRI scans and AI tools to measure fluid flow linked to diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

John Nichol smiling against a white background next to a thought bubble that says "what is quantum" near text that reads "ever wonder" for an explainer about quantum computing.

Science & Technology

Why the future of computing is quantum

September 24, 2025

The strengths and limitations of computing advances are pushing the boundaries of what quantum machines can do.

The view from the rim of the caldera of Olympus Mons on Mars, the largest volcano in the solar system.

Science & Technology

Mars surface patterns resemble Earth, revealing secrets of its past

Wave-like landforms on Mars offer insights about the planet’s icy past, its potential habitability, and the physics of flowing granular materials.

Satellite imagery of the Gulf of Mexico showing swirling currents and ocean eddies.

Science & Technology

How does the atmosphere affect ocean weather?

January 31, 2025

A new Rochester study upends previous assumptions about how surface winds and ocean weather patterns interact.

GIF showing black and red swirling data visualized on the left and blue, green, and yellow visualized data on the right with "AI" in text in the middle.

Science & Technology

How artificial intelligence is powering the fusion revolution

October 16, 2024

At the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester scientists harness AI to bring fusion research into sharper focus.

An illustration of several colorful, hexagon shaped icons representing different academic fields like space engineering, music, math, AI, and genetics.

Campus & Community

Back-to-school meets future-ready: New academic programs at Rochester

September 13, 2024

The range of recently launched degree programs reflects what students, the workforce, and the world need and want to become ever better.

four students walk to class on a fall day

Campus & Community

July and August 2024 in Photos

August 29, 2024

Summer saw no time for rest at the University of Rochester—and we quite like it that way. Take a look at how we spent July and August.

Ting Du, wearing a white lab coat, sits at a desk and points to a computer screen showing yellow fluid as Doug Kelley looks over her shoulder.

Science & Technology

Cleaning up the aging brain

August 15, 2024

Rochester scientists are restoring the brain’s trash disposal system with a drug currently used to induce labor.