Throwback to MSE Homecoming 2026! ☕✨ Huge thanks to @mikecateredcoffee for keeping us fueled with custom latte art featuring our department logo.

The University of Michigan Engineering and the University of Wisconsin are exploring M³BOLT, a new device that uses magnetic and sound waves rather than moving electrons, potentially transforming how computers process and store information. QR code for the story! @UMengineering

🔥 And that’s how we cast the Block M! 〽️ From molten metal to Michigan pride, here’s a look at the final step in our Cast M series!

☕ Homecoming Coffee with MSE! We kicked off Homecoming weekend by celebrating our 2026 MSE Alumni Merit Award winner, Dante Crockett! 📸 Caught enjoying coffee with Dante: MSE Chair Liz Holm and Todd Richardson, our Department Administrator.

🔥 The countdown to casting the M has begun! Before molten metal becomes the iconic block “M,” there’s preparation, precision, and a whole lot of heat! 🥽🔥 We’ve got the safety gear on, the team is ready, and it’s almost time to pour. 👀

What does it take to cast a cool metal block “M”? For high-temperature casting, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is essential to protect against extreme heat and molten metal splashes.

🎉 Congratulations to MSE’s Abdon Pena-Francesch! We’re proud to celebrate Assist. Professor Abdon Pena-Francesch on receiving the Distinguished Faculty Mentor Award from the UM Office of Postdoc. Affairs and the ESM Department Early Career Recognition Award from Penn State! 🏆

🎉 Congratulations to MSE’s Wenhao Sun! We’re proud to celebrate Wenhao Sun, who has received a 2026 NSF CAREER Award for his project, “Predicting the synthesis and synthesizability of metastable epitaxial thin films.” 🏆 👏 Join us in congratulating Wenhao Sun @UMengineering

We’re proud to share that our own Sahar Farjami was featured in Michigan Engineering’s “The Experts’ Experts,” a day-in-the-life spotlight on staff whose technical skills support research and academic success. Check the article out here: news.engin.umich.edu/2025/07…

Great News!! The deadline for EMERGE (Explore Michigan Engineering Research Graduate Experience) has been extended to July 29th! Visit campus, meet faculty & current students. Event Sept 24-27. Apply now: myumi.ch/VVgPx @UMengineering

CONGRATULATIONS and BEST WISHES to Sophie Lee of the Glotzer group on her Ph.D. defense Thursday, May 15, 10:00 a.m. in B32 Auditorium in NCRC. The title of her thesis is “From Guided Motion to Complex Tasks: Self-Propelled Vesicles as Functional Systems.” Good luck, Sophie!

JOIN US for a special retirement send-off for Patti Vogel on April 16, 3:00-4:30 pm in the Blue Lounge (#1280 GGB). We’ll have Mexican fare (her favorite) and cake. Come wish Patti bon retirement!

Assistant Professor Abdon Pena-Francesch has been selected to receive a 2025 PMSE Early Investigator award, a distinction given to early career researchers who are making an impact in the field of polymer science and engineering. Congratulations, Abdon!