Faculty

Staple-like particles reveal new path to strong materials

alse6588 — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 17:18:17 +0000

Staple-like particles reveal new path to strong materials alse6588 Tue, 04/14/2026 - 11:18

Alexander Servantez

A tightly packed ball of office staples can be surprisingly strong.Try to pull it apart and the tangled metal resists like a solid object.

But with the right movement or vibration, that same bundle can quickly fall back into loose pieces.

A team of engineers and materials scientists in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at �鶹��Ƶ are exploring how this uncanny combination of strength and flexibility could inspire a new class of materials built on interlocking particles. By mimicking the way staples lock together and release, the researchers believe these emerging materials can one day form structures that are strong, adaptable and even recyclable.

“We’ve been playing around with the idea of building blocks and geometry for many years, but we started looking at interlocking, entangled particles only recently,” said Professor Francois Barthelat, the leader of the Laboratory for Advanced Materials & Bioinspiration. “We are excited about the combination of properties we can get out of these systems and we believe this technology has the potential to go in many directions.”

Unraveling the research

A bird nest made out of interwoven sticks and fibers.

The work, recently published in the Journal of Applied Physics, focuses on what the researchers call “entanglement”—when multiple particles become intertwined with one another, creating a link.

It’s not a new concept. In fact, nature is filled with examples of objects or materials that tangle and interlock with each other to create strong structures. Think about that giant bird nest on the tree in your neighborhood made out of interwoven sticks and fibers, or the interplay of hard minerals and soft proteins in your bones.

But how can scientists recreate that kind of natural entanglement in manufactured materials? The researchers in Barthelat’s lab say the answer revolves around one key concept: particle shape.

“Let’s take sand as an example. Sand is smooth and convex-shaped, meaning it cannot interlock from grain to grain,” PhD student Youhan Sohn said. “However, we found that if we change the shape of a grain of sand, we can drastically affect its behavior and mechanical properties, including the particle’s ability to link with other particles.”

Once the group came to this realization, they began running Monte Carlo simulations, a type of computational analysis, to predict exactly how the particles interlock with each other. Their goal was to find the optimal geometry that delivered the maximum entanglement.

A video demonstrating a pickup test used to analyze particle entanglement.

After finding the optimal shape, the team performed pickup tests to see how the entangled particles actually behaved.

The tests showed that a “two-legged” particle—similar in shape to a staple—had the greatest potential for entanglement. But the researchers also discovered several unexpected advantages that made the design even more intriguing.

The first was its rare blend of tensile strength and toughness, a combination the researchers say conventional materials rarely achieve simultaneously.

“Our entangled granular material using the staple-like particle demonstrates both high strength and toughness at the same time,” said PhD student Saeed Pezeshki.

Next, was its unique ability to rapidly assemble—and just as quickly come apart.

By applying different vibrational patterns to the material, the team was able to change its level of entanglement on demand. A light vibration, for example, could be used to interlock and strengthen the particles, while a larger vibration could cause them to completely unravel.

“It’s a strange material because it’s obviously not a liquid. However, it’s also not quite solid. This opens new and intriguing engineering possibilities,” Barthelat said. “Handling a bundle of these entangled particles feels very remote and exotic.”

Professor Francois Barthelat at the Triple E Fair showcasing his team's research to help middle school students explore engineering.

PhD student Youhan Sohn guiding middle school students through a series of pickup tests to help them visualize particle entanglement.

PhD student Saeed Pezeshki demonstrating the mechanical behavior of staple-like particles for middle school students.

Reassembling the impact

A close look at a free-standing arch made of crown-leg staples.

One of those possibilities comes in the realm of sustainability. The group believes that one day, large buildings and structures like bridges can be designed using entangled materials, allowing them to be disassembled when no longer needed or even fully recycled.

Or maybe entangled materials can make their way into the world’s next great robotic systems, sort of like the ones you’ve seen in some of your favorite sci-fi movies.

“I was talking with other students who believe this technology can be used in swarm robotics— where small robots can entangle, do a task and then disentangle when they are done,” said Pezeshki.

“Yes, kind of like that liquid metal T-1000 in Terminator 2 who can change shape to slide under a door and then transform back to a human’s size on the other side,” added Barthelat. “It’s expensive and scaling up is a challenge, but it’s something that’s on everybody’s mind.”

A close-up photo showing two spiky burrs in nature.

For now, the group is focused on building out the next phase of their research. They are currently testing a new particle shape with added protruding “legs”—similar to those spiky plant burrs that stick relentlessly to your shoes when you step on them—which they believe can generate even stronger entanglement properties.

But no matter what project they are working on, the team says the most important thing about their work is maintaining the passion and excitement.

“We’re not quite sure where this is going to go, but we’re going to continue the fun,” Barthelat said. “Most people don’t think about making strong materials in this way out of something like staples, because they think it’s counterintuitive. Until they try breaking a bundle of staples in half and see that it’s impossible.

“We love to take a difficult project like this and dig in.”

A tightly packed ball of office staples can be surprisingly strong. Try to pull it apart and the tangled metal resists like a solid object. But with the right movement or vibration, that same bundle can quickly fall back into loose pieces. A team of engineers and materials scientists in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at �鶹��Ƶ are exploring how this uncanny combination of strength and flexibility could inspire a new class of materials built on interlocking particles.

Off

Zebra Striped

White

ME outreach program brings big engineering dreams to small rural towns

alse6588 — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 19:30:17 +0000

ME outreach program brings big engineering dreams to small rural towns alse6588 Wed, 04/01/2026 - 13:30

Alexander Servantez

For many high school students in rural Colorado, engineering once felt distant—something that happened somewhere else, by someone else.

But over the past decade, an outreach program in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering has been working to change that reality.

The program, known as the Science and Engineering Inquiry Collaborative (SCENIC), connects �鶹��Ƶ students with rural high schools to introduce hands-on engineering experiences into the classroom, turning local questions about air and soil quality into real-world research projects.

Today, the initiative serves 12 schools and nearly 700 high school students across rural Colorado each year. Its origins, however, were far more modest.

The early evolution

Launched in 2012 with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the program began as a research endeavor. At the time, there was only one graduate student working on the project. They were tasked with using an environmental air quality monitor, positioned at Paonia High School, to investigate the impacts of fracking.

A close look at an air quality monitor, otherwise known as a Y-pod, developed in the Hannigan lab.

But it wasn’t long before the monitors proved they could do more than just collect data—they could spark learning.

“One day, a teacher at the high school saw the monitor up on the roof and thought it would make for a good tool in the classroom,” said Daniel Knight, an associate research professor in mechanical engineering and SCENIC co-founder. “It’s a small monitor that could easily fit in the hands of students. We saw the potential and decided to develop a high-school curriculum using the monitor as a way to deliver engineering education.”

By summer 2013, the curriculum was ready and the monitoring device had been redesigned for classroom use. The following year, Knight and his small team were ready to scale the program, expanding their outreach to four rural high schools.

However, the group soon realized that sustaining rapid growth meant recruiting more college students to lead the high school classrooms. That’s when they decided to introduce a new course in mechanical engineering called Project Based Learning (PBL) in Rural Schools.

Developed alongside professor and fellow SCENIC co-founder Michael Hannigan, the year-long class takes a two-pronged approach. During the first semester, college students learn to master the monitoring technology and become confident classroom leaders. In the second semester, they travel to their assigned rural high schools and help teachers implement the engineering curriculum.

“We piloted the course for the first time in the 2015-2016 school year with just eight students and it really worked,” Knight said. “From there, we were fortunate enough to attract more funding, allowing us to add more students and schools. We even brought �鶹��Ƶ’s School of Education onboard to help monitor the program and identify ways we can improve our outreach efforts going forward.”

A broader impact

Now, nearly 30 undergraduate and graduate students enroll in the class each year, guiding rural high schoolers through projects that range from testing indoor air quality to analyzing soil conditions on local farms.

A group of students at Northfork High School in Hotchkiss, Colorado running a soil burning activity to determine the impact of fire on soil quality.

It’s a unique opportunity for rural high school students to turn their own towns into living laboratories. But Knight says it’s also an opportunity for the university to reach students who might otherwise never see themselves in engineering.

“Engineering and science education is very limited in these rural places,” said Knight. “Our goal is to bring a more interesting, project-based approach to their classrooms. That way we can get the word out about engineering and even just about attending college.”

Knight believes that establishing a more robust engineering identity in rural Colorado could benefit local communities, as well.

Rady Mechanical Engineering is already building that pipeline through partnerships with Western Slope universities that help rural students earn engineering degrees. Maybe one day, rural high schoolers inspired by the department’s outreach can return to their hometowns as engineers, bringing new ideas and solutions to their communities.

Or maybe they return to the program, this time as mentors, guiding students at the same rural high school that first sparked their interest in engineering.

“We offer our partnership program students the opportunity to take a remote section of the PBL course, and sometimes students we once mentored in high school come back as college students to take it,” Knight said. “When they are trained and ready to go, we like to send them back to the high schools they came from to mentor the next generation of students. It’s really rewarding to see that full circle moment come to fruition.”

With the program’s NSF award funding set to expire this year, Knight and his team are preparing a new grant proposal to try and keep their outreach alive. But they say maintaining the status quo isn’t enough—they want the program to strengthen and evolve.

“For years, the program has been mainly centered around air and soil science. However, we are also working to add another avenue of inquiry focused on wildfires,” said Knight. “It’s a topic that is extremely important in our state, especially in rural and mountainous areas of Colorado. We hope that adding wildfire questions into our curriculum gives high school students another meaningful way to engage with engineering and real-world problem solving.”

Associate Research Professor Daniel Knight and Professor Michael Hannigan are leading an outreach program that connects �鶹��Ƶ students with rural high schools to introduce hands-on engineering experiences in the classroom. The initiative, known as the Science and Engineering Inquiry Collaborative (SCENIC), serves 12 schools and nearly 700 high school students across rural Colorado each year, turning local questions about air and soil quality into real-world research projects.

Off

Traditional

White

Welker receives Exceptional Graduate Faculty Mentor Award

alse6588 — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 21:19:33 +0000

Welker receives Exceptional Graduate Faculty Mentor Award alse6588 Mon, 03/30/2026 - 15:19

The �鶹��Ƶ Graduate School has announced that Assistant Professor Cara Welker has earned one of this year's Exceptional Graduate Faculty Mentor Awards. The award honors faculty members for their outstanding contributions either to mentoring individual graduate students, improving the overall climate of graduate education within their program, or improving the graduate program itself.

Off

Traditional

White

Why do we get a skip in our step when we’re happy? Thank dopamine

alse6588 — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 20:09:04 +0000

Why do we get a skip in our step when we’re happy? Thank dopamine alse6588 Fri, 02/27/2026 - 13:09

Professor Alaa Ahmed is leading a study that highlights the central role that dopamine, a brain chemical associated with reward, seems to play in making people move faster when they want something. The findings could one day help scientists understand and even diagnose a range of human medical conditions, including Parkinson’s disease and depression.

Off

Traditional

White

What causes snow slopes to collapse? Vriend explains, with tips for surviving

alse6588 — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 20:48:14 +0000

What causes snow slopes to collapse? Vriend explains, with tips for surviving alse6588 Thu, 02/19/2026 - 13:48

Avalanche deaths are rare inside the boundaries of ski resorts, but the risk rises in the backcountry. Thirty backcountry avalanche deaths were reported in the U.S. during the 2022-23 season, 16 the following year, and 22 in 2024-25. In this article published by The Conversation, Associate Professor Nathalie Vriend explains what happens in an avalanche and techniques for surviving one.

Off

Traditional

White

Global collaboration to limit air pollution flowing across borders could save millions of lives

alse6588 — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 17:44:38 +0000

Global collaboration to limit air pollution flowing across borders could save millions of lives alse6588 Fri, 02/13/2026 - 10:44

A first-of-its-kind study, led by Professor Daven Henze and collaborators at Cardiff University in the United Kingdom, assesses how health benefits of aggressive climate policy travel across international borders. The researchers say that ambitious climate action to improve global air quality could save up to 1.32 million lives per year by 2040.

Off

Traditional

White

Donated blood has a shelf life. A new test tracks how it's aging

Alexander James Servantez — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 17:08:11 +0000

Donated blood has a shelf life. A new test tracks how it's aging Alexander Jame… Wed, 01/21/2026 - 10:08

Roughly 6.8 million people donate blood in the United States alone, helping save millions of lives, according to the American Red Cross. But just like groceries sitting on store shelves, red blood cells age over time. That's why Associate Professor Xiaoyun Ding and medical collaborators at CU Anschutz have created a new chip device to help give blood centers and hospitals a reliable way to monitor the quality of red blood cells after they sit for weeks in storage.

Off

Traditional

White

New materials, old physics – the science behind how your winter jacket keeps you warm

Alexander James Servantez — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 20:43:25 +0000

New materials, old physics – the science behind how your winter jacket keeps you warm Alexander Jame… Mon, 01/05/2026 - 13:43

Assistant Professor Longji Cui is a materials expert who develops high precision instrumentation and computational techniques to explore energy transport, conversion, and dissipation at extreme scales. In this article by The Conversation, Cui explains how even something as simple as winter jackets that keep you warm during chilly days are a testament to centuries-old physics and cutting-edge science.

Off

Traditional

White

Engineers develop real-time membrane imaging for sustainable water filtration

Alexander James Servantez — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 22:32:55 +0000

Engineers develop real-time membrane imaging for sustainable water filtration Alexander Jame… Tue, 12/16/2025 - 15:32

Professor Victor Bright, Professor Emeritus Alan Greenberg and PhD student Mo Zohrabi have helped develop a laser-based imaging method called stimulated Raman scattering to improve the performance of desalination plants by allowing real-time detection of membrane fouling. The advance could help make desalination more efficient and reliable as global demand for clean water rises.

Off

Traditional

White

Xu selected as a 2026 RIO Faculty Fellow

Alexander James Servantez — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 20:13:11 +0000

Xu selected as a 2026 RIO Faculty Fellow Alexander Jame… Wed, 12/10/2025 - 13:13

Assistant Professor Nicole Xu has been selected as a 2026 RIO Faculty Fellow. The program supports faculty in achieving their research and innovation goals and promotes collaboration through tailored training, experiential learning and leadership development opportunities.

Off

Traditional

White