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Scholar in Residence aims to further synthetic biology engineering research

Charles Ferrer — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 17:10:18 +0000

Scholar in Residence aims to further synthetic biology engineering research Charles Ferrer Mon, 08/17/2026 - 11:10

Myers at the Living Measurement Systems Foundry, an automated facility for testing and measurement of engineered microbes, located at NIST headquarters in Maryland.

Charles Ferrer

Myers at the Living Measurement Systems Foundry, an automated facility for testing and measurement of engineered microbes, located at NIST headquarters in Maryland.

When engineers design a bridge or a computer chip, they rely on proven design principles.

Biology doesn’t always play by those same rules given its complexity.

Professor Chris Myers is partnering with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), with support provided by the National Science Foundation and Schmidt Science, to develop data standards that could make synthetic biology more predictable and help artificial intelligence become a more effective research tool.

This is one of the challenges driving Myers, professor of electrical, computer and energy engineering and Palmer Leadership Chair at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder. During his yearlong sabbatical, Myers is collaborating with NIST researchers in Gaithersburg, Maryland to improve how scientists organize and analyze biological data, laying the foundation for more reliable synthetic biological engineering.

His work combines decades of research in synthetic biology with new opportunities in machine learning and artificial intelligence. Scientists need better data before artificial intelligence can accelerate scientific discovery.

“Engineering works because we can trust our models,” he said. “The more we can bring that same predictability to biology, the more powerful the field becomes.”

We spoke with Myers about synthetic biology, engineering standards and why AI is only as powerful as the information it’s given.

What is synthetic biology for those who may not be familiar with the field?

Synthetic biology involves redesigning organisms for useful purposes by engineering them to have new abilities.

Scientists are harnessing synthetic biology to solve pressing problems in medicine, environmental remediation, manufacturing and agriculture.

The goal of synthetic biology is to bring engineering discipline into biological design. Engineers rely on three fundamental ideas: standards, abstraction and decoupling.

Standards allow people to communicate and build systems that work together. Abstraction lets us design complex systems without worrying about every individual component. Decoupling separates design from construction.

Synthetic biology aims to bring those same engineering principles to biology. The challenge is that biology is incredibly complex, so we’re still working toward making those engineering concepts more practical and reliable.

Why are standards so important in synthetic biology?

Without standards, every laboratory ends up doing things differently. You can still conduct excellent research, but it’s difficult to reproduce results, share data or build on someone else’s work. Standards provide a common language that allows researchers to exchange information in ways both humans and computers can understand.

I’ve spent over 15 years helping develop the Synthetic Biology Open Language, which is one standard designed to improve how biological designs and experiments are represented digitally.

Developing standards is only part of the challenge, though. The harder part is getting the broader research community to adopt them.

How does your research endeavors at NIST help advance the field?

Myers demonstrating pipe petting at a synthetic biology outreach event for community college, undergraduate and graduate students.

NIST has built an impressive automated laboratory for synthetic biology research. Instead of scientists manually performing every experiment, robotic systems like the Living Measurement Systems Foundry can prepare samples, move them between instruments and collect data over many hours with minimal human intervention.

My project has three primary goals. First, we’re integrating the data infrastructure my research group has developed into NIST’s experimental workflows. Rather than organizing information after an experiment is complete, we want every step recorded in standardized formats as experiments happen.

Second, we’re asking a fundamental question: what data should scientists be collecting? That’s actually one of the biggest challenges in synthetic biology. We can often make something work in the lab, but when we move it into a real-world environment, its behavior changes. We want to establish better ways to characterize biological parts so researchers can predict how they’ll perform under different conditions, like how engineers understand the performance of electronic components.

Finally, we’re exploring how machine learning can help improve predictive biological models using these standardized datasets.

Artificial intelligence is becoming part of nearly every scientific discipline. How do you see it fitting into the world of synthetic biology?

Machine learning has existed for decades. What’s changed is that advances in computing and large language models have made it much more accessible. The important thing to remember is that AI doesn't create understanding by itself. It analyzes large amounts of data and identifies patterns.

If your data isn’t well organized or if your model simply memorizes the data instead of learning meaningful relationships with the data, you can end up with predictions that don’t hold up outside the original experiment.

We want machine learning to help us improve our scientific models by showing us what might be missing. Ideally, it points researchers toward new biological hypotheses that can then be tested experimentally. Ultimately, scientists still need to understand why a model works.

You often compare biology to traditional engineering disciplines. Why is predictability so important?

Engineering depends on trust. When civil engineers design bridges, they trust that the models they’re using accurately predict how the bridge will perform.

Biology hasn’t quite reached that point yet. We still don’t fully understand how genetic systems behave when they’re placed in different organisms, different environments or different conditions.

The more we understand those behaviors and the more consistently we measure them the better we'll be able to design biological systems that perform as expected. That’s where engineering principles can really transform biology.

How have your previous sabbaticals informed your research endeavors?

They’ve been transformative. My first sabbatical introduced me to synthetic biology and completely changed the direction of my research career. Another sabbatical led directly to collaborations that became the data infrastructure we’re using today.

This current one is giving me the opportunity to learn how machine learning can genuinely accelerate scientific research because we want to understand where it adds real value. Sabbaticals allow faculty to step away from their daily routines, learn something new and bring that knowledge back to their students, research groups and the university.

If I finish this year having expanded my own understanding and developed new tools that other researchers can use, then I’ll consider this a major success.

Professor Chris Myers is partnering with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, with support provided by the National Science Foundation and Schmidt Science, to develop data standards that could make synthetic biology more predictable and help AI become a more effective research tool.

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Above: An automated robotic pipetting system can process hundreds of samples quickly for experiments that include DNA assemblies and PCR reaction setup with increased accuracy and precision.

�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder enters next phase to develop national quantum networking capabilities

Charles Ferrer — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 14:36:28 +0000

�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder enters next phase to develop national quantum networking capabilities Charles Ferrer Thu, 07/09/2026 - 08:36

Researchers have advanced to the design phase to build a scalable quantum network capable of transmitting quantum information across long distances at unprecedented rates. The NSF-funded project aims to develop technologies to unlock new capabilities for quantum computing, communications and sensing.

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Engineering undergrad earned national student employee award 2026

Charles Ferrer — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 16:22:31 +0000

Engineering undergrad earned national student employee award 2026 Charles Ferrer Mon, 06/01/2026 - 10:22

Charles Ferrer

Lauren MacKay (left), director of alumni & donor engagement at the College of Engineering & Applied Science, and Braden O'Brien (right) at the 2026 student employee luncheon. Photo Credit: Patrick Campbell

Braden O’Brien, an electrical and computer engineering undergraduate student, landed the prestigious Student Employee of Year and Technology and Innovation Category Winner 2026 by the National Student Employment Association (NSEA).

Each spring, the NSEA chooses the National Student Employee of the Year to recognize outstanding contributions and achievements of students who work while attending college.

O’Brien worked for the College of Engineering and Applied Science Advancement team and was nominated for the Technology & Innovation categor yby Lauren MacKay, director of alumni and donor engagement, with the and worked with Diamond Darling, Jessica Tooker and Rose Adams for exceptional initiative, technical skill and innovative thinking.

“It almost doesn’t feel real and pretty remarkable to be so appreciated for the work I’ve done. I think that at the end of the day, we’re all just people trying our hardest to make it through each day,” said O’Brien. “I apply that philosophy to my work as well and simply make it a point to try every day. I’m overjoyed to have been selected for such a monumental award!”

From the start, O’Brien identified opportunities to replace inefficient or inconsistent legacy processes with technology-driven solutions which reshaped the team’s approach to reporting and strategic planning.

One of his most significant contributions was leading the development of a standardized system to track the college’s volunteer engagement. Previously, volunteer data was tracked manually in inconsistent ways, limiting accuracy and long-term usefulness.

O'Brien worked closely with Data Insights and Data Management teams to troubleshoot issues, test bulk-upload processes and design a sustainable approach to tracking volunteer engagement.

MacKay describes this work as a unique and forward-thinking contribution that not only improved productivity for the team but also helped pilot processes that were later adopted more broadly.

To support continuity in a student-staffed environment, O’Brien created detailed, user-friendly standard operating procedures that strengthened continuity, consistency and data integrity. Also, he built a dynamic CRM dashboard that turns complex datasets into real-time, actionable insights for colleagues without technical backgrounds.

MacKay emphasized that he, “does not innovate for innovation’s sake,” but instead builds tools that are accessible, sustainable and genuinely useful to the team’s goals.

Q&A with Braden O’Brien

What were some key accomplishments you were proud of?

In the summer of 2024, our team transitioned customer relationship management systems. During this transition, I was the first and only student on my team ever responsible for completing the team’s annual report. With the transition, the team was looking to develop a way to gather data for the report. I created and documented processes for collecting and analyzing data from the new CRM. This is likely the single project I’m most proud of during my time on my team.

Over the last two summers, I developed a streamlined process for creating donor impact reports for the college’s scholarships. The old process was purely manual and took months of time. In fact, the previous donor relations coordinator on our team called it her longest project of the year. The new process that I developed shortened this process to just a day or two of work for our team.

What analytical skills did you bring to your projects as an engineer to accomplish your work with the Advancement team?

The biggest thing I’ve learned through engineering is perspective. Being able to step back and look for different approaches to a problem is very meaningful to not only work but also life.
On a more concrete note, I’ve primarily gained technological literacy.

As a double major student in electrical & computer engineering and engineering physics, I’ve had extensive experience in things like Boolean logic and programming, which has been especially important in my day-to-day work. Add on my applied math minor in scientific computing and I like to believe I’ve been very well trained for data analysis. In addition, engineering labs have given me experience in project management, which has been invaluable.

What's next going into your final year at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder?

I’m interested in pursuing the quantum information science industry! At the moment, I’m planning on taking �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder’s up-and-coming Quantum Forge for my final year. After that, I’ll be moving on into the industry. Odds are I may end up back in school for a master’s in quantum engineering some time down the road.

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Four ECEE students earn major National Science Foundation research fellowships

Charles Ferrer — Thu, 07 May 2026 19:51:20 +0000

Four ECEE students earn major National Science Foundation research fellowships Charles Ferrer Thu, 05/07/2026 - 13:51

Charles Ferrer

Four students from the Department of Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder have been recognized with 2026 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) awards.

Jacob Stewart, Zoe Worrall, Camille Williams and Raymond Anchordoquy are recipients of the 2026 research fellowships, which supports outstanding graduate students from across the country in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields who are pursuing research-based graduate degrees.

Each will receive three years of financial support, including an annual stipend of $37,000, as well as professional development and research opportunities.

Learn more about their research below

Jacob Stewart

1st Year PhD Student

Advisor: Yide Zhang
Lab: BOLTS
Undergraduate Institution/Major: �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder, Electrical Engineering

My research focuses on pushing quantum imaging out of the lab towards real-world applications. Quantum imaging (QI) uses quantum-entangled photons to image objects. QI methods have demonstrated imaging at classically impossible noise levels, transferred images from one wavelength to another, and achieved resolutions beyond the diffraction limit. While these methods have shown unique and powerful imaging properties, they can be impractically slow, sometimes taking days to achieve high-quality images. My research aims to make QI faster, ideally real-time. This speed will allow us to use QI as a practical tool in biomedical imaging, enabling us to capture enhanced images of delicate living samples.

Zoe Worrall

1st Year PhD Student

Advisor: Nicole Bienert
Lab: HI SNR Laboratory
Undergraduate Institution/Major: Harvey Mudd College, Engineering

My research is focused on understanding the water content of trees using radio waves. Water stress in trees is a common indicator of fire risk. Increasing temperatures across the Western United States and increased frequency of wildfire requires the development of more accurate wildfire predictions. My research, which will improve tree hydrologic models, will provide key insights into wildfire behavior. Current tree hydrology studies use probes or satellite data, but these techniques place time or spatial constraints on data. I plan to mitigate these constraints by collecting data using drone-mounted field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Similar to how light changes its color and intensity when it reflects off surfaces of varying materials and roughness, radio waves scatter and propagate depending on tree geometry and volumetric water content. By aggregating radio wave scattering data from multiple angles, we can construct a more accurate hydrologic model of tree water. My work extends the capabilities of the Open Radar Code Architecture platform, which will provide fields ranging from civil engineering to ecology to geophysics, with a simple multi-static radar. This project is possible in part because of the multidisciplinary swathe of experts in radio engineering and earth sciences offered at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder.

Camille Williams

1st Year PhD Student

Advisor: Zoya Popovic
Lab: Microwave and RF Research Group
Undergraduate Institution/Majors: Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Physics & Mathematical Sciences

My research will address techniques for design and multiphysics modeling of efficient multi-mode kW-level cavities for microwave heating of various materials to high temperatures above a couple hundred to thousand degrees Celsius. Microwave heating has been demonstrated to be significantly faster and more energy efficient than traditional processing methods, providing an electrical route to decarbonization of industrial heating. Applications of microwave heating include sintering of ceramics, waste-to-fuel conversion, processing of food and cement, and more. As an extension of the design, I will investigate diagnostics techniques including IR imaging for measuring surface temperatures and microwave thermometry to reconstruct internal temperatures of the heated objects.

Raymond Anchordoquy

Incoming PhD student

Advisors: Michael Schneider (NIST)
Labs: Spin electronics group (NIST)
Undergraduate Institution/Major: �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder, Physics

My research will focus on the application of high-speed superconducting electronics to neuromorphic computing. While classical computers based on the von Neumann architecture face scaling difficulties due to their physical separation of computation from memory, a neuromorphic computer takes inspiration from biological brains in the hope of achieving much higher throughput, scalability, and efficiency. Superconducting electronics are a near-ideal platform for neuromorphic computing, as superconducting circuits can operate nonlinearly at high speeds while consuming very little energy. By working towards a scalable spiking neuromorphic architecture mimicking the rich dynamics of biological brains, this research aims to ultimately support the development of the next generation of computers for machine learning and other resource-intensive tasks.

Jacob Stewart, Zoe Worrall, Camille Williams and Raymond Anchordoquy are recipients of the 2026 NSF research fellowships, which supports outstanding graduate students in STEM fields for their research endeavors.

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Meet the Emmy-winning engineer whose algorithms are behind your Netflix binge

Charles Ferrer — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 14:32:51 +0000

Meet the Emmy-winning engineer whose algorithms are behind your Netflix binge Charles Ferrer Tue, 04/21/2026 - 08:32

Charles Ferrer

Photo Credit: Jesse Petersen

Every time you hit play on a video, chances are you have Al Bovik to thank for its visual quality.

Bovik, professor and Provost’s Chair in Engineering in the Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, has spent decades developing algorithms that now influence nearly 80% of internet and social media content.

At the center is digital visual perception, or using the neuroscience of human vision to make streamed video look as sharp and natural as possible. His work is used by familiar brands like Netflix, Amazon and YouTube.

Understanding not just how cameras capture patterns of light, Bovik explains, but how the brain interprets it is an important element that drives his research.

“The question that really gripped me over time was: can we model mathematically how we see?” Bovik says. “That’s a very different and much harder problem.”

His achievements in visual perception processing has landed him two Emmys: a Primetime Emmy Engineering Award for Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Development and a Technology and Engineering Emmy from the Academies of Television Arts and Sciences. They also earned him the IEEE Edison Medal, which he shares with Alexander Graham Bell, Nikola Tesla and Ray Dolby.

We sat down with Bovik to discuss his career, the neuroscience hiding behind your favorite TV or movie and why his proudest achievement isn’t just theories and algorithms.

For someone outside the field, how would you describe what digital processing is?

At its simplest, image processing is about manipulating visual information using computations. Digital processing involves inventing theories and algorithms to help make television and movies more efficient, faster and higher quality. What I do is more than that. It is modeling the visual parts of the brain mathematically, then using those models to create algorithms for better photography, TV shows and movies.

What first drew you toward the field of digital processing?

I’m a deeply visual person. Whenever I travel, the first place I go is an art museum. If I go a week without seeing a movie, I go into withdrawal. I’m a visual, spatial thinker and suddenly here was a field that lived at the intersection of mathematics and how we see the world. Then I took an image processing class from Thomas Huang, one of the inventors of image compression, and everything changed overnight. I knew immediately: This is what I want to do. I’ve never looked back.

What does the science of human vision reveal about how we see digital content?

We know that image processing happens in various brain centers, including the primary visual cortex — the very back of the brain. Vision requires processing an enormous amount of raw information, compressing it into concise, efficient representations that the brain can use to recognize a car on the highway or track a bird in flight. We can model that mathematically and start exploring questions like why do we look where we look, or where does your gaze land when you’re driving? The same holds true in videos — your eyes are directed to certain areas when viewing a particular scene.

What are the acclaimed algorithms that you innovated, ones people don’t necessarily notice?

We created a variety of algorithms used throughout the streaming and social media industries. These algorithms use mathematical models of how visual distortions are perceived in the human brain, using them to predict how a human will rate the visual quality of a picture or video. For example, they are widely used to control the compression of television and movies streamed worldwide. Compression is necessary since videos are huge and would not be practically streamable otherwise. One of them, called structural similarity (SSIM), allows the big streamers and social media platforms to compress content as much as possible to the point just before noticeable distortions appear. Engineers at companies like Netflix, Meta Platforms, Amazon and YouTube use this technology.

Can you walk us through what’s happening technically when someone presses play on Netflix?

Let’s say you’re watching Stranger Things. The moment you start a scene, up in the cloud, approximately 20 different versions of that scene have already been prepared, each compressed a different amount, each perceptually optimized using our algorithms. Some are also spatially downsampled: A 4K video might have versions encoded at 2K or even lower resolution.

Your device, whether it’s on your phone or TV, measures the available bandwidth, which changes constantly, especially if someone is on the move in a city with tall buildings and requests whichever of those 20 versions best fits your current conditions. This happens scene by scene, continuously.

Here’s the part that surprises most people: You might think you’re watching 4K, but if your bandwidth is constrained, you might actually be receiving a heavily compressed 2K version that’s been decompressed and upsampled back to 4K on your TV. Visually, you can’t tell the difference because of our video quality algorithms.

Your algorithms also help determine how much video can be compressed before viewers notice a difference. How does that work?

Another algorithm we developed, called visual information fidelity, or VIF, predicts how a person will perceive the quality of a video after it has been compressed. It tells the Netflix video quality system the point where distortions may be visible. Netflix’s video streaming is built on these neuroscience principles and sometimes I say that they have now become a visual neuroscience company.

Professor Al Bovik and two former PhD students at the 2015 Primetime Emmy Engineering Awards ceremony.

How did your first successful model, structural similarity, come about?

Almost by accident, honestly. My students and I were working on video compression, and we ran into a fundamental problem: How do you even measure whether your results are good? How does a human perceive the quality of a picture? Nobody had really solved that, and most researchers thought it was unsolvable. So we built our own model. We were amazed when the entire television industry noticed and adopted it. The streaming world discovered it early while they were wrestling with the question of how much to compress video before it starts looking distorted to a viewer. This was especially important since the new wireless/smartphone systems had very limited bandwidth. SSIM gave them a way to find that compression point and deliver perceptually compressed videos to everyone. Every photo uploaded to Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp or Reels is now optimized using a model rooted in visual neuroscience. We had successfully introduced the principles of visual neuroscience throughout the internet.

You’ve also worked with Meta for nearly a decade on virtual and augmented reality. What does that world look like?

It’s one of the most exciting problems I’ve worked on. Imagine wearing advanced AR glasses here in Colorado, while your colleague is wearing a similar pair in Paris. You can see each other in 3D, in real time, as if you’re in the same room. The challenge is that the display is an inch from your eye, so you need a far denser resolution, perhaps 8K or 16K, which means vastly more data to compress and transmit. Our approach is the avatar model: rather than sending a live 3D video feed, you build a photo realistic 3D model of the person which is stored on your friend’s AR glasses, and only transmit their facial movements determined by cameras and image processing in your own glasses, which requires far less bandwidth. The 3D avatar is animated in real time on the receiving end.

What are you most proud of during your teaching career and working partnering with some of the largest digital giants?

I ask myself, “Am I giving my students the best possible opportunities?” My students are not just programmers, and they’re not just video engineers. They’re also trained as visual psychologists and neuroscientists. The thing I’m most proud of is the successes of my students. The Netflix video team is largely composed of students from our Laboratory for Image and Video Engineering (LIVE). What matters most to me are the people who came through this lab and went on to shape an industry. No less than six of my students have Emmy statuettes on their shelves at work or home. If I were to ask myself why I’m here at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder, that’s the answer, along with living in the Colorado mountains!

What’s an aspect that people may not realize about your work in image processing?

The internet now accounts for nearly 10% of global carbon emissions, and that’s growing fast. Our algorithms help reduce internet video data volume, which is 80% of internet traffic, by nearly 25%. By reducing the amount of data moving through global networks, we are shaving off a meaningful fraction of that footprint, and the ecological impact is real.

Burning question: Do you have a favorite movie and show that has used your algorithm?

Pretty much any movie or TV show I watch will be processed by these algorithms. These would include British Mystery shows like Broadchurch, Grace and Prime Suspect, which my wife and I watch all the time, and movies with great acting, cinematography and directing, like The Godfather, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner, Spartacus, Gladiator and many more. This year, I especially liked Sinners and One Battle After Another.

Two-time Emmy‑winning electrical engineer Al Bovik shares how his algorithms shape the visual quality of nearly 80% of streamed video worldwide. By combining neuroscience with engineering, his work impacts some of the largest digital platforms behind your TV or movie binge.

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Electrical & computer engineers tackle real-world solutions for Expo 2026

Charles Ferrer — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 16:12:51 +0000

Electrical & computer engineers tackle real-world solutions for Expo 2026 Charles Ferrer Thu, 04/09/2026 - 10:12

The Easy‑Z student team is designing a compact benchtop replica from Medtronic’s surgical robot that aims to help with the development of next‑generation surgical instruments.

Charles Ferrer

The Basically Wizards team developed an environmental monitoring system that collects long‑term data on climate and soil conditions, collaborating with the NASA Colorado Space Grant from 2025.

Graduating seniors from the Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering (ECEE) at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder are set to showcase their capstone projects at the Engineering Project Expo. The highly anticipated event highlights the creativity, expertise gained and problem-solving skills of students as they tackle real-world challenges.

This year, 22 ECEE capstone teams will present a wide range of projects that elevates technology and innovation. The projects address areas in biomedical engineering, wireless power systems, RF connectivity and portable instrumentation, among others that demonstrate students’ ability to design, test and propose solutions for a variety of applications.

The Senior Design course is a two-semester program for all graduating electrical & computer students. Over the course of the year, students collaborate in teams to bring a product from initial concept to functional prototype.

Each team partners with an industry or faculty sponsor to define a product, explore possible technologies and develop custom electrical and computing solutions.

Students gain hands-on experience that prepares them for engineering careers by immersing them in the full product development cycle from brainstorming and design to testing and implementation.

Industry collaboration

Join us at Expo 2026!
Who: K-12 students, prospective �鶹��Ѱ��engineers and community members
When: Friday, April 17, 2-5 p.m.
Where: Ford Practice Facility, 2150 Colorado Ave., Boulder, CO
Parking: Parking is available in lots 391 (Folsom Garage), lot 169 or lot 177 for $5.

Under the leadership of Assistant Teaching Professor Erik Hodges and Scholar in Residence Eric Bogatin, the capstone design program partners with professionals from industry organizations who want to provide a collaborative experience for ECEE students.

This year’s sponsors include leading organizations such as Qualcomm, Pico Technology, NASA’s JPL, Medtronic, SamTech, Hyperlabs, Cardiost, NASA Space Grant and Teradyne. �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder faculty also sponsored projects including Marco Nicotra, Al Gasiewski, Cody Scarborough and Mona El Helbawy.

“Capstone is special to me because it is where students transition from being engineering students to being full-fledged engineers,” Hodges said. “I see capstone as a key environment for students to develop strong communication skills—not only formal presentation skills, but also how to communicate their work to both engineers and non-engineers.”

Hodges noted the progress students have made throughout the capstone process from nailing down a product’s initial concept to building a prototype.

“I am extremely proud of my students for their work and I cannot wait for them to show off their projects at Expo.”

He is also advising ten electrical & computer engineering students who are doing their capstone as part of the �鶹��Ѱ��Racing Team, where they are building an electric car for Expo.

Surgical robotics accelerates next-gen medical device

The Easy‑Z student team is designing a compact benchtop replica from Medtronic’s surgical robot that aims to help with the development of next‑generation surgical instruments.

Electrical engineering senior Kylie Auerbach is leading a team working with Medtronic to develop the Easy-Z, a compact benchtop replica of one arm from Medtronic’s Hugo surgical robot.

Hugo is a human-sized robotic-assisted surgery platform used in real operating rooms, where its arms hold and maneuver precision instruments that surgeons control during procedures.

Gaining access to the full Hugo system just to test a single new instrument is slow and logistically complex and the Easy-Z solves that problem.

“The Easy-Z replicates one of those arms in a compact, standalone form, putting it directly in the hands of engineers and speeding up the development of next-generation surgical instruments," Auerbach said.

The key to the Easy-Z is a motor control technique called Field Oriented Control, one of the main methods available for electric motors. Unlike simpler approaches, it continuously calculates and adjusts magnetic forces inside the motor in real time, delivering smooth, precise and efficient motion at the millimeter scale, critical in surgical robotics.

The team also designed a custom motor driver circuit board from scratch using components made from Gallium Nitride, a next-generation semiconductor material.

“GaN switches faster, runs cooler and wastes less energy than conventional components,” Auerbach said. “Being able to design that hardware and push GaN’s capabilities within a demanding control system, on a project with surgical robotics implications, is exactly the kind of cutting-edge work that makes this project so compelling.”

The project is advised by Medtronic engineer Keith Malang alongside engineers Madelyn Polly and Donovan Facey, both former �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder electrical engineering graduates who completed their own Medtronic capstone.

After graduation, Auerbach will join Texas Instruments in Dallas, Texas as a systems engineer, where she will work on ultra-low noise, magnetically insensitive parametric amplifiers for quantum computers.

A smarter bench multimeter

The Quantum Eels student team develop a compact, lightweight benchtop multimeter designed for electronics design, in collaboration with Pico Technology.

Sponsored by Pico Technology, the team known as the Quantum Eels is designing a small, lightweight portable benchtop multimeter intended for electronics design, repair and education purposes.

The instrument will measure a range of electrical properties, such as voltage, current, resistance, capacitance, inductance and impedance, with each team member taking ownership of a specific measurement domain as a subject matter lead.

Every member has expanded both their technical skill set and their collaborative abilities. For example, each student has a designated role and area they are responsible for including voltage sensing, PCB lead analog output, software and USB.

“Working with our sponsor, Pico Technology, has been an excellent experience,” said electrical engineering student Andrew Rusin. “The project has allowed us to fully experience the R&D process from start to finish, which has been incredibly rewarding.”

Wireless power for life-saving heart devices

Another compelling project comes from a team working with Cardiost, a medical startup developing implantable heart-assist devices. Left atrial and left ventricular assist devices, known as LAUDs and LVADs, use electrically driven pumps to help weakened hearts circulate blood, extending the lives of patients with critical heart disease.

I really enjoy working with our students on translating the theory and skills learned in their coursework to solve real-life engineering challenges."
Dr. Erik Hodges

However, these devices currently require an external power cable that pierces the patient’s skin, creating a persistent infection risk that can lead to serious complications.

The team is developing the Transcutaneous Energy Management and Transfer (TEMT) system, a prototype wireless charging system for an implanted battery that would power Cardiost’s LAUD device, eliminating the need for that dangerous external wire.

The engineering challenges are significant: the distance between charging coils can be 10-15 mm even under ideal implant conditions, the system must tolerate coil misalignment and heating of tissue must be minimized for patient safety. Additionally, the implanted module must remain compact and the system must deliver substantial power efficiently to quickly recharge the battery between the device’s long operating periods.

The team’s goal is to demonstrate a wireless power transfer system capable of delivering 25 watts at 80% DC-to-DC efficiency while meeting all of those constraints, something that could eventually become a viable medical device.

Cardiost CEO and Co-Founder Nico Anzellini mentors the student team, along with ECEE faculty members Professor Dragan Maksimovic and Associate Professor Luca Corradini.

Validating complex RF cable networks

One team has developed an RF connectivity analyzer designed to help engineers validate dense cable interconnection networks in partnership with Qualcomm.

The device consists of three main components: an RF signal generator, a switching unit that routes the signal to one of eight outputs and a signal detector with ten inputs to measure incoming signal power.

“Our project with Qualcomm is highly significant for our entire team,” said electrical engineering student Taite Hartman, “as it presents the opportunity to develop a device that will be utilized in labs worldwide for a company that plays a critical role in wireless technology infrastructure.”

Their RF connectivity analyzer addresses a real need in the validation of complex RF systems and represents the team’s work on signal generation, switching computer architecture and precision measurement.

Graduating seniors will showcase their capstone projects at the Engineering Project Expo. This year’s 22 teams from ECEE will present innovative solutions spanning biomedical engineering, wireless power and RF connectivity for industry partners, alumni and the public.

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�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder to host International Workshop on Biodesign Automation this June

Charles Ferrer — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 15:55:56 +0000

�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder to host International Workshop on Biodesign Automation this June Charles Ferrer Wed, 04/08/2026 - 09:55

Charles Ferrer

The �鶹��Ѱ�� will host the 18th annual International Workshop on Biodesign Automation (IWBDA) on June 18-20. IWBDA will be held immediately following the Synthetic Biology: Engineering, Evolution & Design (SEED) Conference, which will be held in Denver from June 15-18.

Graduate and undergraduate students at a synthetic biology outreach event led by the Genetic Logic Lab at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder.

“Hosting IWBDA is a great opportunity for our faculty and students to engage with world-class researchers and industry leaders in the emerging field of synthetic biology,” said Chris Myers, department chair of electrical, computer and energy engineering. “We look forward to forming new collaborations that will move this exciting field forward.”

Synthetic biology involves redesigning organisms for useful purposes by engineering them to have new abilities. Scientists around the world are harnessing synthetic biology to solve the pressing problems in medicine, manufacturing and agriculture.

For example, microorganisms can be engineered to clean pollutants from water, soil and air that are essential in the fight against environmental contamination. In agriculture, scientists have modified rice to produce beta-carotene, a nutrient typically associated with carrots, helping to prevent vitamin A deficiency in populations that rely heavily on rice as a dietary staple.

However, synthetic biology faces a significant challenge where the field has lagged behind other industries when it comes to adopting computational and digital solutions. Unlike software engineering, where standardized tools and workflows are common, biological systems are highly complex and variable. A solution that works for one organism or process often must be completely redesigned for another.

This is where biodesign automation (BDA) comes in. BDA applies the principles of engineering and computer science to streamline and accelerate biological research and development.

By developing innovative software tools, standardized components and automated workflows, researchers aim to make synthetic biology faster, more reproducible and accessible.

IWBDA pushes the mission forward bringing synthetic biology, systems biology and design automation communities together for stronger collaboration.

What to expect at the SEED conference

Synthetic Biology: Engineering, Evolution & Design (SEED) is the premier technical conference for the synthetic biology community, serving as a global venue to share transformative breakthroughs across academia and industry.

Attending SEED 2026

Who: Open to the public
When: Monday, June 15- Thursday, June 18
Where: Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center
Registration: Required

The conference highlights how advances such as artificial intelligence and biological engineering are accelerating the field faster than ever.

Covering synthetic biology from its scientific foundations to its commercial applications, SEED offers attendees insight into development strategies from leaders in research, biomanufacturing and product innovation.

Whether participants focus on research and development, commercialization or bringing discoveries into real-world impact, SEED provides significant networking opportunities for those engaged in the synthetic biology community.

By attending both SEED and IWBDA, participants gain an opportunity to engage in technical workshops, as well as hands-on design automation strategies for individuals in research, academic and industry.

Get the scoop about IWBDA 2026

IWBDA aims to bring academic researchers and industry partners together to lead the field of biodesign automation for synthetic biology forward.

Attending IWBDA 2026
Who: Researchers, faculty, students, industry
When: Thursday, June 18 to Saturday, June 20
Where: KOBL 352 / ECCS 201
Registration: Required

This year’s IWBDA workshop, led by the Department of Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering (ECEE), takes place immediately following the SEED conference, held in Boulder which is less than 40 miles from Denver, making the two events a natural pairing for attendees traveling to Colorado for the week.

IWBDA will include presentations and poster talks selected from submitted abstracts, Birds of a Feather discussions and interactive breakout sessions.

Topics will span artificial intelligence and machine learning in synthetic biology, biosecurity considerations in lab automation, the growing role of biofoundries, computer-aided design tools and synthetic biology education and outreach.

Keynote speakers include Dr. Domitilla Del Vecchio of MIT and Dr. Emma J. Chory of Duke University, both prominent researchers in the intersection of engineering and biological sciences.

Hands-on tutorials

Attending IWBDA Tutorials

Who: Researchers, faculty, students, industry
When: Saturday, June 13 to Sunday, June 14
Where: KOBL 352
Registration: Required (fee can be waived for �鶹��Ѱ��students)

For those who want to dive deeper before the main workshop, IWBDA tutorials will be held June 13-14 in Boulder.

These two days hands-on sessions are designed to give faculty, researchers, industry members and students practical experience with synthetic biology software tools and to close the gap between tool developers and experimental biologists.

Parallel tracks will be offered for both users and developers, allowing attendees to tailor their experience to their skill level and interests.

The user track will guide participants through a complete synthetic biology workflow using open-source tools, while the developer track will introduce libraries and resources for building standard-enabled synthetic biology software.

�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder will host the 18th International Workshop on Biodesign Automation (IWBDA), June 18–20, following the SEED Conference in Denver. The workshop brings together researchers and industry leaders advancing biodesign automation in synthetic biology.

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Electrical and computer engineering graduate program rank top 20 nationally

Charles Ferrer — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 14:42:00 +0000

Electrical and computer engineering graduate program rank top 20 nationally Charles Ferrer Tue, 04/07/2026 - 08:42

The electrical and computer engineering programs at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder are among the top 20 engineering graduate programs according to the U.S. News and World Report for 2024-25. In the specialty rankings, computer engineering is No. 14 and electrical engineering is No. 17 among public universities.

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Assistant Professor Jensen recognized as exceptional mentor 2026

Charles Ferrer — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 14:22:10 +0000

Assistant Professor Jensen recognized as exceptional mentor 2026 Charles Ferrer Mon, 03/30/2026 - 08:22

Assistant Professor Emily Jensen was recognized with the Exceptional Graduate Faculty Mentor Award by the Graduate School at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder.

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Nobel Laureate Donna Strickland to visit �鶹��Ѱ��on April 1

Charles Ferrer — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 15:57:36 +0000

Nobel Laureate Donna Strickland to visit �鶹��Ѱ��on April 1 Charles Ferrer Wed, 03/18/2026 - 09:57

Nobel Laureate Donna Strickland to visit �鶹��Ѱ��on April 1
Lectures & Presentations
Physicist Donna Strickland will give a lecture on "From Nonlinear Optics to High-Intensity Laser Physics," including her Nobel-winning developments of chirped pulse amplification.

On April 1, Nobel Laureate & physicist Donna Strickland will give a lecture "From Nonlinear Optics to High-Intensity Laser Physics," including her Nobel-winning developments of chirped pulse amplification.

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News

Scholar in Residence aims to further synthetic biology engineering research

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How have your previous sabbaticals informed your research endeavors?

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�鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder enters next phase to develop national quantum networking capabilities

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Engineering undergrad earned national student employee award 2026

Q&A with Braden O’Brien

What were some key accomplishments you were proud of?

What analytical skills did you bring to your projects as an engineer to accomplish your work with the Advancement team?

What's next going into your final year at �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder?

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Four ECEE students earn major National Science Foundation research fellowships

Learn more about their research below

Jacob Stewart

Zoe Worrall

Camille Williams

Raymond Anchordoquy

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Meet the Emmy-winning engineer whose algorithms are behind your Netflix binge

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Electrical & computer engineers tackle real-world solutions for Expo 2026

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�鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder to host International Workshop on Biodesign Automation this June

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Electrical and computer engineering graduate program rank top 20 nationally

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Assistant Professor Jensen recognized as exceptional mentor 2026

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Nobel Laureate Donna Strickland to visit �鶹��Ѱ�����on April 1

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�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder enters next phase to develop national quantum networking capabilities

What's next going into your final year at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder?

�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder to host International Workshop on Biodesign Automation this June

Nobel Laureate Donna Strickland to visit �鶹��Ѱ��on April 1