ME News

A robotic apple picker developed by Michigan State University slowly rolls through a west Michigan orchard systematically picking apples off the trees thanks to a collaborative partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Xinpeng Zhao, 32, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has been named to the 2024 MIT Technology Review 35 Innovators Under 35. The magazine chose Zhao for inventing “a glass-based coating that can cool the roof of a building by around 3.5 °C below ambient air temperature, which could reduce air-conditioning energy use by nearly 10% for a mid-rise building.”

Michigan State University’s College of Engineering welcomed 18 faculty in Fall 2024. Interim Dean of Engineering John Papapolymerou said that these additions will help the growing student body become innovative and solution oriented.

Michigan State University Dean Leo C. Kempel’s last day as dean in the College of Engineering will be Sept. 30, 2024, after more than a decade.

Research at Michigan State University is focused on teaching robots to use colors to perceive, visualize, and interpret interactions when manipulating objects. A force-interpreting optical system is being developed so robots can distinguish and manipulate soft and fragile objects – which will be particularly helpful for medical and other assistive robots.

John Papapolymerou will be recommended to the Michigan State University Board of Trustees to serve as the interim dean of MSU’s College of Engineering, effective Oct. 1, 2024. Pending board approval, he will succeed Leo Kempel, who has served as dean since 2014.

The spirit of the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid inspired a prominent scholarship designed to help students in the Michigan State University College of Engineering strive for greatness, and that spirit continues to grow today.

It’s been eight months since Minami Yoda assumed an academic leadership role at the Michigan State University Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME).