Innovation Spotlight: Theodore Moustakas and Modern Display Technology
BU Today recently highlighted the university’s long-standing legacy of innovation in the article “A History of Invention and Innovation”. The piece celebrates transformative discoveries by BU researchers, including the work of College of Engineering professor emeritus Theodore Moustakas. Moustakas pioneered methods for producing high-quality gallium nitride films, a breakthrough that enabled the development of blue […]
Engineering Enzymes to Develop Hormone Biosensors
PhD student Takumi Hawes aims to modify enzymes, so they effectively bind to the hormone cortisol. This may revolutionize biomedical devices that track hormone levels.
Undergraduate Researcher Helps Decode Solar Energy Capture
Undergraduate student Jacob Lydon’s research may reveal how photosynthetic pigment, chlorophyll a, achieves highly efficient solar energy harvesting.
A New Path to Restoring Vision: Chen Yang’s Lab Develops Flexible Retinal Prosthesis
Chen Yang has led research that can revolutionize the quality of life for blind patients through high precision retina stimulation.
A Polymer That Defies Nature: The First Molecularly Impermeable Plastic
For decades, scientists believed all plastics shared one unavoidable weakness: no matter how dense or strong, gases could always slip through. Even the toughest polymers, from bulletproof Kevlar to everyday food packaging, may look solid, but at the molecular level, tiny gas molecules can still sneak through. That’s why potato chips go stale and packaged food loses its crispness.
Now, a collaboration between researchers at Boston University’s College of Engineering, MIT, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Massachusetts and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, has overturned that assumption. In a study published today in Nature, the team reports the discovery of the first polymer that is molecularly impermeable; a man-made material that acts as a perfect barrier to gas molecules.
Nanomaterials and Vaccine Research Earns CMBE Rising Star Award
Michelle Teplensky was awarded the Biomedical Engineering Society’s 2026 Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Rising Star Award.
ASM Materials Experience 2025 with BU MSE
Boston University hosted the 2024 ASM Materials Experience, a hands-on event introducing high school students to the exciting world of materials science and engineering.
BU Professor Bridging Sustainability with Innovation in Material Science and Beyond
Dr. Werner brings interdisciplinary collaboration into pursuing sustainable solutions.
MSE 2024 Graduation Photos
See this slideshow to view our wonderful graduates from Materials, we can’t wait to see where you take your degrees, and are so proud of you. Also a big congratulations to Jillian Rix-Mulligan on receiving the 2024 Division of Materials Science & Engineering Dissertation Award for their dissertation, “Relating Microstructure and Performance of Solid Oxide […]
Emily Ghosh: Working at SpaceX, and Researching Renewable Energy Technologies for a Cleaner Environment
They tasked her to build a vacuum chamber she knew nothing about –– but she realized the project paired her love for physics with hands-on learning.