Stanford School of Engineering

Wild blue yonder: Engineers tackle challenges of hypersonic flight. Photo: John Todd

School Of Engineering News

Michel Boudart, chemical engineer and expert in catalysis, dies at 87

Professor Boudart taught at Princeton and Berkeley but was best known for his five decades at the heart of the Department of Chemical Engineering at Stanford. His influence shaped catalysis during the post-war period when energy, defense and space industries demanded a deeper understanding of chemical reactions.

Bejeweled: Nanotech gets boost from nanowire decorations

Engineers at Stanford have found a novel method for “decorating” nanowires with chains of tiny particles to increase their electrical and catalytic performance. The new technique is simpler, faster and provides greater control than earlier methods and could lead to better batteries, solar cells and catalysts.

New smartphone scans from Stanford could prevent needless oral cancer deaths

Thousands of people die needlessly each year in developing countries from oral cancers that could have been detected early with regular dental checkups. But with fewer than one dentist per 100,000 people in many of the world’s rural areas, these checkups are not an option. Now an ultra-low-cost smartphone device being developed at Stanford may enable early diagnosis of these preventable deaths, with no dentist visits required.

Strategic Priorities

We believe that the most promising opportunities for discovery exist at the intersections of disciplines, and that the technologies of the next century will grow out of multidisciplinary partnerships. Similarly, the leaders of tomorrow must be able to bridge multiple interests. To guide our own growth, the dean has identified five major areas for long-term investment. Read more...