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College of Engineering

Engineering in Photos: March 2026

Engineering in Photos captures the energy, creativity, and everyday moments that define our College. Highlights from the March 2026 collection include new insights into cardiac aging through advanced bioengineering research, hands-on learning across labs and classrooms, and students bringing ideas to life through design, testing, and collaboration. From outreach in the local community to industry-partnered workshops and creative staff engagement events, these moments reflect the many ways Notre Dame Engineers learn, build, and connect.

Aero Senior Design

Student in a workspace carefully assembling a wooden aircraft wing structure on a workbench.
Three students collaborate to assemble a wooden aircraft frame at a lab table.
Student uses a tool to drill or press a component in a workshop setting.
Two students adjust and inspect a bright pink model aircraft wing on a workbench.
Student concentrates on assembling small wooden aircraft parts at a workbench.
Student uses glue to secure parts of a wooden aircraft structure while working at a lab bench.
Student applies adhesive to an aircraft component while working at a crowded lab table.
Instructor demonstrates a component to a group of students gathered around a table.
Student applies glue to a detailed wooden aircraft wing structure in a workspace.

Students in Aero Senior Design build and test radio-controlled aircraft, working hands-on to assemble structures, install components, and refine their planes throughout the process. In the lab, teams collaborate to measure, cut, and secure materials, troubleshoot challenges, and prepare their aircraft for flight and mission testing.

CBE’s Class of 2026 Kohn Scholars

Group of 16 undergraduate students pose together on a staircase for a Class of 2026 Kohn Scholars portrait.

Congratulations to the CBE Class of 2026 undergraduate recipients of the annual Kohn Scholarship Award. The J.P. Kohn Scholarship supports students in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, recognizing their achievements and helping to further their academic journeys.

This year’s scholars are:
Front Row (L to R): Naomi Kaproth, Clare Lucey, Elizabeth George, Sofia Granieri, Mara Gurtsak, Frannie Webb; Middle Row (L to R): Shahad Al Wuhaili, Hope Wanken, Amanda Zbonski, Megan Dieckmann, Danny Ward; Back Row (L to R): Michael Migliorino, Lucy Rakowski, Cole Morris, Christian Gabriel El Azar, Jack Palmer; Not pictured: John Gadbois

Applying Chemical Engineering Topics in Food Design and Processing Class

Students in lab coats review a worksheet together beside a testing instrument in a lab.
Student uses a digital caliper to measure a small sample in a lab.
Student in safety goggles measures an Oreo cookie at a lab workstation.
Two students in lab coats analyze samples using a lab instrument and computer.

Students in the CBE 30315 Applying Chemical Engineering Topics in Food Design and Processing course worked in the CBE Projects Lab, supported by the generosity of the Schleckser Family and David Heskins (’69, Chemical Engineering), using specialized instruments to analyze the material properties of food. They evaluated manufacturing consistency by measuring Oreo cookies, studied viscosity in yogurts and dairy products, and tested the mechanical properties of candies through compression and bending experiments, while also examining shelf-life factors like water activity in sauces.

These junior- and senior-level chemical engineering students gain hands-on experience with instruments commonly used in the food industry, which they will continue to use in their final projects focused on recipe development, industrial process design, and product consistency.

Engineering Explorers at the Children’s Museum of South Bend

College students guide children gathered around a hands-on engineering display table in a museum.
Children and a student work together at a light table reviewing activity sheets.
Children assemble a structure from spaghetti noodles and marshmallows while a student offers guidance.
Students demonstrate an engineering activity to a child beside a tabletop exhibit.
Two children launch paper airplanes from a small indoor play structure while a student watches.
Student helps a child build a structure using spaghetti noodles and marshmallows at a table.
Children collaborate with a student to build a tall marshmallow-and-spaghetti noodle structure.
Student assists a child building a small marshmallow-and-spaghetti noodle structure at a table.

Students from the University of Notre Dame College of Engineering brought hands-on learning to life during an Engineering Explorers event at the Children’s Museum of South Bend. They led local students ages 8–13 through interactive activities like building structures with marshmallows and noodles and designing and flying paper airplanes to introduce core engineering concepts.

Members of the SOLES and Design, Build, Fly student organizations helped guide the experience and showcased their RC aircraft, giving participants a closer look at engineering in action. Organized by Professor Joseph Lyon, Assistant Teaching Professor and Coordinator of the First-Year Engineering Program, the event offered an engaging and memorable introduction to STEM for young learners.

Bonnell Lean 101 LEGO Simulation Workshop

Students collaborate around a table, organizing Lego pieces and planning a production workflow.
Students work together to sort Lego pieces and follow instructions at a lab table.
Students build a Lego model in stages while a facilitator observes and guides the activity.
Students sort and assemble Lego pieces into small builds during a hands-on workshop.
Three students assemble Lego components while reviewing a printed guide.
Group of students and an instructor discuss progress around a table covered with sorted Lego parts.

The Bonnell Lean 101 LEGO Simulation Workshop was a high-impact, experiential learning event hosted by the Engineering Innovation Hub (EIH) in partnership with Bonnell Aluminum. Designed to bridge the gap between academic theory and real-world industrial application, it transformed the lab into a hands-on “living factory.” Students worked in teams to run a LEGO-based production line, encountering real-world manufacturing challenges like bottlenecks, excess inventory, and inefficient workflows.

As the simulation progressed, they applied lean manufacturing principles such as continuous improvement, waste reduction, and 5S to refine their process in real time. Guided by industry professionals from Bonnell Aluminum, students gained direct insight into how these strategies are used in practice, improving efficiency and output with each iteration.

Students at Work in the Engineering Innovation Hub

Student assembles an electronic component while working at a laptop in a lab.
Student operates a drill press to machine a metal part in a workshop.
Student uses a bandsaw to cut material in a fabrication lab.
Student inspects a circuit board under a microscope while holding a probe tool.
Group of students work together at tables in the Engineering Innovation Hub.
Student monitors a machine while working on a circuit board in a lab.

Students across the College of Engineering were hard at work in the Engineering Innovation Hub (EIH) throughout March, designing, building, and testing ideas for senior design projects, class assignments, and club initiatives. The Hub also serves as a classroom space, supporting courses that integrate hands-on learning into the curriculum.

From machining components and assembling structures to developing circuit boards and refining prototypes, the EIH provided the tools and space for students to move their projects forward at every stage.

Heart-on-a-Chip Device Identifies Youth-enhancing “Cocktail” to Repair Old Hearts

Gloved hands hold a transparent microfluidic chip with tiny channels etched inside.
Two researchers in lab coats examine a small transparent chip while wearing safety goggles.
A pipette places drops of green liquid onto a microscope slide containing a small device.

In a study published in Biomaterials, a team led by Pinar Zorlutuna, Roth-Gibson Professor of Bioengineering, with doctoral student in Notre Dame’s Bioengineering Graduate Program, George Ronan, Jr., Ph.D., the study’s first author, along with doctoral students Frank Ketchum and Lauren Hawthorne (both pictured above), showed that heart aging was driven by “messages” sent between cells via extracellular vesicles.

Using a revolutionary heart-on-a-chip device, the team simulated aging by growing aged tissues side by side, decoded how these cellular “messages” shifted from protective to inflammatory over time, and tested a potential therapy. By delivering “youthful” genetic cocktails through lipid nanoparticles, they boosted living cells by 50% and cut scarring in half—offering a promising path forward for regenerative medicine and safer therapy testing.

Read more about the breakthrough and its potential impact.

CoE Staff Engagement and Culture Committee DIY Flower Arrangements Event

Four staff members stand together holding small flower bouquets and smiling.
Staff members arrange flowers and greenery together around a large table.
Two women smile while holding colorful flower bouquets in glass vases.
Woman trims flower stems with scissors while arranging a bouquet at a table.
Two staff members place flowers into a vase while working side by side.
Three women stand together holding small flower arrangements they created.

The College of Engineering Staff Engagement and Culture Committee hosted a “DIY Flower Arrangements” event, where staff came together to create their own bouquets and enjoy a moment of creativity.

This photo collection was produced by the Notre Dame Engineering Communications and Marketing team. Photos by Wes Evard, Notre Dame Engineering, unless otherwise credited.

Concrete Casting

Concrete Casting

Concrete Testing

Concrete Testing