THE MICHIGAN
ENGINEER

A microchip is being probed by fine metal needles in a laboratory setup.

Autonomy from the inside out

A look at the next-gen semiconductors we need to power tomorrow’s fully self-driving vehicles

A line of 13 circles on a dark-sky background shows the progression of the sun and moon during a total eclipse. First the sun appears as a yellow disc in the sky. It first wanes into a crescent shape, then a sliver, then a speck as it is eclipsed by the moon’s black silhouette. When the yellow disc of the sun is finally completely obscured by the moon, the corona pops into view as white tendrils of light around the edge of the moon’s silhouette. Then the corona disappears as the moon slides out of view, and the sun waxes back into speck, a sliver, a crescent and finally a full disc.

Satellite network could transform wildfire monitoring

The first prototype of the FireSat constellation launched into low-Earth orbit in March, paving the way for a large network of satellites that will help enhance wildfire detection, mitigation and response around the world.

A man looks into a walk-in freezer where a metal structure is crusted with snow and ice.

Ice Aces

By learning from Arctic frogs, fish and beetles, a DARPA-funded project aims to reimagine life in the cold.

Five engineers in hard hats look out at the Nicholson Dock from the bow of a large, commercial ship, with a nearby American flag waving in the breeze overhead. The stern of another commercial ship, labeled the Herbert C. Jackson, is visible ahead of the engineers.

US shipbuilding needs rescuing: U-M programs offer a life preserver

Michigan works with local and international partners to re-establish the U.S. as a strong, shipbuilding nation.

People and Places

May 28, 2025

Thousands of small galaxies appear across this view. Their colors vary. Some are shades of orange, while others are white. Most appear as fuzzy ovals, but a few have distinct spiral arms. In front of the galaxies are several foreground stars. Most appear blue, and the bright stars have diffraction spikes, forming an eight-pointed star shape. There are also many thin, long, orange arcs that curve around the center of the image. Please reference the extended text description for more details.

Launching a time machine

December 2023 marked the two-year anniversary of the James Webb Space Telescope’s launch. The largest and most powerful telescope ever launched into space, Webb was designed to study galaxies so far away from Earth that their light takes 13.5 billion years to reach it. That ancient light gives us a view of our universe that dates back to the origins of the very first stars and galaxies.

Written by: Michigan Engineering

February 5, 2025