A diverse group of UW collaborators seeking to determine whether solar cells from earth-abundant elements can be a sustainable, environmentally low-impact, and profitable form of electricity production were awarded an Sustainable Energy Pathways grant from the National Science Foundation this fall. Led by Rehnberg Chair Professor Hugh Hillhouse the team, which includes Christine Luscombe (MolES/Materials Science & Engineering), Daniel Gamelin (MolES/Chemistry), Alison Cullen (Evans School of Public Affairs), and Xiaodong Xu (Materials Science & Engineering), will explore the use of nanocrystal and molecular inks to develop low-cost, high-efficiency solar cells with a benign environmental impact.
After five years in the planning and construction, the University of Washington this fall opens its new Molecular Engineering & Sciences Building, one of the first facilities in the country dedicated to an emerging area of research.
"We are thrilled to make the UW and Pacific Northwest region a leader in molecular engineering and science," said Matt O'Donnell, dean of the College of Engineering. "This facility is a major step forward that will encourage collaborative, cutting-edge research in biotech and clean tech." Read More
By Jon Silver
September 6, 2012
The 90,000-square-foot space includes research labs, faculty offices and common areas.
Filling your walls with goo may seem like a strange way to cut energy costs, but that’s exactly what the University of Washington did with its new Molecular Engineering and Sciences Building.
The $77 million, five-story building opened over the summer on a site near Drumheller Fountain. It houses the Molecular Engineering and Sciences Institute, which is a center for research on biotechnology and clean technology. Read More
UW’s brave (and bright!) new lab for molecular engineering
A new, $77 million molecular engineering building at the University of Washington is the centerpiece of a new institute that is working to find new ways to cure diseases and create renewable energy.
By Katherine Long, Seattle Times higher education reporter
As a building, the University of Washington’s new molecular engineering lab is interesting in its own right "” designed with cutting-edge features to make it energy efficient, and bright lab spaces with killer views of Mount Rainier and the Olympics. Read More
Featuring four floors of lab and office space specifically tailored for research needs, the new Molecular Engineering and Sciences building ended up expanding considerably on the original plans for reconstruction.
The building, home to the UW Molecular Engineering and Sciences Institute (MolES), will open its doors June 25.
The UW initially issued a bond to obtain a total of $78.5 million to fund the building. Construction began in fall 2009, at which point two and a half floors were planned to be left unfinished and completed at a later phase of construction. Read More
A building material that absorbs heat during the day and releases it at night promises to save building owners a bundle of cash when it’s time to pay the monthly electricity bill.
They're called phase-change materials, or PCMs, and scientists have been experimenting with them for decades. Although there have been some efforts to introduce them to construction markets in North America and Europe, they remain largely unknown or ignored. Now though, PCMs are getting a place in the spotlight.
A new building for the molecular engineering department of the University of Washington, in Seattle, has PCMs encapsulated in its wall and ceiling panels. Read More
Phase-change materials that freeze at around room temperature could revolutionize energy storage, cooling things that are too hot and warming them later on.
What if doctors had tools to pinpoint the location of disease inside the body’s cells? What if window panes captured solar energy that could be used to power homes? Molecular engineering, sometimes called molecular manufacturing or molecular systems, is very small-scale construction made possible by advances in chemical synthesis that allows for this new class of nanotechnology.
Engineering custom molecules is a revolutionary change that promises to advance a wide range of fields, and the University of Washington has established a new Molecular Engineering and Science Institute focused on medical and energy applications. Read More
Professor of Chemical Engineering René Overney has been named the Associate Director for Molecular Engineering (MolE) Education for the new Molecular Engineering Institute. Integral in bringing MolE to the University, Overney took the lead in developing the Chemical Engineering Nanoscience and Molecular Engineering Option, a multidisciplinary undergraduate program with MolE-tailored lecture and laboratory courses.
As the first department on campus to offer a MolE Option program, Chemical Engineering is poised to take the lead in MolE's educational efforts, said Overney. "Chemical Engineering is taking the leadership in coordinating and administrating the MolE Option program, and is also highly instrumental in this regard in the initiation phase of a MolE graduate program." Read More
ZGF Architects
Architects’ rendition of the east face of the molecular
engineering building. Meany Hall is visible on the right and
Johnson Hall is reflected in the face of the new building.
University of Washington leaders today officially broke ground on a molecular engineering building.
“It’s incredibly exciting to see the building become a reality,” said Matthew O’Donnell, Frank & Julie Jungers Dean of the College of Engineering. “This will be the first facility in the country dedicated to molecular engineering.” Read More