2026 | Drexel Engineering

- How Do Combined Sewer Overflows Affect Water Quality in Philadelphia?
  
  October 15, 2026
  In Philadelphia, and many urban areas across the country with sewer systems dating back to the 1800s, more frequent flooding is posing a threat not only to people and property, but also to surrounding ecosystems. In these areas stormwater and sewage drain into the same pipes and when flooding occurs they are designed to spill into nearby waterways, rather than inundating streets. Researchers at Drexel University, in collaboration with the Philadelphia Water Department, are looking at the long-term water quality impact of these events — called combined sewer overflows — to understand what steps could be taken to mitigate their negative effects.
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- Howley Researchers Among World's 'Most Cited' in Newest Stanford List
  
  October 15, 2026
  
  Fifty-three Howley College faculty appear on Stanford’s 2025 lists of the world’s most-cited scientists, and four of them rank in the top five worldwide in their fields.
  
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- Gogotsi Elected Fellow of WAAS
  
  October 08, 2026
  
  The World Academy of Art and Science is a highly selective society whose 560 fellows include Nobel laureates, heads of state, and renowned cultural and business figures from 90 different countries.
  
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- Engineering Elective Lets Students See What Flies
  
  October 07, 2026
  
  A hands-on aircraft design project gives mechanical engineering students a chance to turn classroom concepts into something that has to work in the real world.
  
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- The Academy of Natural Sciences’ Living Legacy of Research and Discovery
  
  September 30, 2026
  The museum has closed, but the Academy’s scientific work — its specimen collections, environmental partnerships and educational mission — lives on, strengthened by 15 years of affiliation with Drexel.
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- STAR Students Showcase Summer Studies
  
  September 21, 2026
  On Aug. 27, dozens of STAR (Students Tackling Advanced Research) Scholars shared what advanced research they conducted over the summer.
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- New Process for Making MXEnes Via Vapor-Phase Synthesis Could Expand Its Technological Applications
  
  September 17, 2026
  MXenes are two-dimensional nanomaterials first synthesized at Drexel University in 2011. They have been recognized by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry as an emerging technology with “true potential to transform our world.” But their widespread use has thus far been limited by the complicated process it takes to produce them. In a recent paper, researchers from Drexel, with collaborators at the University of Pennsylvania and Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd., show that a process called chemical vapor deposition can be tailored to produce the nanomaterials in a form, quality and quantity — and potentially at a lower cost — that could one day allow them to be used in electronic, environmental and quantum technologies.
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- For Green Building, 'Durable Is the New 'Sustainable'
  
  August 18, 2026
  Reducing the negative environmental impact of buildings — globally one of largest contributors to greenhouse gas — might be even more difficult than expected. New research from Drexel University indicates that, due to the steady increase in damaging extreme weather events each year, designers must begin to consider not if, but how long, their buildings will be rendered inoperable — and how the resources to get it back online will contribute to its overall environmental impact.
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- Soft, Sticky, Stretchable Biosensors Make a Better Connection
  
  July 28, 2026
  Biosensors have revolutionized home healthcare over the last two decades. Devices like wearable heart rate and blood glucose monitors are giving people with chronic health conditions the information and assurance they need to maintain an active lifestyle. But even the best sensors are limited by their ability to sustain skin contact through the rigors of physical activity. Researchers from Drexel University and Penn State University took on the challenge of improving the hydrogel material used in biosensors. And, in recently published research, they reported a new formula for making the gelatinous substrate that is versatile, durable and adhesive enough to make a stronger connection.
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- NSF Grant Backs Drexel Effort to Improve Self-Assembling Polymer Capsules
  
  July 27, 2026
  
  The grant funds further research on crystalsomes, microscopic hollow polymer capsules, this time to build their curved, responsive walls without help from an outside template.
  
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