But new technology developed by researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science could finally help solve the problem.

ENGADGET: Photovoltaic polarizers could make self-charging smartphone dreams come true

The UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, established in 1945, offers 28 academic and professional degree programs and has an enrollment of almost 5, 000 students.

ENGADGET: Photovoltaic polarizers could make self-charging smartphone dreams come true

Donald Goldfarb, the interim dean of Columbia's Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, said the latest project is aimed at helping the university's engineering school overcome its biggest hurdle in reaching the topmost echelon of the field: its relatively small size.

WSJ: Columbia Sets Tech Expansion, Third in City