Research in Mechanical Engineering

Faculty Research Areas

Acoustics
Michael Anderson

Mechanics and Materials Science
Donald M. Blackketter, Edwin M. Odom, Gabriel Potirniche, & Robert R. Stephens

Thermodynamics and Energy
Steven W. Beyerlein, Karen R. Den Braven, Steven G. Penoncello, & Judith A. Steciak

Design and Manufacturing
Edwin M. Odom & Larry A. Stauffer

Fluid Mechanics & and Heat Transfer
Ralph S. Budwig, John C. Crepeau, Donald F. Elger, & Akira Tokuhiro

Dynamic Systems
Michael J. Anderson

Robotics
Eric Wolbrecht

Nuclear Engineering
Fred Gunnerson & Akira Tokuhiro

Teaching and Pedagogy
Steven W. Beyerlein, Donald F. Elger, Jay McCormack, Edwin M. Odom, & Ralph S. Budwig

Research Institutes, Centers, and Laboratories

Acoustics Laboratory

Center for Intelligent Systems Research (CISR), The Center for Intelligent Systems Research (CISR) is an interdisciplinary research center dedicated to the advancement of intelligent control of autonomous systems. The center supports faculty and students from electrical, computer, mechanical, and agricultural engineering. Recent projects funded by NASA, NSF, and USDA include active structural noise control, passive vibration suppression, an autonomous log-skidder, and intelligent vision-based navigation for Mars Rover type vehicles.

Center for Applied Thermodynamic Studies (CATS)

Controls Laboratory

Enriched Learning Environment (ELE)

Fluids and Heat Transfer Lab

National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology (NIATT), was established in 1991 to develop technologies that will improve the design and operation of transportation vehicles and systems. Research in NIATT includes projects in traffic control, electric and hybrid vehicles, clean vehicle technology, and construction materials for highway infrastructure.

Microelectronics Research & Communications Institute (MRCI), was established in 1983 as one of the university's first strategic research initiatives for the design of high performance application specific integrated circuits (ASICs). The MRCI was designated as one of nine NASA space engineering research centers in 1988. One of the MRCI's early projects was the Reed-Solomon decoder chip used on the Hubble space telescope. In recent years, the MRCI has broadened its mission to include communications, real-time software, electromagnetics, and intelligent control.