Michigan Tech researchers seek to develop the fundamental and applied knowledge that is required for the next generation of low-emissions, high-efficiency vehicles. Current research efforts are focused on various energy related systems including I.C. engines, hybrid powertrains, fuel cells, torque converters, solar and wind power generation, together with enabling technologies such as combustion, heat transfer, controls, alternative fuel, numerical methods in CFD and computational mechanics, and NVH. Research funds totaling $5,268,384 were awarded during fiscal year 2010.

The mission of our iron and steel making research is to investigate and develop novel, advanced methods for producing the 130 million tons of iron and steel needed annually in the U.S. in a sustainable, environmentally-acceptable manner. Specific areas of study include the process of iron-making and steel-making, slag management, and feed preparation (grinding, separation, and pelletization).

Biotechnology encompasses the applications of various science and engineering disciplines for industrial utilization of living organisms or their products. Michigan Tech is conducting research in the areas of molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, genomics, bioinformatics, and biotechnology. During fiscal year 2009, 22 faculty members had 73 publications in periodicals such as American Journal of Physiology, Journal of Neuroscience Research, Psychopharmacology, and Journal of Inherited Metabolic Diseases.

Michigan Tech houses one of the five National Institute for Climatic Change Research (NICCR) regional centers. The NICCR is sponsored by the U.S Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Biological and Environmental (BER), and periodically solicits proposals for research projects to be funded by DOE through the regional centers. Scientific research topics being pursued by the NICCR include the effects of potential climatic changes on important U.S. terrestrial ecosystems and potential feedbacks from U.S. terrestrial ecosystems to the climatic system.

Computation science and engineering is the application of computational technologies to current problems in science and engineering, such as energy efficiency, simulated crash testing of automobiles, environmental studies, molecular dynamics, computational chemistry, aeronautics, and national defense and security interests. Recent research efforts have received funding from NASA, Hewlett-Packard, and the National Science Foundation.

Michigan Tech researchers are studying remote sensing physics, imaging science, space and planetary sciences, and the application of remote sensing, and aim to apply their findings to specific problems in earth system science, ecosystem studies, limnology/oceanography and global change. Current research projects span imaging science, atmospheric science, data/signal processing, data visualization and remote sensing instrumentation. Faculty members from at least nine different disciplines are contributing to the research of the earth, planetary and space sciences.

Faculty from diverse disciplines including Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Social Sciences, and Biological Sciences are committed to advancing our understanding of how ecosystems function and how human activities influence ecosystem processes. In the past year, core faculty members had 79 publications in outlets such as Canadian Journal of Forest Research, Journal of Forestry, and Journal of Applied Entomology. A total of eleven research proposals submitted in 2010 remain in competition for five to seven awards, with a potential total five-year values exceeding $18 million.

Michigan Tech’s electrical and computer engineering researchers are promoting the integration of physical models, device technologies, and signal processing theory for the development of information systems with applications in sensing, imaging, and communications. Recent projects include the on-going development of nanoscale technologies, advanced RFID tags for the U.S. Army, and passive radar technology. Over the past five years, research efforts have been supported by an excess of $10 million in awarded funds from industries and grants.

The close proximity of Michigan Tech to the world’s largest body of fresh water, Lake Superior, promotes ecological research with a focus on the basic ecosystem processes within the aquatic and terrestrial portions of the Lake Superior watershed. The long-term goal of our researchers is to understand the ecosystem and to predict the ecological consequences of future change in the land, water, and atmosphere of the Lake Superior basin.

Michigan Tech’s core staff of materials science researchers focuses on the extraction, processing, recycling, and utilization of materials, such as metallics, ceramics, polymers, composites, minerals, and industrial processing wastes. In 40 years of research, our team has developed over 60 patents and has completed more than 1,200 industrial and government sponsored industrial research projects, and has acquired expertise in bench-top experimentation through process development, pilot plant scale-up, and commercialization.