Centers and Institutes

Director, Noel Urban, Civil and Environmental Engineering
nurban@mtu.edu, 906-487-3640

Mission: The mission of the CWS is to support research, education, and outreach in all disciplines at Michigan Technological University related to water issues. The goal is to establish Michigan Tech as a state, regional, national and international leader in these disciplines and, in particular, in interdisciplinary approaches to solving water-related problems. The objectives of the CWS are:

• To serve as a focal point for instructional and research activities in water-related fields and water-related outreach activities across the Michigan Tech campus;
• To provide an organizational structure that supports continuing growth in water-related fields and outreach activities and encourage interdisciplinary projects;
• To support interdisciplinary graduate and undergraduate education and research in water related fields; and
• To pursue external funding opportunities to support these objectives and to facilitate CWS participating faculty to obtain external support.

Most recent Annual Report.

Learn more about CWS

Director, Will Cantrell, Physics
cantrell@mtu.edu, 906-487-2356

The Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences Institute (EPSSI) is an institute aimed at facilitating and promoting research and education in remote sensing and related areas by bringing together individuals and groups separated by departmental and/or college boundaries. Remote sensing comprises not just instrumentation or measurement tools, but represents a perspective that employs a broad morphology of disciplines and demands interdisciplinary breadth. For example, current members collaborate on projects spanning imaging science, atmospheric science, data/signal processing, data visualization and remote sensing instrumentation. These are typically applied to a specific problem in earth system science, ecosystem studies, limnology/oceanography, global change, and a host of other areas. At least nine different departments currently have faculty members participating in EPSSI.

EPSSI's goals are to work by consensus to promote remote sensing and related topics on the Michigan Tech campus through (1) interdisciplinary coursework and programs, (2) group funding efforts for equipment and research, (3) interdisciplinary seminars and short courses, and (4) development of a campus culture that actively supports transdisciplinary activities.

Most recent Annual Report.

Learn more about EPSSI

Dr. Guy Meadows, Director, Great Lakes Research Initiatives
gmeadows@mtu.edu, 906-487-1106

Mike Abbott, Director, Great Lakes Research Operations
mdabbott@mtu.edu, 906-487-3165

The Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC) will house laboratories and classrooms supporting researchers and students working with Great Lakes biological, chemical and physical studies. The facility will be designed and equipped in support of instruction, experimental laboratories and outreach efforts.

Students educated in this facility will learn in an environment providing current technologies and state of the art laboratories. These students once employed in Michigan will be essential to the long-term development of sustainable industries.

Learn more about GLRC

Director, Jay Meldrum
jmeldrum@mtu.edu, 906-487-3178

Keweenaw Research Center is a multidisciplinary research center wholly supported by external corporate and governmental agency funding. Research and development activities are primarily based on a broad spectrum of ground vehicle performance. Typical activities include vehicle design and operation as an integrated system; research in vehicle mobility; material properties of tracked and wheeled vehicle components; and vehicle-terrain-human interactions; noise, vibration, and sound quality. Computer-aided engineering and modeling are used extensively. KRC provides opportunities for graduate students and faculty to perform research in several areas: composite materials, finite element methods, and vehicle dynamics modeling.

KRC maintains more than 500 acres of proving grounds, including many miles of prepared test tracks. Ride and handling loops, a circular track, an ice rink, a snow packed area, and a rugged off-road obstacle course—all provide the backdrop for research in vehicle mobility.

The Institute of Snow Research, an auxiliary component of KRC, is engaged in basic and applied research into snow, ice, and cold environment engineering. Fundamental study of ice sintering, dynamic behavior of snow, and the mechanism of ice adhesion are some recent examples. In addition, the institute works in several areas related to snowmobile safety, including trail grooming and layout, trail safety signs, and the effects of snowmobile track studs on public road crossings.

Learn more about KRC

Co-Director, Robert Shuchman, 734/913-6860
Co-Director, Nikola Subotic, 734/913-6859

Mission:

• Be a recognized leader in the research, development, and use of Information Technology to support solution of critical problems in national security, infrastructure, bioinformatics, earth sciences, and environmental processes.
• Be acknowledged nationally and internationally as an innovator for the marriage of phenomenological understanding and implementation of the mathematically rigorous algorithms to build information from data in support of sponsor needs.
• Provide visibility and outreach for Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech) in Southeastern Michigan.
• Establish collaborations with Michigan Tech academic departments, institutes, and centers to increase funded contract revenues for all organizations involved.
• Maintain a creative environment that rewards and encourages innovation.

MTRI is a recognized leader in the research, development and practical application of sensor and information technology to solve critical problems in national security, protecting and evaluating critical infrastructure, bio informatics, earth sciences and environmental processes.

Learn more about MTRI

Interim Director, Ralph Hodek, MTTI
rjhodek@mtu.edu, 906-487-2797

MTTI is an umbrella organization bringing together the cross-disciplinary centers and principle investigators conducting transportation related research and education initiatives that address national and global needs. Recent initiatives include the Rail Transportation Program, which will provide education programs to support the rail industry’s need for an expanded workforce, and research products that address the quickly advancing technology of the rail transportation system. Sustainability is central to all MTTI efforts regarding transportation and Michigan Tech researchers are leaders at applying sustainability concepts to transportation problems. Currently, researchers from the Departments of Mathematical Sciences, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Social Sciences, along with the School of Forestry and Environmental Resources are collaborating through MTTI within six focused theme areas:

• Transportation Structures including bridges, pavements. Other related areas include geo-technical, construction, and nanotechnology related to sensors. This group includes the Center for Structural Durability (CSD).
• Transportation Materials including concrete, asphalt, steel, wood, and aggregates. Other related areas include construction, geo technical, and nanotechnology related to sensors and materials. This group includes the University Transportation Center (UTC) for Materials in Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure (MiSTI), the Transportation Materials Research Center (TMRC), and the Center for Aggregate Research (CAR).
• Transportation Systems including waterways, traffic/safety, construction, rail, air, public transportation, freight, intelligent transportation systems, vehicle infrastructure integration, nanotechnology related to sensors, and radio frequency identification devices.
• Transportation and the Environment includes environmental impacts, energy, carbon dioxide and other pollutants, fugitive dust, wildlife, flora and fauna, and carbon credits.
• Transportation and Society includes policy, planning, human factors, history, economics, and archeology.
• Transportation Technology Transfer includes all outreach, management systems, and workforce development programs. This group includes Michigan’s Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) and the Technology Development Group (TDG).

Learn more about MTTI

Director, David Shonnard, Chemical Engineering
drshonna@mtu.edu, 906-487-3468

Mission: to create and disseminate new methods and processes for generating scientific knowledge and engineering products in support of sustainability decisions and education.

SFI will assimilate the multiple skills and capabilities required to support a new metadiscipline of sustainability science, including: (1) the fundamental physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics needed for environmental assessment; (2) basic economics incuding economic input-output analysis; (3) industrial ecology and design at the process, plant, firm, regional, national, and global scale; (4) information technology for real-time monitoring of processes, remote sensing of the environment, and geographical information systems; (5) human and environmental impact modeling and risk assessment; (6) social and behavioral research tools, and (7) professional and K through Gray educational programs, including assessment of their impacts on choices made by design engineers, policy makers, and consumers. By advancing this metadisciplinary endeavor, the Institute will combine information and insights across multiple disciplines and perspectives.

Most recent Annual Report.

Learn more about SFI