Research Groups and Facilities | Ecosystem Science Center

In the ESC, a variety of collaborative groups and teams arise around research projects and shared interests. However, there are a few entities that are more concrete that are part of or allied with the ESC.

Wood Protection Group - The WPG is an International Accreditation Service (IAS) accredited university research group conducting wood durability field and laboratory testing.
Genetics and Genomics Group - This is an informal group of researchers at Michigan Tech focused on genetic and genomics related science. Find out more at the Genetics and Genomics Group page.
Isle Royale Institute - In partnership with Isle Royale National Park, IRI offers education and collaborative research to teachers, students, and researchers. Find out more at the IRI page.
Ecological Restoration Hub - The ERH builds transdisciplinary collaborations to advance ecological restoration, remediation, and sustainable ecosystem management across natural, urban, and post-industrial landscapes.
Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science - NIACS develops synthesis products, fosters communication, and pursues science in climate change and carbon cycling and management.

Shared Facilities

MTU provides a number of shared facilities for use by MTU students and faculty, researchers at other institutions, government, and industry partners. Shared facilities may charge use fees related to a specific piece of equipment in accordance with University policy 2.01 Special Fees and Use Charges.

Geospatial Research Facility

The Geospatial Research Facility brings together researchers from across campus currently using geospatial data and methods, and provide a space to those who wish to apply GIS in their research programs. The GRF employs both professional GISP staff and student-researchers, promoting GIS-training, 'real-world' project management, and interdisciplinary collaboration research experiences.
Contact: Donald Lafreniere at djlafren@mtu.edu or 906-487-2189

Marine Research Assets Facility

The Marine Research Assets Facility (MRAF) is a part of the Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC), which offers a unique set of marine assets with direct access to Lake Superior. Both surface and sub-surface assets are available for use by university faculty, staff and students, as well as collaborative partners, on a shared basis. Four surface vessels and four sub-surface vehicles along with a variety of specialized equipment and trained operators make the marine assets facility at the GLRC an ideal
base of operations for research on, under, or related to, the Great Lakes, coastal ocean and freshwater environments winter or summer.
Contact: Jamey Anderson at jameya@mtu.edu or 906-487-2914

Microanalytical Facility

The Microanalytical Facility (MAF) is composed of the Chemical Advanced Resolution Methods (ChARM) Laboratory, the Laboratory for Environmental Analysis of Forests (LEAF), and the AQUatic Analysis (AQUA) Laboratory. The MAF Laboratories
specialize in molecular, elemental, and isotopic analyses for environmental, biomedical, health, and materials research. Hands-on training in trace analytic chemistry for large projects or sample analyses for smaller studies are provided to encourage collaborations with Michigan Tech and external investigators.
Contact: Andrew Burton at ajburton@mtu.edu or 906-487-2566

High-Performance Computing Facility

The High-Performance Computing Facility (HPC) is a resource for high throughput and high performance research and education computing needs.
Contact: Gowtham at g@mtu.edu or 906-487-4096