University Research Centers and Institutes

Keweenaw Research Center
Jay Meldrum, director (jmeldrum@mtu.edu; 906/487-3178; http://www.mtukrc.org)
The Keweenaw Research Center uses full-time staff and Michigan Tech faculty to provide engineering solutions to government and industry. KRC provides laboratory-based evaluation, computer-based modeling and analysis, vehicle testing and evaluation, and snow research. KRC’s staff includes engineers and scientists. Contracts vary from large vehicle noise-vibration-harshness work and dynamic simulation to snowmobile safety study and Antarctica research expeditions. The center includes an extensive all-season test course.

Remote Sensing Institute
Richard Honrath, director (reh@mtu.edu; 906/487-3202; http://www.rsi.mtu.edu)
Mission: Promote research and education in remote sensing and related areas through interdisciplinary course work and programs, developing funding for equipment and research, and providing interdisciplinary seminars and short courses.

Carbon Technology Center
Julie King, director (jaking@mtu.edu; 906/487-3106)
Mission: Develop fundamental and applied carbon materials technology. Emphasis include characterization and end-use applications.

Center for Advanced
Manufacturing and Materials Processing
Neil Hutzler (hutzler@mtu.edu, 906/487-2005) and Jay Meldrum (jmeldrum@mtu.edu, 906/487-3178), co-directors. http://www.cammp.mtu.edu/
Mission: Provide the infrastructure for interdisciplinary research in advanced manufacturing and materials processing.

Center for Manufacturing Research
Klaus Weinmann, director (kjweinma@mtu.edu; 906/487-2154)
Mission: Research in materials processing, automated manufacturing, metrology, and computer modeling of manufacturing processes. Facilities include modern sheet metal forming lab and an automated manufacturing cell.

Center for Mechanics of Material
Instabilities and Manufacturing Process
Elias Aifantis, director (mom@mtu.edu; 906/487-2518)
Mission: The study of material instabilities and applications into manufacturing processes, nanotechnology, and surface engineering. One of the objectives is to establish and maintain continuous cooperation with other centers of excellence throughout the world.

Center for Scientific and Environmental Outreach
Neil Hutzler, director (hutzler@mtu.edu; 906/487-2005)
Mission: Provide objective information, educational programs, and technical expertise on environmental-related issues to promote informed local and regional decision-making.

Center for Technological Innovation,
Leadership and Entrepreneurship
Keith Lantz, director (kwlantz@mtu.edu; 906/487-3555; http://www.centile.mtu.edu)
Mission: CenTILE is charged with the responsibility of promoting interdisciplinary education and research at MTU. In addition, it will seek to develop cooperative initiatives across the campus aiming at advances in technological innovation, leadership, and entrepreneurship.

Computer Science and Engineering Research Institute
Philip Merkey, director (merk@mtu.edu; 906/487-2220)
Mission: Created to foster computationally intensive research and graduate education in the sciences and engineering, bringing together faculty and students from across campus who have a common interest in and need for computational resources beyond those usually available in desktop workstations.

Engineering Research Center
for Wireless Integrated Microsystems
Robert Warrington, director (row@mtu.edu; 906/487-2005)
Mission: Integrating wireless technology and microelectronic systems. This center will be pioneering the frontiers of microelectronics, micromachines and wireless technology and plans to create miniature, low-cost microchip systems with medical and environmental applications to replace bulky and currently limiting technologies.miniature tools.

Environmental Engineering Center
John Crittenden, director (jcritt@mtu.edu; 906/487-2798)
Mission: Facilitate interdisciplinary research and education in environmental science and engineering. Provides home for nondepartmental PhD in environmental engineering, Educating Engineers for the Environment project, and the National Research Center for Clean Industrial and Treatment Technologies.

Fluids Research Oriented Group (FROG)
Robert Kolkka (rwkolkka@mtu.edu; 906/487-2695) and Faith Morrison (fmorriso@mtu.edu; 906/487-2050), co-directors
Mission: Focus on interdisciplinary research in fluid mechanics, including turbulence, non-Newtonian flows, and heat and mass transfer.

Institute of Materials Processing
Jim Hwang, director (jhwang@mtu.edu; 906/487-2600; http://www.imp.mtu.edu)
The Institute of Materials Processing is a multi-discipline industry-oriented research and development center, focusing on materials, environmental, and mineral processing challenges. Areas of expertise include powder metallurgy, mineral processing, industrial waste recycling, polymeric materials, and material characterization. The staff includes full-time engineers and scientists.

Interdisciplinary
Center for Advanced Propulsion
Duane Abata, director (duane@mtu.edu; 906/487-2151; http://www.engines.mtu.edu)
Mission: U.S. Department of Energy Center of Excellence focused on internal combustion engine education and research.

Isle Royale Institute
Mark Gleason, director (gleason@mtu.edu; 906/487-3419)
Mission: A cooperative project created by Michigan Tech and the National Park Service to promote education and research at Isle Royale National Park and on the waters of Lake Superior. Also involves the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

Keweenaw Interdisciplinary Transport
Experiment in Superior (KITES)
Sarah Green, director (sgreen@mtu.edu; 906/487-3419; http://kites.chemistry.mtu.edu/KITES/kites.html)
Mission: Five-year project studying the Keweenaw Current in Lake Superior, including sampling, remote sensing, and modeling.

Lake States Forest Resource and
Environmental Management Cooperative
Dave Karnosky, director (karnosky@mtu.edu; 906/487-2898)
Mission: Initiate and promote forestry research to benefit the northern regions of the U.S., particularly cold-climate research, forest site selection, larch improvement, managing forested wetlands, and northern hardwood management.

Lake Superior Ecosystem Research Center
Charles Kerfoot, director (wkerfoot@mtu.edu; 906/487-2769); Kurt Pregitzer, associate director (kspregit@mtu.edu; 906/487-2396)
Mission: Interdisciplinary center to promote and strengthen ecological research, advocate an ecosystem perspective for studying aquatic and terrestrial portions of the Lake Superior watershed, and serve as a resource for basic information on watershed and lake properties.

Michigan Tech Transportation Institute
William Sproule, director (wsproule@mtu.edu; 906/487-2568)
Mission: Conduct transportation and transportation materials research and outreach activities. Within the Transportation Center, there are four active programs:the Transportation Materials Research Center, Michigan’s Local Technical Assistance Program, the Tribal Technical Assistance Program, and the Technology Development Group.

Phytotechnology Research Center
Wilbur Campbell, director (wcampbel@mtu.edu; 906/487-2214)
Mission: Better understand plant metabolism and the interactions of plants with their environment and develop new varieties of plants and plant products that address specific problems faced by modern society.

Plant Biotechnology Research Center
Chung-Jui Tsai, director (chtsai@mtu.edu; 906/487-2914)
Mission: Application-oriented basic research on genetic engineering of forest trees important to the paper, timber and wood-products industry. The focus is on a multidisciplinary, research-based educational program in forest biotechnology, offering courses about molecular biology, genetics, tissue culture, and transformation of trees.

Power and Energy Research Center
Bruce Mork, director (bamork@mtu.edu; 906/487-2857)
Mission: Research and educate on environmental and deregulation issues facing the power industry, including public policy, economic, and social concerns.