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A student built a device that will allow tree researchers to collect leaf samples from the tops of canopies via drones

Mechanical, materials, and aerospace (MMAE) engineering faculty are very active in funded research. Undergraduate students have ample opportunities to participate—either directly or with their professors—through the Armour R&D Program, or in Armour’s Summer Engineering Research Immersion Program. Illinois Tech’s Elevate program also provides research opportunities for students, some of which offer up to $5,000 in support.

Students gain hands-on experience working closely with our MMAE faculty, including the following research areas of expertise:

  • Robotics
  • Modern satellite navigation systems
  • Automotive engines
  • Wave propagation in solids
  • Fluid dynamics
  • Flow control in aircraft systems
  • Transitional and turbulent shear flows in open systems
  • Electronic component cooling
  • Biomedical fluid mechanics
  • Heat transfer in turbine engines
  • Heat exchangers for power plants
  • Batteries

Innovate with IPRO

Illinois Tech’s signature Interprofessional Projects (IPRO) Program offers students the opportunity to interact with students from various majors to solve real-world problems. This hands-on collaborative experience gives students a big advantage after graduation.

Recent IPROs involving mechanical, materials, and aerospace engineering include:

  • Automotive systems innovation, including adaptive-cycle hybrid vehicles
  • Applying robotics to vertical farming
  • Electrical vehicle design for on-road and space applications
  • Solar power generation and integrated battery storage for a rural house
  • Smart microgrid development for new and existing regions
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Formula Hybrid Team

The WISER Formula Hybrid project at Illinois Tech gives students first-hand experience designing and fabricating electrical and mechanical automotive systems. The team consists of undergraduate and graduate students who come from a variety of majors including mechanical, aerospace, electrical, computer, chemical, and environmental engineering, as well as civil and architectural engineering.

Each year, the team competes at the Formula Hybrid International Competition, and it has won numerous awards.