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
