Research Topics

Research is an important mission of this department as it enriches the intellectual experience of students, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Students work closely with faculty on cutting-edge research projects. Research activities have attracted funding from government agencies such as the NSF and EPA and from a wide range of local and national industries. The Department has a strong reputation for research in areas concerned with improving industrial competitiveness.

Product Design for Manufacture and Assembly: A long-standing industry funded program into the relationships between product design and manufacturing efficiency has resulted in procedures which are widely used in industry to develop more competitive products.

Manufacturing Systems Design: The focus of this research is development of analytical tools for improving the overall efficiency of a wide range of manufacturing systems.

Quality Engineering: The focus of this research is the development and application of tools to enhance the quality of manufactured products and engineering operations.

Design for Environment and End-of-Life Disposition: The focus of this research is development of procedures for facilitating the design of more environmentally friendly products and for the efficient collection and recycling of products at end-of-life.

Human Factors Studies in Transportation: This area of research includes a few projects supported by URITC, NETC, and RIDOT. Current projects are: Enhancing Driving Safety through Proper Message Design on Variable Message Signs, Employing Graphics to Aid Message Display on Dynamic Message Signs, Assisting Elder Drivers’ Comprehension of Dynamic Message Sign Messages, and Enhancing the Preparedness and Response of the Transportation System in Natural or Human-Caused Disasters. Please click here for more details.

Minimum-Weight Product Structures: Wing structure of a modern airliner showing inspar ribs between the two wing spars. A research program in the IME Department, funded by the National Science Foundation and Sandia National Laboratory, is developing new design and manufacturing methods for lighter weight aerospace structures such as these.