- MSU is recognized as one of the top 100 universities in the world for engineering/technology and computer sciences by Shanghai Jiao Tong University in its 2008 Academic Ranking of World Universities.
- The design-intensive Spartan engineering curriculum culminates in capstone courses that provide team-based, industry-driven design challenges in which students apply their skills to real-world problems and present projects at one of the largest Design Day programs in the country, attracting company executives from the region.
- MSU engineering students learn from leading researchers, with more than 95 percent of faculty members participating in undergraduate teaching. The engineering faculty includes nine with the University Distinguished Professors designation, 9 percent of the total number at MSU.
- The College of Engineering has produced eight winners of the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship (link to scholarship listing on main rankings site) in the past nine years.
- For more than 35 years, MSU’s Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science has held the nation’s best record for winning and placing in the American Institute of Chemical Engineers National Student Design Competition.
- Spartan engineering study abroad opportunities include a program in Volgograd, Russia, one of the largest such programs among single-campus universities in the United States.
- The College of Engineering ranks first among the Big Ten engineering schools in the number of graduate degrees awarded to African American students.
- Spartan engineering graduates are recruited aggressively, and each year about 175 employers and 250 MSU undergraduate engineering students participate in the Cooperative Engineering Education Program.
- Opening in fall 2009, the Residential Experience for Spartan Engineers will become the home of more than 400 first-year engineering students who will be immersed in an intensive education program to transform them into future engineering leaders.
Leading-edge research
In the past five years, research awards in the College of Engineering have increased 40 percent, including the following major awards:
Energy research
- The College of Engineering is home to one of the most advanced thermoelectric power generation research groups in the world.
- The Energy and Automotive Research Laboratories, a $10 million, 29,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art complex, more than doubles the previous space for energy and automotive research, opened in 2007.
- At the MSU-ZELRI Research Center for Power Electronics Systems, MSU and the Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Research Institute are collaborating in leading research on hybrid vehicles, including the development of a hybrid bus powertrain for mass transit.
Health research
- MSU engineering researchers have developed a robotic arm that could eventually provide lifesaving breast exams to women living in remote areas.
- Electrical computer and engineering faculty at MSU have developed a breakthrough noninvasive method to detect faulty heart valves.
Materials research
- Research conducted in the Composite Materials and Structures Center has led to the development of a new nanomaterial. This material was honored with the Nanotech Briefs Nano 50 award, which recognizes 50 technologies, products, and innovators that significantly influence nanotechnology.
- An MSU engineering research group has discovered new rules about dispersing nanoparticles in polymers, so materials scientists can create an entirely new generation of stronger, tougher, more heat-resistant plastics with applications in solar panels, multifunctional fibers, sensors, and biomedical devices.
Security research
- The Structural Fire Testing Facility, the first such facility in a U.S. university setting, features a test furnace capable of reaching temperatures in up to 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit, allowing researchers to perform structural fire testing. This provides a significant step in integrating fire and structural engineering, which is crucial to homeland security.
- MSU’s Pattern Recognition and Image Processing Lab is a world leader in biometric research and technology, which addresses automatic recognition of individuals based on their physiological (e.g., face, fingerprint, or iris) and/or behavioral (e.g., signature) characteristics.
Sustainability research
- Civil and environmental engineering faculty and a group of interdisciplinary and international researchers are investigating the use of nanotechnology-enabled synthetic membranes for water purification to help ensure that pure and inexpensive water is available worldwide.
- Civil and environmental engineers at MSU have developed an integrated groundwater modeling and visualization software technology—Interactive Ground Water—that has enhanced significantly Michigan’s ability to manage its groundwater resources.
- The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Center for Microbial Ecology are developing a portable, handheld device capable of detecting up to 50 microbial threat agents in air, water, and food.
