Interdisciplinary Research Centers

Missouri S&T research centers and institutes are actively working to solve worldwide problems and expand our scientific knowledge. Many of the research projects here on campus are the efforts of multiple departments. This interdisciplinary research offers opportunities for students to integrate their studies and learn to apply their skills and knowledge to current research. With state-of-the-art equipment and internationally renowned leaders, the centers are at the cutting edge of research on today's problems and tomorrow's technology.Five primary research centers work in concert with the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research: http://sponsoredprograms.mst.edu.

The Center for Infrastructure Engineering System (CIES) provides research expertise in the area of buildings and civil infrastructure, power infrastructure, and infrastructure management. Planned research activities include developing new design methods for civil structures such as highways, bridges and buildings, creating new composite materials for use in construction and structural engineering, utilizing non-destructive techniques to assess structural damage due to earthquakes, traffic, or other stresses on civil infrastructure, rehabilitating bridges and buildings by applying lightweight fiber-reinforced composite materials, generating intelligent transportation systems and structures through the use of advanced sensors and developing power system security, operation, and reliability systems. Director: Antonio Nanni

Center for Infrastructure Engineering Studies
Missouri University of Science and Technology
223 Engineering Research Lab
Rolla, Missouri 65409
Phone: 573.341.4497
Fax: 573.341.6215
Email: cies@mst.edu

The Materials Research Center (MRC) conducts fundamental and applied research on ceramics, metals, polymers, glass, composites, and coatings and serves as a Center for Excellence for materials research and a campus resource for major research equipment. Senior researchers at MRC include faculty members from the academic departments of ceramic engineering, chemical engineering, chemistry, civil engineering, engineering mechanics, mechanical and aerospace engineering, metallurgical engineering and physics. Research groups at MRC address a wide range of topics-from the broadly defined to the highly focused. A particular strength of MRC is a history of cooperative research and development programs with industry. Director: Dr. James Drewniak

Materials Research Center
Missouri University of Science and Technology
101 Straumanis Hall
Rolla, MO 65409-1170
Phone: 573.341.4873
Fax: 573.341.2071
perezlm@mst.edu

The Intelligent Systems Center (ISC) conducts interdisciplinary research on sponsored projects involving real physical systems with special emphasis on an intelligent (smart) systems approach. Multidisciplinary research teams include faculty members and graduate students from the departments of basic engineering, chemical engineering, chemistry, computer science, electrical and computer engineering, engineering management, mechanical and aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics, metallurgical engineering, geological and petroleum engineering, and biological sciences. The ISC has also developed state-of-the-art laboratories to conduct research on virtual reality, smart structures, neural networks, energy systems, agile manufacturing and automatic inspection, MEMS, robotics, and structural health monitoring. Director: Dr. Ming Leu

Intelligent Systems Center
Missouri University of Science and Technology
320 Engineering Research Lab
Rolla, MO 65409-0440
Phone: 573.341.4350
Fax: 573.341.6512
bettsc@mst.edu

The Rock Mechanics & Explosives Research Center (RMERC) provides research leadership in a broad range of scientific and engineering fields serving both the mining industry and the wider industrial manufacturing community and provides state-of-the-art facilities for faculty and students involved in mining engineering and geotechnical research. Work conducted at the RMERC ranges from fundamental research into the basic mechanical phenomena relating to rock, waterjet and explosives behavior to applied engineering research directed to practical solutions to empirical problems. Senior researchers at RMERC include faculty members from the academic departments of Civil Engineering, Geological Engineering, Mining Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics. The Center has an international reputation for its work in dynamic rock mechanics. This has extended into the area of the analysis of static behavior, and, more recently, into work in the fields of plasticity and the analysis of structures in salt and the evaporites. Director: Dr. David Summers

Rock Mechanics & Explosives Research Center
Missouri University of Science and Technology
1006 Kingshighway
Rolla, MO 65401
Phone: 573-341-4365
Fax: 573-341-4368
rockmech@mst.edu