Research facilities
Research Centers and Programs have a dual mission of education
as well as research and development. Emphasis is placed on the
research process. Projects reflect faculty/student interests and
industry needs. Equipment and facilities are up-to-date and
appropriate to the task. Graduate students (except engineering
management) are required to participate in thesis research and many
find opportunities within the centers and programs outlined below
or through individual faculty research interests.
Center for Applied Optics
Studies
The Center for Applied Optics Studies serves as a high-technology
resource service for business, industry and government. Every time
you listen to music on a compact disc player, place a telephone
call, printout a document on a laser printer, and have your
groceries scanned at the checkout you are using optics. In a world
where optical devices and components such as lasers and optical
fibers are used in so many varied applications, optical technology
is literally everywhere. The Center works to identify and implement
new, practical uses for optics. A few of the Center's specialty
areas include the design of optics-related products and
instruments, non-destructive testing, vibration analysis, fiber
optic component/system testing, biomedical instrumentation, surface
roughness measurements, computer-aided optical system design,
measurements using lasers, spectroscopic analysis, image
enhancement, remote sensing, applications of photo-refractive
materials, sensing devices and laser beam steering
applications.
Lilly Applied Life Sciences Center
This Center was formed as an academic-industry partnership in May
1995 in response to the need for applying advanced new technologies
from engineering and the biological sciences in developing
tomorrow's effective and efficient health care solutions. The
Center assists Rose-Hulman in providing more interdisciplinary
opportunities for faculty and students to work together on
state-of-the-art projects similar to activities occurring in life
science-related industries. ALS Research Center goals are to
introduce undergraduate students to biological and biomedical
research; perform high-quality research to prepare graduate
students for careers in biological and biomedical engineering;
establish new contacts between Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
and biomedical and health care industries; and perform high-quality
research in cooperation with industry in order to provide solutions
to problems requiring time or expertise not available to its
permanent staff.
W. M. Keck Foundation Imaging Systems
Laboratory
Imaging has numerous applications. For example, it is used to
visualize experimental data; to non-invasively explore the human
body (e.g. ultrasound, X-rays and magnetic resonance imaging); to
measure and reconstruct 3D objects (e.g. buildings); to visually
guide autonomous vehicles; and for entertainment (e.g. movies and
games). The Imaging Systems Lab provides opportunities for
interdisciplinary collaboration in all areas of imaging including
computer graphics, computer vision, optical imaging and filtering,
image processing, and pattern recognition. The laboratory's goals
are to provide high quality opportunities for students to work on
imaging projects; educate students in the various aspects of
imaging; establish links between Rose-Hulman and companies that
have a need for imaging-based solutions; and provide industry with
solutions to imaging problems.
Rose-Hulman MiNDS
Facility
Rose-Hulman Micro-Nano Devices and Systems (MiNDS)
Facility - The development of class 1000 cleanrooms at RHIT has
been expedited with a W. M. Keck Foundation grant in 2002. The
MiNDS group is truly a multi-disciplinary group having fifteen
faculty from six academic departments who are involved in various
aspects of Micro-Nanotechnology teaching and research. Our students
and faculty have several active ongoing research projects. Among
these topics are metamaterial antennas, optical MEMS; surface
micromachined mirrors for beam steering, microscale lab-on-a-chip;
carbon nanotubes; shape memory alloy based MEMS actuation,
self-assembly of nanoparticles, quantum-dots, surface plasmon
resonance, nano-magnetic, heat actuators, etc. The
cleanroom labs at RHIT have numerous capabilities which include:
Oxidation and diffusion furnaces, e-beam deposition, two-gun
sputtering, wet-etch benches, spin coater, plasma etcher,
XeF2 silicon etcher, critical-point dry, and submicron
photolithography. Our testing and characterization capabilities
include: SEM, micromanipulator probe stations, optical thin film
measurement system, ellipsometer, optical microscopes, AFM /STM,
four-point probe.
Rose-Hulman
Ventures
Rose-Hulman Ventures, a program of Rose-Hulman Institute of
Technology, brings together outstanding students with
technology-based companies. For students, that means the best
engineering professional practice experience possible within an
academic program. For businesses, it means prototypes, refining the
design of existing products, and expanding current engineering
capabilities. We are located on 180-acres in a 35,000
square-foot facility in a Certified Technology Park, on the south
campus of Rose-Hulman in Terre Haute, Indiana.