The research centers and institutes in the College of Technology are designed to help southeast Michigan companies, organization and individuals create solutions to meet market needs. The centers' faculty use their collective experience and familiarity with best practices and taxonomies (such as technology-risk assessment and technology lifecycles) to help create the best products and solutions. The institutes and centers serve clients across the country, but primarily in Michigan, in the selection and deployment of technologies in order to improve the human condition. The centers also provide undergraduate and graduate student researchers at Eastern Michigan University the chance to work on real-world problems using some of the most sophisticated and state-of-the-art technology available. Here are brief overviews on each and its specific mission within the college and in serving the southeast Michigan economy.
Center for Regional and National Security
The Center for Regional and National Security (CeRNS) started in 2003 with a mission to advance citizen security through innovation and excellence in teaching and research. It is dedicated to providing solutions to some of the toughest problems facing the nation in the areas of information security, law enforcement, fire management and regional and national efforts in homeland security.
Taking its lead from the re-engineering of security organizations at the national level, the College of Technology formed the center by merging three of its Department of Interdis-ciplinary Technology programs: fire staff and command, law enforcement staff and command, and cybercrime/computer forensics. The goal was to formalize and enrich communication and research across those programs; generate an environment conducive to the pursuit of external funding support; and support the development of new programs of study at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
The hybrid structure of CeRNS - built upon academic instruction and research - makes achieving that goal doable. Its service, training and consulting expertise is available for hire by public and private groups, including law enforcement agencies around the country. Its other mission is to educate students in the pursuit of undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificates in new and emerging fields of study.
Information Assurance, Law Enforcement/School Safety and Homeland Security are the center's three service platforms. The range of related activities allows for a functional synergy that is rare at any university.
The center recently received the National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education designation by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.
"This designation gives our students an incredible advantage in the job market," said Gerald "Skip" Lawver, director of CeRNS. "When the undergraduate degree is approved and finalized, we will be one of the few institutions in the country where a student can achieve vertical articulation in information assurance."
Coatings Research Institute
The Coatings Research Institute (CRI) has a two-fold mission: to be a leading academic organization that develops relevant scientific knowledge, and to expand the science and technology of paints, coatings, inks, adhesives and related nano-based materials.
It has generated enormous publicity for the University in the past three years as a result of nearly $6 million in grants from the federal government. The research work for the U.S. Army and Navy explores the effects of, and solutions for, vehicle corrosion, and the development of environmentally friendly coatings in order to lower costs.
The Army project is through the Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command in the U.S. Army Tank Command (TACOM) in Warren, Mich. The goal is to provide a four-fold return on each dollar invested in corrosion control by reducing maintenance costs and extending the service life of military vehicles and equipment. The cost of corrosion in the United States is estimated at $267 billion annually, which is about 3.15 percent of the gross domestic product.
The U.S. Navy project is in partnership with the Office of Naval Research. The $1.1 million grant funds research into efforts to deter sea organisms from attaching themselves to the hulls of ships and boats. The ONR estimates that there is a $30 million to $60 million annual cost in propulsive fuel losses due to increased drag by marine fouling, or barnacle attachment. This extra drag already reduces fuel efficiency in Navy ships and boats. As the cost of oil increases, the Navy's fuel costs also will continue to increase.
The CRI, founded in 1985, is lead by Ted Provder, its director. It is dedicated to providing solutions to some of the toughest problems facing the coatings industry, such as reducing VOCs in paint and coatings. Among its many competencies are the creation of an increased pool of well-trained coatings professionals for the coatings industry, and the creation of new types of polymers.
Center for Product Research and Development
The role of the Center for Product Research and Development (CPRD) is to help inventors and businesspeople bring product concepts to market. The center's customers have ranged from a Livonia, Mich., physician seeking ways to help women in third-world countries, to a Plymouth, Mich., hairdresser who wanted to create an exercise toy for pets.
Founded in 2002, the CPRD assists innovators by offering professional services, prototyping, man- ufacturing facilities and entrepreneurial ideas. It often works in collaboration with the Michigan Small Business Development Center. In a typical year, the center takes on some 20 projects.
"We realized that there were no resources for the individual inventor. They were an underserved population who had nowhere to go. EMU was a natural fit," said Philip Rufe, an instructor at the center. "Individuals feel more comfortable coming to EMU with their ideas than to private or profit-making centers. They are confident that the University won't steal their ideas, and we are less expensive."
The CPRD is led by director Daniel Fields and has more than 20 engineering and technical faculty, who are experts in their respective fields. They have hands-on experience in working with computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM), plastics, foundry and metal forming, machining and pattern making and metrology.
The CRPD was the right solution for Dr. Hadi Piraka, an obstetrician and gynecologist in Livonia. He had long studied the issue of post-partum hemorrhaging and the need for a device to control the condition, which is the number one cause of death for pregnant women in third-world counties. "It's very terrifying and horrifying, and doctors can't do much about it," he said.
Now, Dr. Piraka's project is patented and currently being produced by a medical device company that can modify the design if clinical testing determines a change is necessary. Piraka and the center are now working on a surgical stapler for bowel surgery and a one-piece laparoscope and scalpel.
Textiles Research and Training Institute
Developing new ways to help textile-based companies compete in the global marketplace is one of the challenges of the Textiles Research and Training Institute. It's a challenge that the institute's staff relishes.
"Most companies are looking for better, quicker and more inexpensive ways of doing business," said Julie Becker, institute director. "The textiles institute tries to link new research ideas and software technology into the current way companies do business."
One way the institute is solving the challenges of globalization is through software. Becker trains clients in the latest software and equipment that can save time and reduce costs for textile-based industries. Although manufacturing is going overseas, product development is staying in the United States, Becker said.
"Companies, however, are experiencing a shortage of people who are more well-rounded, both in the fiber and applications side, to ward off problems in the design of a product before it is manufactured," she said. "If problems develop after a product is manufactured, it can cause a firm millions of dollars."
The institute was founded in 1999 with the mission of becoming a leading research and academic organization providing relevant and creative research in the areas of textiles, applied textiles and soft goods development, reaching across multiple disciplines and industries.
The institute offers a powerhouse of ideas to help industries get current employees better trained in software technology, from database systems (mass customization) to new looms, Becker said.
Companies from Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Ontario, California and the Carolinas have taken advantage of its training program. Becker and her students also have worked on a range of projects on behalf of industry, including automotive seating, bulletproof vests, military garments, sound barriers for inside door panels of cars, and composites for dashboards.