Materials Engineering
Students in the Materials Engineering Laboratory analyze how the physical and mechanical properties of components meet desired design characteristics. We are focused on both the biological and materials sciences with activities ranging from applied research on the properties of industrial and biological materials to the development of open-source tools that aid other labs in carrying out the same educational research at lower costs. Our capabilities include tensile, fatigue, and hardness testing; heat treating; failure analysis using optical microscopy techniques, soft tissue testing, and a range of prototyping tools for the design of low-cost open-source hardware.