Strategic Plan

 Key Research Areas

The strategic research plan for the College of Engineering is focused on five major cross-cutting research areas, namely:

• Energy
• Health
• Materials
• Security
• Sustainability

Each of these areas has the following attributes:

• It is a problem of great importance to society, both nationally and globally.
• It is well-funded by external agencies and other sources.
• It is a deep problem that will remain important for the foreseeable future.
• We are building on existing MSU and college strengths.
• It is aligned well with one or more MSU research priorities.

Some details about each of the five key areas are given below. In every case there are at least two strong areas on which to base expansion of research.

Energy

There are two groups on which we are building expanded research. The first group works on alternative energy sources, including solar cells, thermoelectric materials and biobased sources. We are very strong here. The second group focuses on transportation, aspects of which have had a long, successful history in the college. Near-term growth will occur in composite vehicles, ‘field-to-wheels’ studies for
powertrain design, and hybrid vehicles.

Health

Expanded research in this area is a top priority of the college. There are several groups on which we will base our growth: nanomedicine for diagnosis and treatment, as well as for drug development; identification of critical paths in selected proteomic processes (e.g., renal, cardiovascular), using a system biology approach; and device development (e.g., telemedicine for breast examinations, non-invasive diagnosis of cardio- and other critical functions, ultrasound and microwave imaging and therapy, tissue engineering, neuroprosthetics, and new sensor development).

Materials

The potential for developing new useful materials is virtually unbounded, both from a nanoscale perspective and from a biomaterials perspective. Nanomaterials research impacts on our nanomedicine efforts, on infrastructure security research, and on alternative energy efforts, inter alia. We also have growing strength in surface coating technology, which impacts on both health and manufacturing problems.

Security

We have two strong groups on which we will base growth in research in security. The first is the built environment, such as structures and roads. The new Structural Fire Safety Research Lab will be recognized both nationally and globally as a uniquely valuable resource within short order. In the information realm we can expand the existing strong effort in information security (e.g., proving correctness of large, complex codes, improving network security).

Sustainability

Building a sustainable economy requires expanded research in water, land, and air quality assessment and maintenance; we have a very strong group in environmental engineering. As our society wrestles with the problem of replacing its heavy use of fossil fuels with newer plant-based technologies, our biotechnology research effort is poised to expand in a collaborative role.

Funding sources

The table below compares our funding profile with the national profile for engineering schools in 2006 (ref. ASEE 2006 Engineering Data).

Several points emerge from the data above:

• We need to increase our funding from federal sources.
• The prime agencies for doing this are NIH and DoD, in addition to the NSF, where we have done well traditionally. The status of funding from the DHS – amount and stability - is still uncertain at the federal level.
• Increasing funding from NIH requires a major collaborative effort in which Engineering plays its part with the health and life science colleges. We are committed to such a strategy.
• Increasing funding from DoD requires an alternative support structure to encourage our growing group of PIs in this area, since DoD has requirements that are somewhat different from other agencies.

Unified college strategic plan

The five strategic areas established by the dean will guide the college’s research growth strategy for the foreseeable future. Infrastructure investment, hiring, and space allocation decisions will be made with priority given to the five focus areas. Collectively these areas offer every department a stake in several of them, so all can contribute to our growth.

Evidence of effectiveness

There is solid evidence that our adherence to a college-wide strategic plan is paying dividends.

• Our research expenditures have increased for five years, reaching a new high of $34.5M this year. Extrapolating from recent awards, we expect to top $38M next year, with a stretch goal of $70M in five years.
• We intentionally stressed recruitment of PhD students starting in 2001-02. This past year we graduated our largest number ever – 66 – up from 41 five years ago. We expect to reach our target level of 0.5PhDs/FTE/year awarded within two years. For our faculty size (~150) this production will put us in a competitive position in the Big Ten Plus and nationally.
• We had remarkable success as the result of exceptional effort by our faculty PIs in the MEDC competition in 05-06, garnering some $10M in awards.
• Our junior faculty won 3 NSF Career awards in 2007, and one each in the previous three years. Their research areas include health, materials, security, and sustainability. Their success presages continued research growth as they mature professionally.

College of Engineering Funding

Below are charts detailing funding for the College of Engineering.  Click on the thumbnail image to view a larger one.