Research Institutes and InitiativesBasic Metals Processing Research Institute (BAMPRI)The Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science's BAMPRI focuses on metallurgical research of interest to the basic metals industry. An objective of BAMPRI is to compensate for the reduction of in-house research and development by industry that has occurred in the past decade. The institute develops and implements the latest product and processing technology for producers, fabricators, and end-users. Anthony J. DeArdo, William Kepler Whiteford Professor in Materials Science and Engineering, is director of BAMPRI. Center for simulation and modelingThe Center for Simulation and Modeling at the University of Pittsburgh is dedicated to supporting and facilitating computational-based research across the university. Faculty and staff working within the Center come from a wide range of disciplines, including astronomy, biology, chemistry, economics, engineering, health, and medicine. center for energyThe Center for Energy, housed in the Swanson School of Engineering, is dedicated to improving energy technology development and sustainability, including energy efficiency, advanced materials for demanding energy technologies, carbon management, and energy diversification. John A. Swanson Institute for Technical ExcellenceThe John A. Swanson Institute for Technical Excellence (SITE) houses two centers—the John A. Swanson Center for Micro and Nano Systems and the John A. Swanson Center for Product Innovation. John A. Swanson Center for Product InnovationThe John A. Swanson Center for Product Innovation is a joint initiative of the Departments of Bioengineering, Industrial Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science. The center was dedicated on April 18, 2001. It is a state-of-the-art network comprising three laboratories that serve as a focal point for product development education within the school and the University, while working as a one-step shop for manufacturing and bioengineering companies. The center ties together three otherwise distinct laboratories that parallel the new product's developmental life cycle of design, prototyping, and manufacturing: (1) the Design and Multimedia Laboratory; (2) the W.M. Keck Rapid Prototyping and Reverse Engineering Laboratory; and (3) the Kresge Rapid Manufacturing Laboratory. These laboratories contain design workstations, reverse engineering equipment, and rapid prototyping equipment (that allow the manufacturing of polymer-based prototypes), and rapid manufacturing equipment (that will produce fully functional prototypes and soft tooling). These facilities allow users to move from concept to real parts in a matter of days. A collaborative effort with faculty in the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business allows the center to offer a comprehensive and integrated package of engineering research, business, and applied project capabilities in new product development. John A. Swanson Center for Micro and Nano SystemsThe mission of the Swanson Center for Micro and Nano Systems is to conduct creative research and develop useful intellectual property and technology and facilitate the transfer of this intellectual property and technology to the industrial sector, specifically to the center's industrial members. John A. Swanson RFID Center of ExcellenceAs radio frequency identification (RFID) technology expands and improves, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh are advancing with it. The new RFID Center Of Excellencein Pitt's Swanson School of Engineering will enable the school to increase its capabilities and remain a world leader in establishing the direction of radio frequency identification technology. Pitt's RFID research is world renowned, and its research program has been identified as one of the top three in the world-with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Cambridge in England. The RFID Center of Excellence serves as an international resource to academics and members of the business community. Mascaro center for sustainable innovationIn 2003, through funding from the Heinz Endowments, the George Bevier Estate and John C. Mascaro (CEO of Mascaro Construction), the Swanson School of Engineering established the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation (MCSI) as a center of excellence in sustainable engineering, specifically focusing on the design of sustainable communities. The mission of MCSI is to encourage and nurture new collaborative projects based on strong and innovative research helping to translate the fundamental science of sustainability into real products and processes. Research conducted under the auspices of MCSI includes projects on greening the built environment, more sustainable use of water and the design of transportation and distributed power systems. Pittsburgh is widely recognized for being proactive in using green construction technologies, and the focused MCSI program is bringing additional recognition to Pittsburgh as one of the preeminent regions in developing these technologies and establishing the region as a leading center in sustainability research. McGowan Institute for Regenerative MedicineTo realize the vast potential of tissue engineering and other techniques aimed at repairing damaged or diseased tissues and organs, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center have established the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The McGowan Institute serves as a single base of operations for the University's leading scientists and clinical faculty working to develop tissue engineering, cellular therapies, biosurgery, and artificial and biohybrid organ devices. The institute's mission includes the development of innovative clinical protocols as well as the pursuit of rapid commercial transfer of its technologies related to regenerative medicine. Regenerative medicine is an emerging field that approaches the repair or replacement of tissues and organs by incorporating the use of cells, genes, or other biological building blocks along with bioengineered materials and technologies. Petersen Institute of NanoScience and EngineeringThe Institute of NanoScience and Engineering is an integrated, multidisciplinary organization that brings coherence to the University's research efforts and resources in the fields of nanoscale science and engineering. The institute's vision is to solve large, complex scientific and engineering challenges in this burgeoning field by facilitating interdisciplinary teams drawn from the faculty in the Swanson School of Engineering, Arts and Sciences, and the schools of the health sciences, and to educate the next generation of scientists through a world-class integrated program of innovative knowledge generation. |
Facility Research |
Research Funding
Doubled annually within five years to more than $40 million.
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