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Mechanical Engineering Department Facilities

Departmental Facilities and Individual Faculty Research Laboratories:

Shared Services Facilities Director: Haejune Kim We provide students and researchers open access to a wide range of equipment for measuring, characterizing and imaging of samples. If necessary, shared facility staff or super user of the instrument will offer training before giving access to the equipment. The shared services facilities are available to mechanical engineering faculty and students. Currently the group maintains and has available for scheduling the following machines:VEGA II LSU SEM, KLA- Tencor P-6 Stylus Profiler, VHX-600 Digital Microscope, High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Total Organic Carbon (TOC) Analyzer, Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) System, MicroClimate environmental chamber, Photron FSTCAM SA5 High Speed Camera, Olympus BX 61/Visitech QLC-100 Confocal Microscopy, Simultaneous Thermal Analyzer – Q600 SDT, Differential Scanning Calorimeter – DSC Q1000, Veeco Dektak 150 Profilometer, and Salt Spray Chamber.

Acoustics and Signal Processing Laboratory Contact: Dr. Yong-Joe Kim The ASPL, founded in 2009, is a research laboratory of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University (TAMU), College Station, Texas, USA. It is located at James J. Cain ’51 Building #409. Prof. Yong-Joe Kim currently serves as the director for the ASPL. The current research is focused on the areas of acoustics, signal processing, vibration, dynamics, and biomechanics.

Advanced Computational Mechanics Laboratory Contact: Dr. J.N. Reddy Professor Reddy’s Advanced Computational Mechanics Laboratory (ACML) at Texas A&M University is dedicated to state-of-the-art research in the development of novel mathematical models and numerical simulation of physical phenomena. Some of the research projects carried out at the Advanced Computational Mechanics Laboratory include variational principles of theoretical mechanics, mathematical theory of mixed and penalty finite-element approximations, analytical solutions of the refined theories of laminated composite plates and shells, nano and bio mechanics, least-squares finite element models of viscous, incompressible, Newtonian and non- Newtonian fluid flow problems as well as plate and shell structures as well as well-received textbooks on applied mathematics, variational methods, the finite element method, and laminated composite plates and shells. The ACML computing facilities include a 16-node supercomputer comprised of 1-head node, 11-compute nodes and 4-Gluster storage nodes. Each compute node has: Dual Hexa-Core E5- 2630 “Sandy Bridge” 2.3 GHz Processors, 32 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD scratch storage. The system also has 66 TB of archival storage space.

Advanced Engine Research Laboratory Contact: Dr. Timothy Jacobs Advanced Engine Research Lab is operated by Dr. Tim Jacobs in Mechanical Engineering Department of Texas A&M University. Team members are doing the following fundamental experimental and theoretical research to investigate advanced methods for internal combustion engine energy conversion and emission reduction: • In-cylinder combustion processes, • The coupling to advanced concepts, • The use of alternative fuels, • The integration of exhaust after treatment systems. The testing facility is located in 103 Thompson Hall and the student office is located in 218 Thompson Hall. Multi-Cylinder Facility • John Deere 4-Cylinder 4.5L Diesel Engine • General Motors 4-Cylinder 1.9L Diesel Engine o Common Rail fuel Injection System o Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) o Variable geometry turbocharger (VGT) o Drivven / National Instruments Engine Controller • 150 hp (111 kW) DC motoring dynamometer • National Instruments (NI) Low-speed and Drivven High-speed Data Acquisition System • Measurement Computing Corporation (MCC) Low-speed Data Acquisition System Single-Cylinder Facility • Ajax Single-Cylinder 9.29L Natural Gas Engine • Taylor 100HP (75 kW) Air Cooled Eddy Current Dynamometer • National Instruments Low-speed (cDAQ) and High-speed Data (cRIO) Acquisition System Shared Equipment • Horiba MEXA 7100D Emissions Bench (CO2, CO, O2, NOx, and HC) • AVL 415S Smoke Meter • Electro-Mechanical Associates (EMA) Mini-Diluter Particulate Sampling System Professional Software & Programming Languages • LabVIEW • GT-POWER • CONVERGE • STAR-CCM+ • Cantera • Python • MATLAB • C / C++ • FORTRAN90

Advanced NanoManufacturing Laboratory Contact: Dr. Jonathan Felts We develop new tools and techniques to pattern unconventional materials at the nanoscale, with particular interests in polymers, organic small molecules, metallic and semiconducting nanoparticles, and 1- and 2-D materials.

Aerosol Technology Laboratory Contact: Dr. Yassin Hassan The Aerosol Technology Laboratory is an independent University research laboratory at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University that was established under the direction of Dr. Andrew R. McFarland, Wyatt Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and has been serving for over thirty-five years as a center for aerosol research for both private and public sector interests. • A robust engineering and research environment, the Aerosol Technology Laboratory has produced dozens of M.S. and Ph.D. graduates at Texas A&M University, many of whom have gone on to lead research efforts at prestigious research facilities such as Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, and Ohio State University. • The Aerosol Technology Laboratory operates from laboratory facilities within at Texas A&M University, as well as a large-scale wind tunnel facility located off the main campus. Capabilities of the Aerosol Technology Laboratory include: • Static bench-top testing of aerosol devices with inert monodisperse aerosol (liquid or solid particles with imbedded fluorescent tracer) as well as with non-pathogenic bacteria spores; fluorometric analysis, and imaging of test aerosol particles; culturing of bacteria spores for quantitative analysis; and wind-tunnel testing of aerosol sampling equipment with either inert aerosol particles or non-pathogenic bacteria spores. • Specific accomplishments of past Aerosol Technology Laboratory research include: o The design and patenting of a Shrouded Probe for representative sampling of aerosols at a constant flow rate and high wind speeds. o Development of American National Standards Institute Standard 13.1-1999 describing the method and application of single-point representative sampling from stacks and ducts. o Design of the Generic Mixing Plenum for low power mixing of duct effluent to satisfy single-point representative sampling criteria. o Design of a Continuous Air Monitor for detection of airborne alpha-emitting particles (Alpha Sentry System, Canberra Industries Inc., Meriden, CT). o Design of a Continuous PM10 Particulate Monitor for real-time measurement of dust emissions from a corrosive stack environment. • Design (patented) of a Circumferential Slot Virtual Impactor for low power concentration of aerosols. • Design (patented) of the Wetted Wall Cyclone (WWC) for low power collection and concentration of bioaerosols and nanoaerosols.

Bio-Inspired Complex Network Design for Sustainability Contact: Dr. Astrid Layton Environmentally Benign Manufacturing as defined by the National Science Foundation in 2001 is “a system of goals, metrics, technologies, and business practices that address the long-term dilemma for product realization: how to achieve economic growth while protecting the environment.” There is no evidence that the environmental problems from our production systems are solvable by a “silver bullet” technology [1]. Rather, the need for systems-based solutions was noted, requiring a comprehensive systems approach in which, e.g., the product’s design is formed in conjunction with its logistical and recycling systems. Clearly, this raises the level of design complexity. A framework for such a systems- based approach to Environmentally Benign Design and Manufacturing (EBDM) that is both efficient and effective in reducing environmental impact while maintaining or increasing a product’s or system’s technical and financial performance.

Bio-inspired product design is becoming commonplace, however using this same solution source for network design has not yet become popular. The methods by which biotic systems reach their environmentally sustainable state are hypothesized to support the engineering of sustainable products, processes and systems. My work, building upon e.g. [2,3,4], has demonstrated that the use of biological methods and principles can lead to environmental improvements at multiple scales. The goal of my research is to move ideas from biology to human systems design in such a way that they become implementable tools.

Biomechanical Environments Laboratory Director: Dr. Michael Moreno The Biomechanical Environments Laboratory research is focused on the effects of solid and/or fluid mechanical factors in the development of cardiovascular disease, implantable orthopedic devices, traumatic brain injury, regenerative therapies, and biodegradable technologies. Researchers in the Biomechanical Environments Laboratory specialize in reconstructing physiologically relevant mechanical environments for in vitro studies of cells, tissues, organs and medical devices, to ensure critical mechanical cues that drive physiologic processes are maintained.

BioRobotics Laboratory Contact: Dr. Seokchang Ryu TAMU BioRobotics Laboratory was founded in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University (TAMU) in September 2015. We research embedding physical intelligence into mechanical systems by smart design, materials, processing and manufacturing with the purpose of improving and extending the system’s capability. In particular, we are interested in applying this theme into the development of novel biomedical robotic devices and a paradigm shift of medical procedures.

Computational Biomechanics Laboratory Contact: Dr. Sevan Goenezen The Computational Biomechanics Laboratory lead by Dr. Sevan Goenezen focuses on biomechanical modeling of tissues and describing their nonlinear, viscoelastic, and anisotropic response. The lab also develops algorithms to quantify the heterogeneous model parameters from observational data, such as interior quasi-static or time harmonic displacement data. This can be measured using imaging devices, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound technology, optical coherence tomography (OCT), etc. The model parameters contain clues on disease detection and diagnosis in that deviations from normal indicate changes in pathology. Current application areas include but are not limited to abdominal aortic aneurysms, intracranial aneurysms, atherosclerotic plaques, liver disease, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and skin cancer.

Computational Heat Transfer Contact: Dr. N.K. Anand The laboratory's vision is to impact today's technology and academics in the area of heat transfer and fluid dynamics by quality research and study. CHTL has produced a number of publications in peer reviewed journals and conferences. Former students from CHTL are contributing as professors, researchers and engineers in both academia and industries. The laboratory provides a friendly mentoring environment for the students. The resources include modern Desktop computers with latest software and a small library. The students of the laboratory also have access to Texas A&M libraries and state-of-the-art computational fluid dynamics software installed on the supercomputers of Texas A&M. These software include ANSYS Fluent 12.0, ANSYS CFX 12.0, ANSYS ICEM 12.0, GAMBIT 2.4.6, Star-CCM+ 5.02, StarCD 4.10 and OpenFOAM 2.2.

Computational Thermo-Fluids & Energy Systems Lab Contact: Dr. Dorrin Jarrahbashi The research focuses on computational fluid dynamics with application in energy conversion in solar and thermal systems, energy storage, and engine emission control. In order to model realistic energy systems, our goal is to develop new physical models suitable for high-performance computing with high scalability to aid designing clean and efficient energy conversion devices. Model development in our lab encompasses the simulation of reacting and non-reacting flows, single and multiphase flows, flow instability and mixing, liquid stream break-up, spray atomization, spray combustion, vortex dynamics, cavitating and condensating flows, thermal-hydraulic behavior of supercritical flows and novel technologies for supercritical carbon dioxide energy cycles.

Controls and Mechatronics Research Laboratory Contact: Dr. Xingyong Song The research focuses on dynamic systems, control theory, mechatronics and their application on oil and gas, automotive and renewable energy systems. This includes (1) Clean and Efficient Automotive Propulsion Systems, including novel engine concepts (camless engine), hybrid powertrains, efficient power transmission, and next-en powertrain concepts with renewable fuels, (2) Robotic Down-hole Drilling System Control and Automation, an unconventional oil and gas exploration and production system enabled by advanced controls and automation, allowing drilling automation and hydraulic fracking optimal control, (3) Autonomous and Connected Vehicles Control and Optimization, (4) Novel Time-varying Internal Model Based Control Theory, which determines robust tracking control and disturbance rejection, nonlinear and time-varying system control, LPV system stabilization, iterative learning control, time-varying internal model system and their real time experimental investigation, and (5) Mechatronic system design, fabrication and prototyping, as well as fluid power and hydraulic system design and control.

Design Systems Laboratory Contact: Dr. Richard Malak The Design Systems Laboratory is a research lab in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University. Our mission is to discover, study, and demonstrate new ways in which engineers can design complex systems. Each of us relies on many such systems in our day-to-day lives, including automobiles, aircraft, the electric grid, and the internet. Advances in systems design principles and methodology can yield systems that are better performing, cost less, take less time to design, and are more environmentally friendly. Consequently, we think this research can have a broad impact on society.

E3 (Engines, Emissions, and Energy) Contact: Dr. Jerald Caton The E3 Research Laboratory conducts research and engineering activities in three main categories: Engines, Emissions and Energy.

Energy, Control, and Optimization (ECOLab) Director: Dr. Shima Hajimirza Energy Control and Optimization (ECO) Lab is the research lab for multi-scaling modeling in the mechanical engineering department of Texas A&M University, directed by Dr. Shima Hajimirza. The research goal of the ECO Lab is to find smarter engineering solutions for energy technology and multi-scale dynamic systems using computational applied mathematics.

Energy Systems Laboratory Director: Dr. David E. Claridge The Energy Systems Laboratory (ESL) is a division of the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station and a member of the Texas A&M University System. The lab currently employs approximately 120 staff members, including mechanical engineers, computer science graduates, lab technicians, support staff, and graduate and undergraduate students. The Lab focuses on energy-related research, energy efficiency, and emissions reduction. Some specialized areas are: • Optimization of commercial and industrial building operations, known as Continuous Commissioning® • Enhancing overall energy efficiency in buildings through research, simulation, data analysis, and outreach • Conducting research and calibrated testing on HVAC systems • Measurement and verification of energy savings for commercial buildings • Energy efficiency in industrial facilities In addition to the above activities and responsibilities, the Lab produces a knowledge base to help the Texas building industry stay energy efficient through research, scholarly publications, conferences, and the general engineering process. The Lab also offers workshops, training, and support to the building industry, which ultimately benefits the Texas taxpayers. Riverside Energy Efficiency Laboratory (REEL) REEL has a large number of test facilities already in operation. A summary of these facilities are presented below: Refrigerant Component/System Evaluation Test Bed - The Refrigerant Component/System Evaluation Test Bed is a fully instrumented refrigeration loop. This test bed can be modified at any point to test different refrigerants, lubricants, compressors, evaporators, thermal expansion valves, condensers or full systems in a variety of configurations. Psychrometric Rooms Facility - The Psychrometric Test Facility provides a controlled environment for testing air conditioning and heat pump systems. This facility is fully instrumented and computerized to monitor and record dry bulb, wet bulb and dew point temperatures from +10 to +120º F, and to measure relative humidity from 5% to 95%. The facility can accommodate equipment up to 10-tons in capacity, and can measure air flow rates from 150 to 5,000 CFM. This test facility meets ASHRAE Standards 116 and ARI 210/240. Heat Exchanger Performance Facility - The heat exchanger facility is fully equipped to test flow, heat transfer and pressure drop across heat exchangers and the associated heat transfer correlations. Airflow Chamber - REEL has 6 airflow chambers that can be used to test fans up to 8 feet in diameter with capacities from 1 to 50,000 cubic feet per minute. The test chambers are built to ANSI/AMCA Standard 210 as well as the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 51, HVI 915. Duct Performance and Evaluation Facility - REEL has facilities to test the performance of a duct with respect to pressure drop, leakage rate, and duct deflection. In addition REEL is capable of testing duct liner attenuation. Semi-Reverberant Sound Room Facility - The Semi-Reverberant Sound Room Facility is an acoustically isolated room that is designed to reflect sound waves throughout the room. The semi-reverberant sound room is often used to test the sound level of small sound sources, such as residential fans for HVI and Energy Star. Photovoltaic Testing Facility - The Photovoltaic (PV) Testing Facility is a secured, outdoor facility for the performance testing of PV devices in hot and humid climates. The facility is instrumented with a weather station, and tilt and global radiation instruments, and power, voltage and current measurement equipment.\ Miscellaneous HVAC Evaluation Facilities - REEL has several other HVAC evaluation facilities, these include a vent cap evaluation facility, an energy recovery ventilator recovery facility, pressure drop facility, flow calibration facility, chiller evaluation facility, and building heat transfer evaluation facility.

Experimental Solid Mechanics Lab Contact: Dr. Matt Pharr The experimental solid mechanics laboratory at Texas A&M University, led by Dr. Matt Pharr, investigates a wide range of problems in solid mechanics. Many of the systems we investigate exhibit a strong coupling between mechanics and other fields, such as electronics and chemistry. Despite the name of the lab, we also emphasize a complementary theoretical understanding of these systems. Current areas of interest include mechanics of materials for energy storage and conversion, deformation and fracture of soft materials, mechanics of flexible/wearable electronics, coupled electro-chemo-mechanics, and mass transport in materials.

Gas Dynamics and Propulsion Group Contact: Dr. Eric Peterson The Petersen Research Group specializes in the study of combustion, gas dynamics and propulsion. We conduct experiments and analyses on reacting flows, chemical kinetics, and shock waves for applications ranging from advanced propellants and rockets to optical diagnostics and gas turbine engines. Our research interests and current activities include a wide range of topics ranging from shock wave phenomena and propulsion to combustion chemistry and spectroscopy. The work in our group is mainly experimental in nature and spans several disciplines including mechanical engineering, physical chemistry, aerospace engineering, and basic physics. Applications of the research include power generation gas turbines, rockets, aviation jet engines, land-based propulsion systems, and high-speed aircraft. Our laboratories are located in the Turbomachinery Laboratory at Texas A&M University in College Station, TX. The Turbomachinery Laboratory at Texas A&M is home to our newly renovated and expanded location consisting of 2600 sq-ft of laboratory, control room, and student office space. Our state-of-the-art research facilities include a High-Pressure Shock Tube, a Heterogeneous Shock Tube, a High-Pressure Strand Burner, a Propellant Mixing Facility, a Laminar Flame Speed Apparatus, and the Aerospace Corporation Shock Tube Laboratory.

Human Rehabilitation Group Contact: Dr. Pilwon Hur The Human Rehabilitation Group (HUR Group) at the Texas A&M University seeks to 1) understand how the central nervous system controls human sensorimotor behavior in Bayesian optimal ways, 2) understand how neurologic impairments affect normal and optimal behavioral principles, and 3) rehabilitate neurologically-impaired patients to restore the normality and optimality of their sensorimotor behavior. The key words for HUR Group may include motor control, rehabilitation, rehab robotics, biomechanics, neuromechanics, and virtual rehabilitation. To achieve the mission of HUR Group, we aim to the following specific aims: • Development/Identification of biomechanical models for human behaviors • Development of sensitive diagnostic tools for identifying neurologic pathologies • Development of portable rehab robots for long-term sensorimotor enhancement • Clinical evaluation of the developed tools and robots

Industrial Assessment Center Director: Dr. Bryan Rasmussen Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, we are a team of professional staff and trained students that conducts free assessments for mid-sized industries to help them stay competitive through reduction of costs. The assessments include energy efficiency and productivity improvements, waste minimization, and pollution prevention. The teams of staff and students visit the facility for a single day and compile a report of potential cost-saving measures for the facility. These assessments have helped mid-sized industries stay competitive through reduction of costs. The IAC at Texas A&M University has completed over 700 assessments in 29 years of service to the community.

Laboratory for Low Carbon Energy and Sustainable Environment Contact: Dr. Ying Li The main focus areas of our research group are processing-microstructure-mechanical property relationships in advanced metallic materials, ultrafine-grained materials, severe plastic deformation, martensitic phase transformation, magneto-thermo-mechanical coupling, deformation twinning, and micro-mechanical constitutive modeling of deformation mechanisms. We mainly focus on materials that demonstrate at least two of the following mechanisms: dislocation slip, martensitic transformation, and deformation twinning. The materials currently under investigation are: 1. Conventional Shape Memory Alloys (Ni-Ti) 2. High Temperature Shape Memory Alloys (Ni-Ti-Hf, Ni-Ti-Pd, Ni-Ti-Pt) 3. Ferromagnetic and Meta-Magnetic Shape Memory Alloys (Co-Ni-Al, Co-Ni-Ga, Ni-Mn- (Ga,In, Co, Sn), and Ni-Fe-Ga) 4. Iron-based Shape Memory Alloys (Fe-Ni-Co-Ti, Fe-Ni-Co-Al, Fe-Ni-Mn-Al) 5. Ni-free Biomedical Shape Memory Alloys 6. Bulk Nanocrystalline Materials (Mg, Ti, Nb, Zr, Al, Cu, W, Ta and their alloys, Stainless Steel) 7. Transformation-Induced Plasticity (TRIP) Steels 8. Austenitic Steels (Hadfield Steel and Stainless Steels) 9. Interstitial Free (IF) Steels We use the following tools in investigation of these materials: • Materials Synthesis and Processing (Vacuum arc melting, Equal Channel Angular Extrusion or Equal Channel Angular Pressing, Spark Plasma Sintering, Micro and Nano Powder Consolidation, rolling, wire drawing, swaging, etc.) • Mechanical Testing (Monotonic and cyclic testing of single crystals and polycrystals at temperatures from -100 ºC up to 1000 ºC) • Microstructural investigations (Optical microscopy, SEM, TEM, X-Ray, OIM, Crystallographic Texture) • Functional Characterization (SQUID Magnetometer, DSC, PPMS, Scanning Hall Probe Microscopy) • Modeling (Microstructure evolution based crystal plasticity models)

Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Phenomena Contact: Dr. Justin Wilkerson The Nonequilbirium Phenomena Lab studies the nonequilibrium microstructural evolution of materials subject to extreme environments, builds models capable of capturing the pertinent physics on multiple length scales, and seek to exploit the knowledge of nonequilibrium phenomena to enable the multiscale design of revolutionary multifunctional materials.

Manufacturing Innovation Laboratory (Mi-Lab) Contact: Dr. Bruce Tai We are located in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University. Our lab performs multi-disciplinary research that combines manufacturing with material science, thermal science, and computer science for broad applications in industry and healthcare. We aim at fundamental understanding of manufacturing processes to stimulate future research and development. We emphasize both experimental work and numerical modeling to explore the problems. Our current research interests are grouped into additive manufacturing (also known as 3D printing) and subtractive manufacturing (also known as machining.)

Materials Development and Characterization Center Director: Dr. Ibrahim Karaman The Materials Development and Characterization Center (MDC2 ) provides equipment to examine processing-microstructure-mechanical property relationships in advanced metallic materials, ultrafine-grained materials, severe plastic deformation, martensitic phase transformation, magneto-thermo-mechanical coupling, deformation twinning, and micro- mechanical constitutive modeling of deformation mechanisms. We mainly focus on materials that demonstrate at least two of the following mechanisms: dislocation slip, martensitic transformation, and deformation twinning. Available Instrumentation includes: • Squid VSM • Bruker D8 X-ray • Spark Plasma Sintering System • Glove Box • Vacuum Furnace Tube • Arc Melter System • Differential Scanning Calorimeter • Keyence VHX-2000 Optical Microscope • MTS Compression Testing System • MR7 Laser 3D Printer

Mechanical Characterization of Tissues and Materials Laboratory Director: Dr. Alan Freed The Mechanical Characterization of Tissues and Materials Laboratory is dedicated to developing new analytical frameworks and experimental methods for the analysis of soft tissues and biomaterials. A variety of experiments has been performed to obtain the mechanical properties of biological tissue and tissue-engineered constructs in all relevant deformation. Uniaxial studies have been widely utilized to determine the mechanical properties of soft biological tissues and tissue engineered constructs since it is convenient to control the boundary condition in one dimension. This material testing method was founded from linear-elasticity theorems and was originally conceived to investigate the mechanical properties of isotropic, linearly-elastic materials under small deformations. However, biologic tissues are inhomogeneous, anisotropic, non-linear materials that typically undergo large deformations and are often subjected to complex multi-axial loading conditions in vitro. Thus, biaxial testing methods are proposed to mimic the physiological-loading state to fully understand the mechanical behavior of the tissues.

Microtriboydynamics Laboratory Contact: Dr. Andreas Polycarpou Microtribodynamics is the study of tribology (friction, adhesion, wear, and lubrication) and dynamic interaction in miniature systems. Microtribodyanmics (µTDL) research group at Texas A&M University is led by Dr. Andreas A. Polycarpou. The group studies nano-, micro-, and macro-tribology in various applications. Research interests of the group are quite diverse. They range from practical tribological problems in compressor application to nano- tribology for Head-Disk Interfaces (HDI’s) in magnetic storage.

Mixed-Initiative Design Lab Contact: Dr. Vinayak The Mixed Initiative Design Lab (MIDL) develops novel computational frameworks for the representation, presentation, and manipulation of information pertaining to the design of digital artifacts. Our research is currently positioned at the interface of computer-aided design, geometry & image processing, and human-computer interactions. Having said that, out work thrives on the integration and inclusion of unexplored technologies, methods, and interfaces with one goal: augmenting human expression and creativity in product, industrial, and engineering design.

Multi-Phase Flow and Heat Transfer Laboratory Contact: Dr. Debiyoti Banerjee Research projects are highly interdisciplinary and intellectually rewarding. Projects range from micro-fluidics, boiling heat transfer, nanotechnology and Bio-MEMS. We are looking to diversify our research activities over the years. The impact of Micro-scale features on boiling heat transfer, development of non-linear models by application of chaos theoretic techniques for characterizing the underlying coupled hydrodynamic and thermal mechanisms in boiling, applying dip-pen nanolithography to deposit metallic salts with <100 nm resolution, sensing of explosives, spray cooling, micro-fluidics for genomic assays involving both fabrication using micro-fabrication techniques and using CFD codes for design optimization are some of the areas that we are currently working on. Analysis software like ANSYS and FLUENT are commonly used for design optimization. Modeling software like AutoCad, GAMBIT, Solidworks etc are used extensively for pre-processing.

Nano-Energy Laboratory Contact: Dr. Choongo Yu Explore advanced energy technology and science, nano/micro-systems, thermal engineering and science • Energy conversion • Thermoelectric energy harvesting and cooling: • Material synthesis (organic and inorganic materials) • Thermoelectric device fabrication • Fuel cells: • Microbial fuel cell and wastewater treatment • Proton exchange membrane fuel cells with novel nanostructured electrodes • Piezoelectric energy conversion: • Reduction of noise caused by mechanical vibration • Energy harvesting from vibration • Energy storage • Li-S batteries: High capacity and low-cost carbon nanotube sponge based batteries • Li-Air: Porous multi-dimensional carbon electrodes with solid electrolytes for stable and safe operation • Supercapacitor: Thermally self-chargeable flexible energy storage • Thermal and electrical transport in nanostructured materials (1D, 2D materials) • Thermal management • Design and fabrication of nano/micro-electromechanical systems and sensors

Nonlinear Engineering and Control Lab Contact: Dr. Steve Suh

Optical Diagnostics and Imaging Laboratory Director: Dr. Waruna D. Kulatilaka Facilities of this laboratory include: • Amplified femtosecond laser system and frequency-conversion unit • Nd:YAG lasers and dye lasers • High-power CW lasers • High-speed CMOS cameras and image intensifiers • Intensified CCD (ICCD) cameras • High-resolution spectrometers • Fiber-coupled spectrometers • High-bandwidth digital oscilloscope • High-pressure gas cell • Calibration burners • Custom-built burners for gaseous and liquid fuels • Numerous optics and optical components • Various electronics and diagnostic hardware

Plasma Engineering and Diagnostics Laboratory Contact: Dr. David Staack Our research is focused on the experimental study of microscale and low temperature plasmas and devices which plasmas. The results and discoveries of this research have far reaching consequences in fields ranging from medicine and health, to integrated circuit manufacturing, to fossil fuel reforming. The Plasma Engineering and Diagnostics Laboratory in 2014 moved to a 3000 sq. ft. laboratory at the University Services Building. The lab has various equpiment and is well suited for the microscopic and spectroscopic investigation of plasma discharges in liquids, inert and reacting gases from high pressure to vacuum conditions. These facilities are used for several projects ranging from the investigation of high energy density micro-plasmas in liquids, to biomedical plasmas, to thin film deposition to, the non-equilibrium chemistry of crude oil reforming. Specific equipment are: a one meter focal length scanning monochromator for high resolution spectroscopy; a dedicated inverted fluorescence microscope and stereo microscope for microscale plasma and tissue visualization; a ultrafast (200 ps) gated ICCD camera for the highest temporal resolution imaging and spectroscopy; a high frame rate (300kfps) CMOS camera; two gas chromatographs capable of oil and hydrocarbon and combustion product analysis; exhaust and chemical hood; a 160 sqft portable walk-in fume hood; custom nanosecond pulse generator capable of mJ to J per; several RF, DC, and microwave power supplies for the generation of various dielectric barrier discharges (DBD), capacitively coupled plasmas (CCP), microplasmas, discharges in liquids, and plasma jets; a 2 GHz oscilloscope with high bandwidth voltage, current, and dI/dt probes; schlierin visualization system and optics; and several discharge chamber ranging in operating pressure from 0.01 millitorr to 100 atmospheres.

Polymer NanoComposites Laboratory Contact: Dr. Jamie Grunlan The PNC Lab is the research group of Professor Jaime Grunlan and is interested in nanostructure and microstructure of particle-polymer systems. Our research is focused on polymer nanocomposites with properties that rival metals and ceramics (e.g., high electrical conductivity and/or thermal stability), while maintaining beneficial polymer properties (e.g., low density). Although we are interested in all aspects of polymer nanocomposites, we are currently focusing our efforts in three areas: layer-by-layer assembly of multifunctional thin films, thermoelectric polymer composites, and nanoparticle stabilization.

Precision Mechatronics Laboratory Contact: Dr. Won-Jong Kim • Precision mechatronics – synthesis of control and instrumentation, actuators and power electronics, sensors and signal processing, and precision system design. • Nanoscale engineering and technology with emphasis on nano-positioning and control. • Network-based control and cyber-physical systems. • Development of novel high-performance, high-efficiency actuators and sensors with smart materials for biomimetic robots. • Design and implementation of real-time control systems and signal processing algorithms for semiconductor manufacturing and aerospace applications. • Magnetic levitation system design for precision positioning and energy-storage applications.

Precision Measurement and Instrumentation Contact: Dr. ChaBum Lee We are pursuing the research to understand fundamental principles in multidisciplinary discipline subjects and create next generation manufacturing methods and processes by using our core knowledge in manufacturing, precision engineering, metrology, mechatronics, and optics and academia and industry experiences. Our primary academic interests are developing precision engineering-inspired approaches to manufacturing and metrology and, reciprocally, to use these approaches to better understand learning and create new knowledge in precision machine systems. We will try any possible approaches to solving the current manufacturing problems and characterizing those limits such as accuracy, precision, long-term reliability and fatigue properties, and then, we will create new manufacturing methods and processes and push its limits at the end.

PROduct Synthesis Engineering Lab Contact: Dr. Dan McAdams Housed in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the Product Synthesis Engineering Lab is part of the Institute for Innovation in Engineering Design (IIDE) at Texas A&M University. Our research is more about creating technologies of innovation and less about creating innovative technologies. Our research community is called Design Theory and Methodology. If you are unfamiliar with the field, it is basically the study of the science of design. Our primary research interest is focused at helping engineers during the initial phases of design. Our specific expertise is in developing methods that facilitate the generation of a large solution space of concepts given some problem or need. Design methods developed at the PROSE Lab also help facilitate concept generation for specific types of product spaces; like biomimetic product concepts, derivative biomimetic product concepts, and universal product concepts. Then, given these large spaces of concepts, we create methods to evaluate and compare these concepts to assess feasibility; and determine superiority and performance. Our research is most useful on products or systems that are complex or are multidisciplinary. At the PROSE Lab, we view the designed world simply: the designed world consists of physical artifacts that have been combined to provide some functionality that satisfies some need. Design moves from need, to function, to form. Thus, by understanding the relationships between need, function, and form, we can create better design methods. As examples, we have created formal lexicons for engineering function to better understand the role of function in design. We have created computational concept generation tools to improve the speed at which engineers can generate design concepts. We have also produced biomimetic design repositories to enable engineers to explore biological solutions thus generating a solution space beyond their own training and experience. To better help designers evaluate these large spaces of concepts we have developed system modeling methodologies that connect function to form enabling rapid model generation and reuse.

Rotordynamics Tribology Group Contact: Dr. Luis San Andres The Tribology Group/Rotordynamics Laboratory is one of the most active and well equipped research groups in the Turbomachinery Program at Texas A&M University. The laboratory area totals 1600 square feet in two test cells at the Turbomachinery Laboratory. In the field of Tribology (friction, lubrication and wear) research focuses on experimentally verified computational film flow models for the prediction of the static and dynamic force response of fluid film bearings; in particular hydrostatic bearings, tilting pad bearings, annular pressure seals, squeeze film dampers, floating ring bearings, gas damper bearings and seals, foil gas bearings and porous-carbon bearings. In the Rotordynamics field, research deals with the measurement and prediction of the dynamic lateral vibration characteristics of turbomachinery, encompassing both the traditional aspects of rotordynamics analysis and investigations into the fluid film-structure interaction forces that influence rotordynamics, with a major emphasis in fluid film dampers and gas bearings.

Smart Systems Lab Contact: Dr. Arun Srinivasa This lab focuses on the theoretical and experimental study of “Persistent Structural Change Phenomena”. Being engineers though, we tend to have a more practical bent and try to mimic this in artificial materials (with less success than we hope for, unfortunately). Persistent Structural Change is the idea is that many solids (and many viscoelastic materials) can be made to change their external or internal structure by applying some stimulus. The interesting thing is that for many materials, this change persists, even after the stimulus is removed.

Surface Science Laboratory Contact: Dr. Hong Liang The primary focus of our research is in the broad area of surface and interface science and engineering. This interdisciplinary area is in the frontier of science and has many important engineering applications. Current topics include, development of methodology to characterize and understand chemical, mechanical, physical, and tribological properties of surfaces and interfaces of materials in different states: solid, liquid, and vapor; development of processes to synthesize nanoparticles, nanostructured bulk materials, and surface coatings with multi- properties; and development of nanomanufacturing processes to fabricate nanostructures, nanodevices, sensors, and hybrid (including cyborg) systems. Labs include: • Surface Science Laboratory • Biomaterials Laboratory • Nanomaterials Processing and Atomic Imaging Laboratory • Tribology in Extreme Environments Laboratory

Thermo-Fluids Control Lab Contact: Dr. Bryan Rasmussen Our research is focused on using advanced control strategies to achieve higher energy efficiency, reduced environmental impact, and increased performance for conventional and alternative energy systems. We take a holistic approach to research by incorporating modeling, simulation, design, and experimental evaluation into each project. Control of thermofluid systems lies at the intersection of two traditionally disparate fields of mechanical engineering. Many types of energy systems such as vapor compression cycles, solar boilers, fuel cells, and biomass reactors, use fluid phase changes and/or chemical reactions to transform or transport energy. These systems often operate almost exclusively in transient, despite being designed for steady-state operating conditions. Although precise transient control of energy systems like fuel cells is critical to achieving high efficiencies, the traditional static viewpoint of more standard energy systems also results in a missed opportunity for efficiency improvement. This is particularly true for vapor compression cycles, which find wide use in refrigeration, air conditioning, and heat pump applications. Moreover, with legislation phasing out typical HFC refrigerants, more environmentally friendly refrigerants (e.g., CO2) are being vigorously pursued. The technological focus of current research projects focus primarily on vapor compression systems and related energy systems. This necessarily includes research in the areas of dynamic modeling (model development, reduction, and validation) and nonlinear control design (gain-scheduling, Model Predictive Control, sets of stabilizing controllers). We ensure the viability of our research by developing software tools for industrial partners (e.g., HVAC&R Dynamix) and involving direct experimentation for virtually every project (Research Facilities).

Turbine Heat Transfer Laboratory Contact: Dr. J.C. Han Through collaboration with industrial and academic partners, new cooling techniques are developed and traditional cooling methods are investigated in the pursuit of more efficient gas turbines for both power generation and aircraft propulsion. To further understand gas turbine heat transfer and cooling techniques, advanced experimental and computational methods are continually being developed which can be applied to many areas of heat transfer research. Thus, THTL personnel are equipped with a wide variety of skills leading to continued research, through both industry and academia, in the area of gas turbine heat transfer.

Turbine Performance and Flow Research Laboratory (TPFL) Contact: Dr. M.T. Schobeiri The research at TPFL covers a wide range of topics dealing with all aspects of aero- thermodynamic design and development of turbomachinery, particularly turbine components. This includes steady and unsteady aerodynamics, heat transfer, film cooling, and design and off- design performance of power and thrust generation gas turbines. Lab Facilities include: • Calibration Facilities • Unsteady Boundary Layer Facility • Unsteady Turbine Cascade Facility • Two-Stage Turbine Rig • Three-Stage Turbine Rig

Turbomachinery Laboratory Director: Dr. Eric Peterson The Turbomachinery Laboratory conducts basic and applied research into important problems of reliability and performance of turbomachinery — rotating machinery that extracts or adds energy to fluids. That’s everything from classic Dutch windmills to the space shuttle’s main engine turbopumps and compressors that move natural gas through the distribution system. The Turbomachinery Laboratory provides continuing education opportunities to users of industrial turbomachinery and pumping systems at the annual International Pump Users Symposium and Turbomachinery Symposium. We also offer a number of intensive Short Courses throughout the year on varying topics relevant to today’s professionals in the turbomachinery and pumping industries. Through these activities, the Turbomachinery Laboratory continues Texas A&M’s land-grant charter tradition of education, research and service. The Turbomachinery Laboratory sponsors two large industrial symposia to provide continuing education opportunities to users of industrial turbomachinery, and to generate profits to foster and support graduate and undergraduate education in turbomachinery. The Turbomachinery Laboratory provides an opportunity for collaborative research among faculty members throughout the college in the area of turbomachinery.

Unmanned Systems Lab Director: Dr. Srikanth Saripalli Our research focuses on Mapping, Localization, Guidance, Navigation and Control for developing autonomous ground and aerial vehicles. Our projects span from algorithmic design and implementation to field experimentation of aerial and ground robots. A specific goal is field deployment of such vehicles in relevant environments. We are currently deploying autonomous shuttles on campus, self-driving cars, trucks and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

Vibration, Control and Electromechanics Director: Dr. Alan Palazzolo Research Areas - Energy Storage Flywheels, Rotordynamics, Vibrations, Finite Elements, Piping System Vibrations, Satellite Solar Panel Vibrations, VFD Machinery Train Torsional Vibrations, Boundary Elements, Electromechanical Systems, Magnetic Bearings, Rotating Machinery Seals and Impeller Flow Vibration, High Temperature and Aircraft Propulsion Motors, Fuel Injector Design ,Centrifuge Desalination

Multi-User TAMU Facilities used by Mechanical Engineering Faculty:

Supercomputing Facilities:

TAMU HIGH PERFORMANCE RESEARCH COMPUTING This resource for research and discovery has four available clusters for faculty research: (1) Ada is a 874-node hybrid cluster from IBM/Lenovo with Intel Ivy Bridge processors and a Mellanox FDR-10 Infiniband interconnect. Ada includes 68 NVIDIA K20 GPUs supporting applications already ported to GPUs, and 24 Intel Xeon Phi 5110P co-processors supporting applications benefiting from Knights Corner Phi cards. (2) Terra is a 320-node heterogeneous Intel cluster from Lenovo with an Omni-Path Architecture (OPA) interconnect and 48 NVIDIA K80 dual-GPU accelerators. There are 304 nodes based on the Intel Broadwell processor and 16 nodes based on the Intel Knights Landing processor. (3) Curie is a 75-node IBM Power7+ cluster with a 10Gb Ethernet interconnect. Each node has two IBM 64-bit 8-core POWER7+ processors and 256 GB of memory. Curie's filesystems and batch scheduler are shared with the Ada cluster. (4) LoneStar5 is the latest cluster hosted by the Texas Advanced computing Center. Jointly funded by the University of Texas System, Texas A&M University and Texas Tech University, it provides additional resources to TAMU researchers. LoneStar5 has: 1252 Cray XC40 compute nodes, each with two 12-core Intel® Xeon® processing cores for a total of 30,048 compute cores; 2 large memory compute nodes, each with 1TB memory; 8 large memory compute nodes, each with 512GB memory; 16 Nodes with NVIDIA K- 40 GPUs; 5 Petabyte DataDirect Networks storage system; and Cray-developed Aries interconnect. The HPRC group provides its users with access to several specially configured "HPRC Lab" Linux workstations at two separate locations on the TAMU campus, and can assist with: debugging, code optimization and parallelization, batch processing, and collaborative advanced program support.

TEXAS ADVANCED COMPUTING CENTER (TACC) The Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) designs and operates some of the world's most powerful computing resources. The center's mission is to enable discoveries that advance science and society through the application of advanced computing technologies. Through this center TAMU faculty have access to multiple supercomputers, including:

Stampede2 - Currently the flagship supercomputer at the TACC System Features • Strategic national resource serving thousands of researchers across the nation • 18 petaflops of peak performance • 4,200 Intel Knights Landing nodes, each with 68 cores, 96GB of DDR RAM, and 16GB of high speed MCDRAM • 1,736 Intel Xeon Skylake nodes, each with 48 cores and 192GB of RAM • 100 Gb/sec Intel Omni-Path network with a fat tree topology employing six core switches • Two dedicated high performance Lustre file systems with a storage capacity of 31PB • TACC's Stockyard-hosted Global Shared File System provides additional Lustre storage

Lonestar5 • 1252 Cray XC40 compute nodes, each with two 12-core Intel® Xeon® processing cores for a total of 30,048 compute cores • 2 large memory compute nodes, each with 1TB memory • 8 large memory compute nodes, each with 512GB memory • 16 Nodes with NVIDIA K-40 GPUs • 5 Petabyte DataDirect Networks storage system • Cray-developed Aries interconnect Wrangler: System Features • Geographically replicated, high performance data storage (10PB each site) • Large scale flash storage tier for analytics with bandwidth of 1TB/s and 250M IOPS (6x faster than Stampede) • More than 3,000 embedded processor cores for data analysis • Flexible support for a wide range of data workflows, including those using Hadoop and databases. • Integration with Globus Online services for rapid and reliable data transfer and sharing. • A fully scalable design that can grow with the amount of users and as data applications grow. Wrangler Subsystems: • A 10PB storage system • A set of 120 Intel Haswell-based servers for data access and embedded analytics • A high-speed global object store made from NAND Flash

Other Multi-User Facilities:

AggieFab Nanofabrication Cleanroom The AggieFab at Texas A&M is a 5000 sq. ft. class 100 and 1000 cleanroom open to the campus community as a core facility. The facility is currently located in the Jack E. Brown building, but will be soon moved to the newly built GERB. The facility houses state of the art micro and nano fabrication equipments (mask aligner, spinner, metal evaporator, RIE, PECVD, oxidation/diffusion furnaces, wire bonder, dicing saw, polisher) and various analysis equipments (microscope, profilometers, ellipsometer, probe station). The facility has multiple chemical hoods and laminar hoods and is equipped with in-house de-ionized water, vacuum, and nitrogen. Research equipments include an electron beam lithography system (Tescan Mira 3 EBL), two mask aligners (MJB-3, MA-6, Karl Suss Microtech), two spin coaters, five electron beam evaporators (four Lesker PVD75 series, Temescale Ebeam evaporator), a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD, Unaxis 790) system, a low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD, MTI RTP) system, four dry etching systems (STS Multiplex ICP etch system with Bosch Process, Oxford Plasmalab 100 ICP RIE, Oxford Plasmalab 80 metal etch, Oxford Plasmalab 80 dielectric etch), two polishers, two profilometers (Bruker DektakXT), a thin film analysis tool (Ocean Optics NanoCalc DUV), a dicing saw, a wire bonder (Kulicke & Soffa 4500), an O2 plasma asher, four oxidation/diffusion furnaces, multiple hot plates, ovens, and chemical hoods.

Center for Integrated Microchemical Systems Director: Dr. Richard Crooks The Center's main objective is to foster interdisciplinary research and education focusing on integrated microfluidic systems and their applications to analytical problems and small-scale chemical synthesis. The CIMS is composed of 11 faculty members from the Colleges of Science and Engineering as well as the Texas A&M University System Health Science Center College of Medicine.

Interdisciplinary Manufacturing Facility (IMF) Established through TAMU research development funds, this shared facility represents TAMU Engineering, Architecture, Veterinary Medicine, Science, and the Health Science Center. Housed in a 5000 sq. ft. space in the Emerging Technologies Building, this facility is equipped with a hybrid manufacturing setup 3D printer and a 3D-bioplotter. The Hybrid Manufacturing printer is perhaps the only platform that allows “sculpting” objects by a concurrent combination of material deposition (through laser sintering), removal (machining) and shaping (forming). It is capable of working with multiple metals simultaneously, being able to mix and match four simultaneous metallic powders to create complex shapes and combinations of materials that can be precisely tailored locally to create next-generation artifacts. One of the most important and promising recent advancements at the intersection of medicine and engineering is the ability to “print” tissues and organs. The 3D-Bioplotter® can fabricate scaffolds using a wide range of materials including soft hydrogels over polymer melts, and hard ceramics. The system is designed to support the development of tissues and devices vital to the success of regenerative therapies, controlled drug release, and patient-specific implants.

Laboratory for Molecular Simulation Director: Michael B. Hall The Laboratory for Molecular Simulation (LMS) brings molecular modeling and computational chemistry closer to the experimental scientist by offering training to both new and advanced users. Advanced modeling software is available for researchers at Texas A&M University to perform quantum calculations on small molecular or solid systems and molecular mechanics/dynamics modeling for large systems such as proteins, DNA, nanomolecules, polymers, solids, and liquids. The LMS also provides support for faculty that wish to incorporate molecular modeling in their course material. Resources available at the LMS include: WORKSHOPS - The LMS offers, free of charge, three types of workshops throughout the year: 1) Linux, 2) Molecular Modelling, and 3) Quantum Mechanics Short Course. For more information please see the workshops link to the left. Most of the programs available through the LMS are only available on Linux based machines, therefore, the Linux workshop is a pre- requisite for all other workshops. HARDWARE - The LMS has 20 SUN Ultra 20 workstations, 1 dual processor SGI Octane, 3 SGI R12000 O2's, and 4 Power Mac G5's in the computer lab in room 2109 chemistry. To obtain an account you must complete the Linux workshop or have a VERY strong background in Linux or UNIX. For information or an account on one of the LMS computers, please contact Lisa M. Pérez SOFTWARE - The LMS has a wide variety of molecular modelling software available. Below is a list of each program with a very brief description of it's purpose. For detailed information please visit the program links to the left. If you are interested in obtaining access to this software, want to test a program/module that we currently do not have a license for, or simply have questions about the software, please contact Lisa M. Pérez. ADF/ADF-BAND - ADF Package, by SCM is package is software for first-principles electronic structure calculations. ADF is used by academic and industrial researchers worldwide in such diverse fields as pharmacochemistry and materials science. (Linux IA64) AMBER - AMBER, by David Case at The Scripps Research Instititute and collaborators, is the collective name for a suite of programs that allow users to carry out molecular dynamics simulations, particularly on biomolecules. (IRIX, AIX, Linux, Windows, and MacOS X) AOMix - AOMix is a user-friendly Windows software package for molecular orbital (MO) analysis and spectra simulation from results obtained from the following software packages: ADF, GAMESS, Gaussian, HyperChem, Jaguear, MOPAC, Q-Chem, Spartan, and ZINDO. (Windows) CHARMm - CHARMm (Chemistry at HARvard Macromolecular Mechanics) is a highly regarded and widely used simulation package for small organic molecules, proteins, DNA, and RNA, which combines standard minimization and dynamics capabilities with expert features including normal mode calculations, and correlation analysis. (IRIX, Linux, and Windows) Dalton - Dalton QCP is a powerful quantum chemistry program for the calculation of molecular properties with SCF, MP2, MCSCF or CC wave functions. (emphasis on magnetic and electric properties) (IRIX and Linux) Discovery Studio - A user-friendly graphical molecular modelling program developed by Accelrys Inc., that incorporates a variety of useful molecular modelling codes specifically designed for biological systems. (Windows and Linux) Gaussian 03 (G03) - A suite of programs to perform semi-empirical and ab initio molecular orbital calculations on Linux/UNIX based machines (IRIX, AIX, Linux, MacOS X, and Windows) GaussView - The GUI interface to Guassian 03. This program is used to assist the user in setting up calculations, and to visualize results (optimized geometries, molecular orbitals, potential surfaces, vibrational modes, etc. ) (IRIX, AIX, Linux, and Windows) Materials Studio - A Windows based program designed by Accelrys Inc. for the material sciences. The newest developements of the materials science modules available in cerius2 will only be found in materials studio. Many of the internal programs also run on Linux. (Windows and Linux) Molden - A graphical program that will allow users of a wide variety of molecular modelling codes (including G98) to visualize their results. (IRIX, AIX, Windows, MacOS X and Linux) MOLEOnline - MOLEOnline provides an interactive web-based tool to found and analyze molecular channels, tunnels and pores. (on-line) MOLPRO - A complete system of ab initio programs for molecular electronic structure calculations with an emphasis is on highly accurate computations, with extensive treatment of the electron correlation problem through the multiconfiguration-reference CI, coupled cluster and associated methods. (IRIX, AIX, and Linux) Q-Chem - A modern ab initio, electronic structure program package, capable of performing first principles calculations on the ground and excited states of molecules. (IRIX) Quanta - A graphical molecular modelling program that has historically been used for life science calculations (CHARMM) and X-ray crystallography, but is currently developed with advanced tools for macromolecular X-ray crystallographers. (IRIX and Linux) SPOCK - A full-featured molecular graphics program developed by Dr. Jon A Christopher while in the lab of Thomas O. Baldwin of the Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics at Texas A&M University. Spock has been designed from the ground up to be powerful, flexible and most of all, easy to use. (IRIX) TINKER - The TINKER molecular modeling software is a complete and general package for molecular mechanics and dynamics, with some special features for biopolymers. TINKER has the ability to use any of several common parameter sets, such as AMBER94/96, CHARMM27, MM2(1991), MM3(2000), OPLS-AA and OPLS-UA. (IRIX, Linux, and Windows)

MATERIALS CHARACTERIZATION FACILITY The Materials Characterization Facility (MCF) at Texas A&M University is a multi-user facility located in the Frederick E. Giesecke Engineering Research Building (GERB) housing the fabrication and characterization instrumentation essential for the development, understanding, and study of new materials and devices. Specific instrumentation available include: Electron Microscopy: • Field Emission-Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM)(JEOL JSM-7500F), • Lyra Focused Ion Beam-Scanning Electron Microscope (FIB-SEM) with an EDS Microanalysis System, • Fera Focused Ion Beam-Scanning Electron Microscope (FIB-SEM) with EBSD and Integrated Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (ToF-SIMS), and • Electron microprobe with Wavelength Dispersive Spectroscopy (WDS)

Electron Microscopy • Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM with EDS) • Lyra Focused Ion Beam Microscope (FIB-SEM with EDS) • Fera FIB-SEM with EBSD and Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer (TOF-SIMS) • Electron Microprobe with EDS and WDS Thermal and Electrical Analysis • Thermal mechanical analysis (TMA) • Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) • Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) • Dielectric spectroscopy • Hot Disc thermal conductivity analysis • Dielectric Spectrometer Surface Analysis • X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS)/Ultraviolet Photoelectron Spectroscopy (UPS) • Nanoindenter • Imaging ellipsometer • Cameca ion microprobe • Icon Atomic Force Microscope (AFM ) • Atomic Force Microscopy – Infrared Spectroscopy (AFM-IR) In-Situ Mechanical Testing • PI 95 PicoIndenter for TEM • PI 85 PicoIndenter for SEM • Tensile Stage 500 N (in situ/ex situ) • Tensile Stage 10 kN (in situ/ex situ) Spectroscopy & Microscopy • Spectrofluorometer • UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer • Raman confocal microscope • FTIR spectrometer • Fluorescent confocal microscope • Optical Microscope Sample Preparation Tools • LADD carbon evaporator • Struers LaboPol-5 polishing table • Diamond band saw • Powder press • Buehler hot mounting press • Nikon SMZ800N stereomicroscope • Nikon LV100 petrographic microscope • Epoxy disk preparation • Oven

MICROSCOPY & IMAGING CENTER (MIC) The mission of the Microscopy & Imaging Center (MIC) is to provide current and emerging technologies for teaching and research involving microscopy and imaging in Life and Physical Sciences on the Texas A&M campus and beyond, training and support services for microscopy, sample preparation, in situ elemental/molecular analyses, as well as digital image analysis and processing. This facility promotes cutting edge research in basic and applied sciences through research and development activities, as well as quality training and education through individual training, short courses and formal courses that can be taken for credit. Instruments available at the MIC include: • Light Microscopy o Leica DM6 B upright microscope o Zeiss Axiophot o Deconvolution o Olympus FV1000 confocal microscope o Leica SP8 CONFOCAL/STED/FLIM Imaging System • Scanning Electron Microscopy o FEI Quanta 600 FE-SEM o Tescan Vega3 SEM o Zyvex S100 Nanomanipulator

• Transmission Electron Microscopy o FEI Tecnai G2 F20 FE Cryo-TEM o FEI Tecnai G2 F20 ST FE-TEM - Materials o JEOL 1200 EX TEM o JEOL JEM-2010 TEM o Analog & Digital Image Analysis o Ancillary Equipment • Correlative Light and Electron Cryo-Microscopy o FEI cryo-fluorescence stage on the Olympus microscope • Sample Preperation and Supporting Equipment o Cryo-preparation for TEM, microtomes o Coaters, ion mill, polishers and other preparation tools o Image analysis tools

Facilities from other TAMU Departments used by Mechanical Engineering Faculty:

Biomedical Device Laboratory Contact: Dr. Duncan Maitland, Department of Biomedical Engineering The Biomedical Device Laboratory (BDL) resides within the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University, a higher education research institution that is committed to solving health problems through exploration of new ideas, integrated research and innovation. The BDL develops novel technologies to improve health care through translation of research and proof-of-concept devices to clinical trials. A current focus of the BDL is shape memory polymer materials and devices. This includes material synthesis and characterization in addition to design, fabrication, and verification of innovative implantable medical devices. Through collaborations with industrial, clinical, and academic partners, the BDL enables commercialization of its materials and device. Research equipment available in the Biomedical Device Laboratory: • Anprolene Gas - Sterilizer Ethylene Oxide Gas, Sterilization Apparatus • Heated Molding Press - Heated Compression Plate Molding Press • FlackTek Speed Mixer - Centrifugal Rapid Mixer • Fortus 360mc 3D Printer - Extrudable Filament Printer for 3D Molds and Support Material • Q800 Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) - Materials Tensile and Compression Analysis • Q200 Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) - Heat Flow Measurements for Transition Regions of Materials • SC250 Stent Crimper - Concentric Compression Device • LaVision Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) System - Fluid Dynamic Microparticle Analysis • Aurora Plasma System • Ultraviolet Crosslinker - Supplies UV Exposure to Materials • Labconco Precise Glovebox • Instron Model 5966 Dual Column Test System • J-Crimp Radial Compressor • Symphony Gravity Oven • Inframetrics PM250 High Resolution (12.8 MP) - Thermal Camera • FreeZone Freeze Tray Dryer • iWeld 300 Laser Welder • Symphony Vacuum and Convection Oven • Labconco Centrivap, Cold Trap, and Vacuum Concentrator • MTS Synergie 400 Tensile Test Machine • Inframetrics PM250 Software • FreeZone Freeze Dryer • Babylock Esante Sewing Machine - Graft Development • Cubify Cube 3D Printer - Rapid Prototyping • MTS Insight • Robo3D R1 3D Printer - Rapid Prototyping • Ultrasonic Atomizer • Benchtop Injection Molder

Vehicle Systems & Control Laboratory (http://vscl.tamu.edu/) The Vehicle Systems & Control Laboratory houses experimental research, flight demonstrations, and FAA certification of small to medium sized fixed-wing and rotor-wing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). VSCL is comprised of a flight simulator lab housed in H.R. Bright along with a laboratory located at the RELLIS campus. This laboratory is located in a 5,000-square-foot hanger next to the control tower at the former Bryan Air Force base (83TX), and a 7,000-foot runway is retained in "active" status for UAS flight testing. The flight testing area is a box approximately 1.5 miles by 1.5 miles. The six fixed-wing UAS in use at this facility are the Pegasus I and Pegasus II vehicles (80lb GTOW, 20 lb payload, 12-foot wingspan), a UAV Factory Penguin B, a modified R/C Rascal 110, a modified Extra 300, and a BAE Systems Maxdrone. In addition, several rotorcraft UAS are operated from the facility including a Rotor Buzz II (115 lb empty weight, 100 lb payload), two Align 600's, an Align 700, and a Mikado Logo 14. All rotorcraft UAS are equipped with autonomous flight capability including auto-takeoff and auto-land. Two manned aircraft are also maintained for chase duties: a Piper Super Cub and a Schweizer 2-32 Sailplane. The facility also includes ground-based UAS flight test equipment, an instrumented small engine test stand, and a complete fabrication and construction workshop. The entire 1,900-acre site is known as the Texas A&M Riverside Campus, and is located west of Bryan on Highway 21. Faculty supervisor: John Valasek.

TAMU CENTER FOR CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND ANALYSIS (CCCA), Located in the Department of Chemistry Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Facility - The NMR Facility includes 10 superconducting spectrometer systems and 3 full time staff positions to support them with maintenance, user training, and spectroscopic service. Although this facility is physically housed within the Chemistry Department, it provides services to the entire campus community. X-Ray Diffraction Laboratory - The lab maintains 3 Micro-focus IuS sources, a Venture CMOS, QUEST CMOS, three Bruker single-crystal APEXii CCD Diffractometers, 1 Bruker GADDS/Histar diffractometer, and 3 Bruker powder diffractometers. The X-ray Diffraction Laboratory is staffed by two full-time Ph.D. level scientists. Laboratory for Biological Mass Spectrometry – Chemistry Mass Spectrometry Facility - The services available include analyses of compounds ranging from small organic molecules to macromolecules including proteins, oligonucleotides, polymers and dendrimers. Instruments available include: Applied Biosystems PE SCIEX QSTAR; Thermo Scientific DSQ II GCMS; and Thermo Scientific LCQ-DECA Center for Mass Spectrometry - is dedicated to providing cutting-edge technology and expertise for the characterization of molecules to fulfill the needs of researchers at TAMU. Mass spectrometry (MS) plays an increasingly important role in molecular level research, and it is central to ‘omics’ research, i.e., petroleomics, proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics, glycomics, etc and the CMS provides expert staff with modern instrumentation to complete these tasks . Instruments available include: Agilent IM-MS; Thermo Scientific Fusion; Bruker 9.4T FT-ICR MS; Elemental Analysis - The laboratory provides research support in the area of elemental and trace analysis as well as service analyses to TAMU users, other university and government agencies and private industry. It is unique in that it features fast neutron activation analysis (FNAA) capabilities in addition to thermal instrumental neutron activation (INAA) using the University's Nuclear Science Center 1 MW TRIGA research reactor. In addition, the laboratory has recently added inductively-coupled plasma - mass spectrometry to its stable of facilities. The ICP-MS has been fitted with both conventional sample introduction hardware for solution work as well as a 213 nm laser ablation system for studying solids and surfaces.

Center for Microencapsulation and Drug Delivery Director: Dr. Allison D. Rice Ficht The Center for Microencapsulation and Drug Delivery (CMDD) is a multidisciplinary faculty group from five colleges with the capability to design and test delivery of pharmaceuticals. Ongoing research includes basic and applied microencapsulation technologies for biomedical use, controlled release drug delivery systems, non-biomedical applications in nanotechnology, molecular biology assay systems, and microcapsule products for petrochemical, agricultural and environmental control industries. Associate members of CMDD include researchers from other universities, the Institute for Research, Inc., Houston, Texas; and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Computational Operations Research (CORE) Laboratory Director: Dr. Lewis Ntaimo The CORE lab focuses on systems modeling, stochastic modeling, optimization, and simulation research for applications characterized by data uncertainties. This lab involves both federal and industry funded projects dealing with developing models and algorithms for large-scale stochastic optimization problems, performing large-scale computations to solve the problems, and running simulations to validate the models and algorithms. Major equipment: Currently this lab has 13 workstations, DELL PowerEdge Server, and a Linux cluster.

Electronics Shop The Physics Department Electronics Shop is committed to providing expert services for the engineering, design, construction, calibration, testing, and repair of a wide range of scientific & technical electronic equipment. In addition, the Electronics Shop provides a “self-service store” of over 7000 parts commonly used in scientific equipment. Inventory List

Energy Institute The Texas A&M Energy Institute interdisciplinary research program focuses on the interacting themes of: a. Fossil and Non-Fossil based Technologies for Energy; b. Materials, Catalysis, and Separations for Energy; c. Multi-scale Energy Systems Engineering; and d. Energy Economics, Law, Policy, and Societal Impact. The four interconnected themes are further classified into (10) research areas, and (65) research topics. To enhance the synergy among different disciplines, the Texas A&M Energy Institute introduces annual multi-PI proposal calls and provides seed and matching funds for competitively selected group projects. Texas A&M University is home to world-class research facilities which include the newly constructed Giesecke Engineering Research Building (GERB). The GERB is home to multidisciplinary researchers and faculty from the over 240 faculty affiliated with the Texas A&M Energy Institute. In the GERB, three focus areas are housed; Nanotechnology, Materials Science, and Computational Science. Researchers from the departments of Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering cross-pollinate to lead to cutting-edge, interdisciplinary breakthroughs.

Institute of Quantum Science and Engineering (108) Director: Dr. Marlan Scully, Department of Physics and Astronomy Research within the IQSE involves faculty, students, and researchers within the Colleges of Science , Liberal Arts , Engineering , Veterinary Medicine , and Agriculture, which provides a unique opportunity to take advantage of and build upon the outstanding strengths of Texas A&M, melding them into an extraordinary interdisciplinary entity with national and international impact. Going beyond the conventional standard limits of modern science and technology, our research extends into such divers fields as quantum philosophy (e.g., first experimental hidden variable test and first demonstration of quantum erasure of information and quantum time), laser physics (dramatically new lasers operating without inversion), national security, (e.g., real time detection of anthrax and other chemical/bio toxins), nanoscience (quantum dot solar energy generation), bioscience (e.g., possible direct scanning of DNA base pairs and laser ablation of cellular nuclei for cloning), improved navigation and global and stellar positioning (e.g., matter wave gyros and photon-photon correlation techniques), and quantum informatics (e.g., quantum searching and microscopy), etc. with the undelying thread which teis all our research activities together being quantum optics and photonics. Success in the above efforts significantly impact other areas, e.g., industry (e.g., photolithography, laser engraving, computing [optical storage, chip manufacturing], secure free- space wireless communications, preparation of low surface energy polymers, high speed optical transmission, new solid-state devices), medicine (dermatology, keratectomy, early disease detection of, e.g., Ebola, Hepatitis, and anthrax, identification of gene sequences, animal husbandry, development of disease resistant crops), water management (waste water treatment, safety of existing drinking water, disinfecting solar water), food processing (safety of national food stores, detection of Aflatoxins), renewable energy efforts (revolutionize the industry making solar cells,solar hydrogen production, and fuel cells more efficient/cost effective), telemetry, active imaging, lightning discharge control (e.g., protection of military facilities, power plants), ultra-sensitive magnetometry, metrology, remote sensing by Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging), e.g., bio-chemical agents, air pollution, and in information science and technology (quantum computers and quantum computing).

Laboratory for Energy-Sustainable Operations Contact: Dr. Nataranjan Gautam, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering This lab was established in 2011 in the brand new emerging technologies building (ETB). Our mission is to perform leading edge research in the field of energy-sustainable operations and disseminate resulting technology through education. The laboratory focuses on the two key drivers of energy-efficiency, namely, (1) innovation in production and distribution of energy, and (2) creativity in resource management to reduce energy consumption.

Manufacturing, Geo, and Biomimetic-Tribology Lab Director: Dr. Mathew Kuttolamadom, Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution The overarching research focus of our group is on elucidating the fundamental nature of friction and wear in harsh synthetic tribosystems in order to manipulate their various evolving facets to our advantage by mapping the surface tribological and sub-surface structural responses, and on the forensic metrology of such surface/sub-surface damage. Application areas span a variety of material-system surfaces and interfaces that involve contact/shear in the manufacturing, automotive, aerospace and energy industries, as well as in bit-rock interaction studies for O&G exploration and production.

NanoBio Systems Laboratory Director: Dr. Arum Han, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering The NanoBio Systems Laboratory at Texas A&M University consists of a 1650 sq. ft. facility in the newly opened Frederick E. Giesecke Engineering Research Building (GERB). The laboratory is fully equipped to microfabricate polymer, glass, and silicon microdevices as well as test diverse ranges of microfluidic lab-on-a-chip and organ-on-a-chip systems. The laboratory is also fully equipped to conduct mammalian cell and microbial culture, and is designated as biosafety level 2 (BSL2). This facility is being used for designing, fabricating, and testing various micro and nano scale fluidic devices and lab-on-a-chip/organ-on-a-chip systems for biological applications. The laboratory houses various polymer micro and nanofabrication equipment, including several PDMS micromolding stations, hot embossing station for polymer microfabrication and nanoimprinting, a UV photopolymerization station, an electroforming station for thick metal microstructures, a CO2 laser micromachining tool, three different polymer rapid prototyping tools (2 high-resolution 3D printers and a bench-top CNC machine), an inkjet material printer, various metrology tools, and three chemical hoods. The laboratory also houses more than 10 microfluidic experiment stations that are capable of running microfluidic experiments under light/fluorescent microscopes, with more than 24 syringe/pressure-driven pumps and 10 eight-solenoid valve microvalve controllers both fully controlled by LabViewTM interfaces. The laboratory also has a mammalian cell culture station consisting of a biosafety cabinet, two CO2 incubators, two centrifuges with one capable of temperature control, and other accessories needed for standard mammalian cell culture. The laboratory also has a microbial cell culture station consisting of a biosafety cabinet, two shaker incubators, and other accessories needed for standard microbial cell culture. The laboratory is also equipped with de-ionized water, house vacuum, and various gas systems (e.g., nitrogen, CO2, compressed air).

Nanolab Contact: Dr. Winfried Teizer, Department of Physics and Astronomy The NanoLab in the Physics Department of Texas A&M University is working on various projects in the general areas of molecular nanomagnets, spintronics, nanophysics and highly correlated systems. The goal is to further the understanding of physical properties at the size or temperature scale where quantum mechanics governs the dominant processes. A particular emphasis is currently on those properties that are driven by spin processes.

National Aerothermochemistry Lab (NAL) Contact: Dr. Rodney Bowersox, Department of Aerospace Engineering The Texas A&M University National Aerothermochemistry Laboratory (NAL) is a graduate research facility founded by Professor R. Bowersox to perform leading research and to house unique facilities in support of National interests in high-speed gas dynamics, unsteady flows, and flows with thermal and chemical non-equilibrium effects. Primary sponsorship is provided by the US Air Force, Army and NASA. The laboratory is a true multidisciplinary research resource, with significant faculty involvement from both Aerospace Engineering and Chemistry. The laboratory is currently considered a National Resource by the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research. To accomplish the NAL mission, we combine modern theoretical modeling with state-of-the- art facilities, instrument and computational methods. Brief overviews of the major laboratory resources are given below: Blow-down Hypersonic Tunnels: • Mach 6 Quiet Tunnel (M6QT) is a seminal low-disturbance facility that transitioned from NASA Langley to TAMU for fundamental studies of boundary layer stability and transition. The quiet Reynolds number range is 3.0 - 11.0 million per meter. The nozzle exit diameter is 0.18 m; the run time is 40 sec, and the duty cycle is 2.5 hours. • Actively Controlled Expansion (ACE) Hypersonic Tunnel is a unique large-scale continuously variable Mach number (5-8) facility developed at TAMU to study turbulent and transitional flows using modern laser diagnostics. The Reynolds number range is 0.5 - 7.0 million per meter. The nozzle exit is 0.23 m x 0. 36 m; the run time is 40 sec, and the duty cycle is 2.5 hours. • Supersonic (M = 2.2, 3.0 and 5.0) High-Reynolds (SHR) Tunnel is a smaller scale high Reynolds number facility (Re/m = 40 - 60 million) developed at TAMU for fundamental turbulent boundary layer research and/or scramjet fuel injector studies. The nozzle exit is 7.6 cm x 7.6 cm; the run time is 30 min, and the duty cycle is 2.5 hours. Pulsed Hypersonic Test Cells: . Repetitively Pulsed Hypersonic Test Cell is small scale O(cm) facilityl developed to mature our laser diagnostic systems. The facility produces a continuous train of 10 msec pulses of high-speed flow (M = 3.0 - 6.2), which is synchronized to our Q-switched lasers. The duty cycle is 1 sec. • Pulsed Hypersonic Adjustable Contoured Expansion Nozzle Aerothermochemistry Testing Environment (PHACENATE “fascinate”) facility is O(10 cm) variable Mach (3-7) facility to study non-equilibrium flows. The facility produces a continuous train of 10 msec pulses of high-speed flow (M = 4.5 - 6.0), which is synchronized to our Q-switched lasers. The duty cycle is 15 sec. High-Enthalpy Impulse Tunnels: • A large-scale Hypervelocity Expansion Tunnel (HXT) that provides total enthalpies up to 14 MJ/kg is under development. The facility will have 0.6 m nozzle exit. The planned nozzle exit Mach numbers are 9.0 and 15.0. The run time is O(ms), and the planned duty cycle is 3 hrs. • A moderate scale and moderate enthalpy (3 MJ/kg) Shock Tunnel is available. This facility is fitted with a planar Mach 5.0 nozzle, with a 0.13 m x 0.13 m exit. The run time is up to 7 ms, with a duty cycle of 1 hr. Specialty Tunnels: • A McKenna Flat Flame Burner is used for high temperature diagnostic development. This burner has stainless steel outer housing, with a bronze water cooled porous sintered matrix. • A Low-speed RF-Plasma (RFP) low pressure, recirculation channel flow wind tunnel, which was developed to study the effects of thermal non-equilibrium on turbulent and transitional flows. The facility is fitted with a 2.5 kW, 13.56 MHz RF power generator, which provides an opportunity to produced flows with significant amounts of vibrationally excited nitrogen. • Unsteady aerodynamic Dynamic Stall Facility (DSF), which consists of test section liners for the TAMU Oran Nicks Low-Speed Wind Tunnel to achieve higher Mach numbers and hydraulic apparatus to pitch wings at frequencies up to 10 Hz. The facility is used to study dynamic stall at realistic flight Mach (0.1 – 0.4) and chord Reynolds numbers (1.0 – 4.0 million). Instrumentation: Utilization and development of modern instrumentation are important aspect of our research. We utilize these instruments quantify flow structure and unexplored mechanisms ranging from non- equilibrium molecular effects to fundamental hydrodynamics. The instrumentation includes: Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), Molecular Tagging Velocimetry (MTV), Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence (PLIF), Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Spectroscopy (CARS), Raman and Emission Spectroscopy, Multiple-overheat hot-wire anemometry (HWA), Pressure sensitive paint (PSP), Temperature sensitive paints (TSP), Conventional schlieren, Focusing schlieren w/ deflectometry, High-speed photography, Infrared thermography, and Kulite and PCB Pressure Transducers. We have also pioneered a new Vibrationally-excited NO Monitoring (VENOM) technique for combined MTV and 2-line PLIF thermometry to enable direct measurement of the turbulent heat flux. A new dual plane system (VENOM2) is under development to provide 3-D velocimetry and a more complete quantification of the thermodynamic state. Computations: We utilize large scale computations to examine the intricate details of the flow structure, design experiments and test physical models. Our group has access to multi-million cpu-hour allocations via resource allocations at NSF-supported TeraGrid resources such as Ranger at TACC (UT Austin) and Kraken at NICS (U. Tenn./ORNL) as well as other DoE and DoD supported machines, which are among the most powerful supercomputers currently available to academic researchers in the world. In addition, we perform simulations on an in-house maintained 32-node cluster, larger department clusters, and TAMU supercomputers. A suite of in-house and commercial simulation and visualization software are used to characterize flow structure, verify mathematical model performance, and aid in experimental design.

Shape Memory Alloys Research Team Contact: Dr. Dimitris Lagoudas, Department of Aerospace Engineering The Shape Memory Alloy Research Team (SMART) consists of faculty, research staff and students, whose main interest is in developing experimentally verifiable constitutive models for Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) together with design capabilities of active or "smart" structures that utilize the shape memory effect for shape and actuation control applications. The group is supported by state of the art thermomechanical characterization facilities, which are integrated with the dynamics, control, flight simulation and fluid mechanics laboratory facilities, forming an Intelligent Systems Laboratory (ILS) network. This research effort initiated at Texas A&M University in 1992 and has been supported mainly by the Army Research Office, Office of Naval Research, Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the State of Texas. • Center for Mechanics of Composites - A comprehensive laboratory for the experimental study of the thermomechanical behavior of materials is located in the Center for Mechanics of Composites at Texas A&M University. The Laboratory is equipped for experimental research in the areas of constitutive evaluation of Materials, structural testing, and nondestructive evaluation including X-ray radiography, moireinterferometry, and HIPing. • Mechanical testing: Mechanical testing can be performed on any of several different types of load frames and/or creep frames, in order to meet the requirements of a particular test. The load frame types include: MTS axial, closed loop, servo hydraulic test systems with load capacities ranging from 20 to 100 KIP's; one Adelaide axial torsional, closed loop, screw driven test system which can simultaneously or independently apply axial and torsional loads up to 20 KIP's and 10,000 in lbs, respectively; one MTS high rate, open loop, servo hydraulic test system capable of accelerating the cross head up to 60,000 in/sec and impacting a specimen with 24,000 in lbs of energy. All of the servo hydraulic load frames are completely automated and have data acquisition, reduction and control software written specifically for tests typically associated with constitutive parameter evaluation and damage mechanics. In addition, three axial load frames are specifically equipped with alignment fixtures and hydraulic collet grips in order to precisely align the load train for ceramic specimens, as well as compression testing. The creep frames are of the direct load or lever arm type construction and have a load capacity of 10 KIP's. The creep frames are equipped with three zone clamshell style furnaces, capable of reaching a maximum temperature of 2,000°F, and compatible ATS LVDT indicating extensometry. For elevated temperature research, the laboratory is appropriately equipped with furnaces, extensometry, and temperature sensing/control devices to suit a variety of isothermal, as well as transient temperature testing requirements. Test temperatures ranging from room temperature to 2,800°F can be accomplished using one of several different heating methods. The various types include: a Research Inc. 4KW quad elliptical quartz lamp oven; an MTS three zone resistive heating clamshell furnace; an MTS single zone, molybdenum disilicide, rapid resistive heating furnace; a Lepel SKW induction heating unit; and two MTS environmental chambers. The lab is also equipped with a variety of extensometry for low to moderate temperatures, as well as temperatures in excess of 2800°F. Where applicable, these include: MTS tension/compression axial (models 632.41 and 632.59) and diametral (model 632.60) extensometers with a 1 inch gage capacity and ceramic and/or quartz extension rods; an MTS biaxial extensometer (model 632.85); and an assortment of MTS axial clip gages (models 632.11, 632.12, and 632.25) with gage capacities of 0.5 through 1 inch. Dual setpoint digital temperature controllers, with auto-tune PID control, can be used in conjunction with either an optical pyrometer or thermocouples in order to precisely meet the test temperature requirements. • Hot Isostatic Press Facility: Located in the Department of Aerospace Engineering is a facility for the compaction, sintering, diffusion bonding and pressing of metal and ceramic powders. Specifications of the major items of equipment in this laboratory are listed below. All items and their supporting equipment are available to this project. • Hot Isostatic Press: Asea Brown Bovari model QIC 3. Installed June, 1990. Maximum pressure: 30,000 psi. Maximum temperature of molebdenum furnace: 1450°C. Maximum temperature of graphite furnace: 2000°C. Dimensions of constant temperature zone: 10 cm diameter, 11 cm high. HIP temperature and pressure control and monitoring is programmable from a desktop workstation (IBM PC compatible). • Cold Press: Hydraulic unit designed and fabricated by Dr. Pollock can be configured as a unidirectional or quasi isostatic press. Maximum force: 1000 lb. Maximum pressure: 25,000 psi. Uses interchangeable die bodies and rams. Accommodates articles up to 3 cm x 3cm x 10 cm in size, and is readily modified for larger work. • Sintering Furnaces: Four furnaces of various capacities can be programmed with multiple set points. All have inert atmosphere capability. Vacuum sintering is done in the HIP. • HIP Canning Facility: Necessary items for performing the proprietary vacuum canning process are available. Additionally, general purpose welding (TIG, MIG and oxyacetylene) equipment is provided. • Centorr Testorr Furnace: Front access furnace, model C-5583/20147. Vacuum/inert gas furnace which can be mated to any one of our four MTS load frames. Temperature capability of this furnace is 2000°C and can reach vacuum pressures lower than 10-6 Torr. The furnace is compatible with argon, nitrogen and helium atmospheres. • Microstructural Analysis: In addition, the material used in any or all of the aforementioned tests may be evaluated microstructurally by established metallographic techniques. The lab is equiped with a Leica MEF4M metallograph, Image-Pro imaging software, and a color laser printer for image analysis. A Perkin Elmer Pyris 1 Differential Scanning Calorimeter is also utilized for measurement of transformation temperatures and latent heat associated with phase transformations. For microstructural clarity, a Struers automatic polisher complements the metallograph and image analysis system, providing detailed images that can relate microstructural changes to observed mechanical behavior. • Computational Facilities: A number of networked PCs are available for the center, which encompass all experimental computers. This allows for the easy transmission of test data and results to anywhere in the world. Videoconference capabilities are also available to allow real-time, long distance discussion of project status and experiments with involved parties. Supercomputers, parallel computers, and supporting software are also available at Texas A&M University. • Materials and Structures Laboratory • Mechanical Testing - Mechanical testing can be performed on any of several different types of load frames in order to meet the requirements of a particular test. The load frame types include: MTS axial, closed-loop, servo hydraulic test systems with load capacities ranging from 20 to 110 KiP's; one MTS axial, closed-loop, screw-driven All of the load frames are completely automated with data acquisition, reduction and control software written specifically for tests typically associated with constitutive parameter evaluation and damage mechanics. In addition, three axial load frames are specifically equipped with alignment fixtures and hydraulic collet grips to precisely align the load train for ceramic specimens, as well as compression testing. • Elevated Temperature Research - For elevated temperature research, the laboratory is appropriately equipped with furnaces, extensometry and temperature sensing/control devices, to suit a variety of isothermal, as well as transient temperature testing requirements. Test temperatures ranging from room temperature to 2,800°F can be accomplished using one of several different heating methods. The various types include: a Research Inc. 4KW quad elliptical quartz lamp oven; an MTS three zone resistive heating clamshell furnace; an MTS single zone, molybdenum disilicide, rapid resistive heating furnace; and two MTS environmental chambers. The lab also has a variety of extensometry for low to moderate temperatures, as well as temperatures in excess of 2800°F. Where applicable, these include: MTS tension/compression axial (models 632.41 and 632.59) and diametral (model 632.60) extensometers with a 1 inch gage capacity and ceramic and/or quartz extension rods; an MTS biaxial extensometer (model 632.85); and an assortment of MTS axial clip gages (models 632.11, 632.12, and 632.25) with gage capacities of 0.5 through 1 inch. Dual setpoint digital temperature controllers, with autotune PID control, can be used in conjunction with either an optical pyrometer or thermocouples in order to precisely meet the test temperature requirements. In addition, up to 32 temperature measurements, from intrinsically or contact mounted thermocouples, can be digitized via the low level data acquisition system and simply recorded or used to control other events in the test environment. A Testorr vacuum / inert gas furnace from Centorr is mated to our 20 KIP MTS load frame, with the capability to be transferred to any other load frame. The temperature capability of this unit is in excess of 2000°C, and pressures lower than 1 x 10 6 Torr can be achieved. The furnace is compatible with argon, nitrogen and helium atmospheres. • Compaction, Sintering, Diffusion Bonding and Pressing of Metal and Ceramic Powders - Also located in the Material and Structures Laboratory is a facility for the compaction, sintering, diffusion bonding and pressing of metal and ceramic powders. Specifications of the major items of equipment in this laboratory are as follows: o Hot Isostatic Press: Asea Brown Bovari model QIC-3. Installed June, 1990. Maximum pressure: 30,000 psi. Maximum temperature of molebdenum furnace: 1450°C. Maximum temperature of graphite furnace: 2000°C. Dimensions of constant temperature zone: 10 cm diameter, 11 cm high. HIP temperature and pressure control and monitoring is programmable from a desktop workstation (IBM PC compatible). o Cold Press: Hydraulic unit designed and fabricated by Dr. Pollock can be configured as a unidirectional or quasi-isostatic press. Maximum force: 10,000 lbs Maximum pressure: 25,000 psi. Uses interchangeable die bodies and rams. Accommodates articles up to 3 cm x 3cm x 10 cm in size, and is readily modified for larger work. o Sintering Furnaces: Four furnaces of various capacities can be programmed with multiple set points and all have inert atmosphere capability. Vacuum sintering is also done in the Centorr Vacuum Furnace. • Microstructural Analysis and Material Characterization - To ensure the highest quality metallagraphy, all required preparatory equipment is provided. This includes a Struers Secotom-10 automatic low-force diamond saw and a Struers automatic polisher with Multidoser diamond solution dispenser. The lab is equiped with a Leica MEF4M metallograph, high resolution digital camera, Image-Pro imaging software, and a color laser printer for image analysis. A Perkin Elmer Pyris 1 Differential Scanning Calorimeter is also utilized for measurement of transformation temperatures and latent heat associated with phase transformations. The LaserMike is used to make highly accurate dimension measurements via a wide laser beam. The repeatability of this micrometer is 0.00002 in. This device has been retrofitted with a custom heating/cooling stage and is software controlled for completely autonomous testing and subsequent data acquisition. Current uses include the accurate measurement of material coefficients of thermal expansion. • Active Materials Lab The Active Materials Laboratory at Texas A&M has recently added the ability to perform non-proportional loading experiments, thermo-mechanical tests, as well as thermal analyses. In addition, the material used in any or all of the aforementioned tests may be evaluated microstructurally by established metallographic techniques. A mechanical test frame with the ability to load in tension and torsion enables successful 2-D characterization and modeling of Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs). To this same end, the Differential Scanning Calorimeter allows for measurement of transformation temperatures and latent heat associated with the phase transformation present in SMAs. In addition, a widefield metallograph and image analysis system permits the microstructural study SMAs. The metallograph and image analysis system complement an automatic polisher and provide detailed images that can relate microstructural changes to observed mechanical behavior.

Thin Film Nano & Microelectronics Research Laboratory Director: Dr. Yue Kuo, Department of Chemical Engineering The main interest of this laboratory is to study the thin film related microelectronic or opto- electronic devices. The ultimate goal is to correlate material properties to their process conditions and to the device characteristics. Materials involved in this laboratory are Si-based semiconductors (PECVD, a-Si:H, microcrystalline silicon, n+, and p+), dielectrics (Si-based, High k gate dielectrics, low k interlayer dielectric, metal oxides, etc.), and conductors (copper, aluminum, refractory metals, indium tin oxide ITO, etc.). Processes used for these studies are deposition (PECVD, sputtering, CVD, etc.), etching (RIE, wet, etc.), lithography, thermal annealing (RTP, furnace, plasma, etc.), and doping (plasma, etc.).

Tissue Microscopy Laboratory Contact: Dr. Alvin T. Yeh, Department of Biomedical Engineering The Tissue Microscopy Laboratory is a multidisciplinary research group at Texas A&M University in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Our research group specializes in developing laser scanning microscopy based on sub-10-femtosecond pulses, particularly Nonlinear Optical Microscopy (NLOM, that is, two-photon and multiphoton microscopy), for the microscopic characterization of living tissues. Our work integrates enabling tools and reagents to develop novel insights into fundamental biological processes. Our recent research efforts have concentrated in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine and developmental biology.