Research Centers and Laboratories

Energy Conversion and Conservation Center (ECCC)
Director: Dr. Ting Wang, Department of Mechanical Engineering. Located in the CERM building (Center for Energy Resource Management) of the Research and Technology Park on the lakefront at UNO, this center conducts basic research in the energy conversion area and works with the electric power industry on energy conservation and demand side management. The monitoring of energy consumption is also an area of active research.

Information and Systems Laboratory (ISL)
Director: Dr. X. Rong Li, Department of Electrical Engineering. The ISL is a lab for research of information and/or systems, such as processing of information, data, signal and image in various systems. The systems involved include control, communication, computer, and power systems and networks. Typical examples of applications are target tracking, data fusion, signal detection, machine learning and pattern recognition.

Maritime and Environmental Resources and Information Center (MERIC)
Director: Dr. Bhaskar Kura, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Located in the College of Engineering, this center addresses concerns pertaining to the planning and implementation of environmental and health related methodologies.

 

National Center for Advanced Manufacturing-Louisiana Partnership (NCAM-LP)
Director: Bruce Brailsford. NCAM was initiated in March of 1999 through a Memorandum of Understanding with the State of Louisiana , UNO, The UNO Research and Technology Foundation, Inc. and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration George C. Marshall Space Flight Center. NCAM is located on NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans East. The mission of NCAM is to assure world class manufacturing capabilities enabling space transportation systems; create federal, state, university and industry manufacturing partnerships; effect a cultural change in manufacturing to an intelligent-collaborative environment; enhance educational development for manufacturing; and strengthen U.S. competitiveness in aerospace commercial markets. NCAM's current research technologies encompass advanced composites, friction-stir welding, high-speed machining, non-destructive evaluation, and the application of 3D modeling and simulation in manufacturing processes.

Towing Tank  

The primary laboratory facility for the UNO School of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (NAME) was designed for teaching, research, and technical support for the marine industry. The above ground, 125-feet by 15-feet tank includes a wave maker, current maker and planar motion mechanism.

 

Additional Research Centers and Labs

Composite Engineering Lab and ICCE
Dr. David Hui of the Department of Mechanical Engineering is involved with the annual International Conference on Composites and Nano Engineering.

National Biodynamics Laboratory (NBDL)
Director: Dr. Thomas Dobie. This research facility is located on NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans East. The College assumed ownership and operation in 1996 of this facility, formerly run by the US Navy since 1971. The NBDL's mission was to perform research aimed at preventing injury and enhancing performance in humans subjected to external motion forces by ships, airplanes, automobiles, offshore oil structures, etc. The research made use of such devices as acceleration sleds, a ship-motion simulator, vibration equipment and desensitization devices, in conjunction with comprehensive data acquisition systems.