State-of-the-Art Engineering Facilities and Labs

A world-class hands-on student-focused engineering research center to design the electric grid of the 21st century.

Engineering's Senior Design Clinic Studio facilitates the culmination of our hands-on program. Here each team of students brings together what they’ve learned in their classes to design, build, and deliver an engineered solution to a real-world problem for an external customer. It is a collaborative design space, equipped with the supplies and equipment needed to support this capstone experience – everything from tools and hardware to electronic instruments and components, along with compressed air, specialty electric service connections, water supply, and safety equipment. There is a furnished workspace for each group, and a variety of shared meeting spaces. Our knowledgeable and widely-experienced faculty and lab management team work together to ensure this facility offers both the physical needs and skilled personnel to equip students for success.

A lending library for tools. Students can "check out" hand tools of all kinds by swiping their student ID card. There are also a variety of fasteners available for student use. This resource supports all classes, labs, and senior design as needed.

Lab space used by students to develop creative skills in conceptualizing machines that meet performance criteria of a design project. Machine designs will require the understanding and use of components such as springs, screws, bearings, basic 4-bar linkages, cams, gears and direct-current motors.

Lab space to nourish students' entrepreneurial mindset and skillset. Students get mentorship from engineers, business professionals and investors to help bring their ideas to life.

Provides fabrication support for projects throughout the University of St. Thomas. Full time professional staff oversee CNC machining, manual milling and turning, welding, and a full suite of woodworking equipment. The shops are open to all students during supervised hours through a certification and badging program.

A space used by Tommie Motorsports, a student club centered around vehicle design and fabrication.

This lab supports research activities in the development of novel materials and the testing and optimization of manufacturing processes. Faculty and student research projects into polymer composites for additive manufacturing, meso-scale structure modeling in additive manufacturing, and micro-scale machining processes.

Lab space focused on assessment and design of electrical and mechanical biomedical devices.

Instructional lab space providing students hands-on experience with measurement equipment relevant to the study of fluid mechanics. In addition to studying fluid properties and applying uncertainty analysis techniques students in this lab compete a self-driven two month study on a fluid mechanics problem of their choice. The lab includes a flow bench to facilitate a variety of pipe flow studies, an open-circuit subsonic wind tunnel for studies on lift, drag and airfoil analysis and a drop tank for studies on terminal velocity, bubble formation and water impact.

Lab devoted to experimental research on numerous experimental fluid mechanic fields including gas-liquid multiphase flows, skin friction modification, wind tunnel testing, and wall roughness effects on internal flows. High-speed imaging systems are frequently used along with the development of machine-vision algorithms for processing digital images.

Lab offers students hands on experience with soil mechanics testing both in the lab and in the field. Students will learn how to compare field results to lab results and make engineering judgements on suitability of in situ soils for various construction applications and fluid flow mechanics.

Lab focusing on the application of new sensing technologies to enhance understanding of the behavior of subsurface layers of transportation facilities including pavements, airfields, and railroads. Through experimental study, the lab aims to contribute to the establishment of smart and resilient transportation infrastructure.

This laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art fluid mechanics instrumentation for the measurement of complex flows. Lasers, high -speed cameras, and image processing algorithms are used to explore the properties of three-dimensional flows associated with engineering, environmental, and biological applications. The capabilities of the Laser Velocimetry Research Lab can also be leveraged to generate validation data for engineering models used in industry.

Highly configurable lab space capable of supporting multiple objectives. Typically used for power electronics and/or power and sensor optics.

Students gain practical experience with thermodynamic systems and tools to learn how energy can be used, transported, and transformed into useful forms and processes. Students learn about the broader ways in which energy impacts society, economies, and the environment.

Learning lab for exploration of circuits and electronics, equipped with a full suite of tools and test equipment at each work station.

Lab space to create and test artificial intelligent solutions, machine learning techniques, data science technologies, and intelligent computing solutions.

Lab space focused on assessment and design of biomedical and optical systems.

Lab space for research and teaching in today's modern automation and control systems environment. The lab features the latest industry-standard equipment including robots, conveyors, vision systems, and PLCs.

A space to construct and test a wide range of construction materials including concrete, asphalt, masonry, structural brick, timber, and various metals. Students follow ASTM standard procedures to further understand the material properties of the materials most commonly used in the construction industry.

Multipurpose hands-on teaching space focusing on digital electronics, microprocessors, and embedded systems.

Combination supply room and workspace, offering a complete inventory of electronic components and circuit building supplies, along with the tools and equipment needed for project work -- all the materials you need to turn your knowledge and ideas into working devices.

Lab space to build complete embedded systems, Intelligent robots, internet of things solutions, wireless sensors networks, and smart devices.

Lab where students gain hands-on experience measuring the properties and structures of engineering materials. Students will measure the mechanical properties of materials using tensile and hardness testing equipment, as well as be able to investigate a variety of other materials properties and microstructures.

A world-class structural testing facility equipped with an L-shaped strong wall and strong floor that offers students the opportunity to feed their curiosity in a space commonly otherwise reserved for graduate level research. The high bay also offers space for civil engineering student competitions such as steel bridge, concrete canoe, and geowall, as well as a concrete batching area.

Dual-purpose facility with state-of-the art resources for learning about power generation/distribution and control systems.

3D printing and laser cutting services for the School of Engineering.

Learning lab for exploration of topics in Engineering Mechanics, including material deformation and buckling, and Dynamics, including measurement of acceleration and oscillation in damped systems.

Launch point for our hands on surveying course during which students learn from a professional land surveyor the principles and methods associated with land surveying.

Lab space for providing students with a hands-on introduction to feedback control systems. The lab features industry standard computers, data acquisition systems, oscilloscopes, power supplies, and signal generators. Students develop feedback control systems for high performance speed and position control of motors.

A lab space where students get hands on experience in the properties of fluids, their dynamic mechanisms, and quality measurements. Students will simulate water and wastewater treatment, measure water quality and contaminants, and run environmental chemistry and microbiology experiments.