Research Clusters

Our engineering research is interdisciplinary and focused on providing solutions to global challenges.

Research Teams:

Energy Solutions

Colorado State has developed a supercluster model that brings together experts in research, engineering, business, and economics. Superclusters aim to expedite commercialization of innovative research for society’s benefit. CSU’s Clean Energy Supercluster is led by the College of Engineering.  Major areas of focus include:

Recent CSU Engineering Start-ups in Energy:

Colorado State University mechanical engineering graduate student Tushar Shimpi loads a glass plate in to a thin film photovoltaic processing system developed in Professor Sampath's lab.AVA Solar

Professor W.S. Sampath and his research team have perfected a manufacturing process that turns ordinary window glass into solar panels that could be used to generate power anywhere the sun shines.

 

 

Alpha cribs containing colonies of algae grow at the Colorado State University Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory. CSU researchers are working with Solix Biofuels to create a line of algae and system to economically produce biodiesel from algae.Solix Biofuels, Inc.

The startup company based in Boulder, is working with CSU engineers and the Engines & Energy Conversion Laboratory to commercialize technology that cheaply mass produces oil derived from algae and turns it into biodiesel.

 

Nathan Lorenz and Tim Bauer performs tests on a 2-cycle engine on Filipino tricycle that they have converted to direct injection to reduce emissions, December 8, 2003.Envirofit International

Envirofit, a non-profit corporation, disseminates technologies originated at CSU’s Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory. Envirofit has developed a bolt-on, direct-injection retrofit kit for carbureted two-stroke engines that are major polluters in many Third World countries.

 

Other collaborative efforts in energy research:

Other CSU Research Resources

Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory
A research partnership among the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Colorado's premier research universities.

Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels(C2B2)
Spun out of the Collaboratory, this cooperative research center is devoted to the conversion of biomass to fuels and other products.

Northern Colorado Clean Energy Cluster
A collaborative working group seeking to enhance the clean energy industry in the region.

Environmental Solutions

Our students, faculty, and staff work on many environmental projects because they have a passion for protecting the environment:

  • New technologies that reduce engine emissions
  • Clean and reliable water for communities
  • Satellite data that informs us about clouds and climate change
  • Transportation issues that impact our environment and our roads
  • Collaboration with industry to harness the wind

The College of Engineering is closely involved with the new School of Global Environmental Sustainability, an umbrella organization that encompasses all environmental education and research at CSU. The school will streamline the university's internationally recognized environmental research and prepare students for the growing "green" workforce.

Colorado State is setting a green example and the College of Engineering is a campus leader.

Human Health Solutions

Engineering students, faculty, and staff contribute to our global quality of life.

The School of Biomedical Engineering
Housed in the College of Engineering, the biomedical program focuses on improving health, fighting disease, and aiding persons with disabilities. The curriculum is truly interdisciplinary, involving coursework taught by faculty from the Colleges of Applied Human Sciences, Engineering, Natural Sciences, and Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Many projects across engineering departments are impacting human health and quality of life:

  • Cookstoves that reduce indoor air pollution and injuries
  • Hands-free door opener to aid individuals with disabilities
  • SimPooch, a three-dimensional canine head prototype, serves as teaching model
  • Student cartilage model simulates spine biomechanics, wins award
  • first topical cream available to both treat osteoarthritis and relieve pain