Well Established Cross-Disciplinary Engineering Research

The Clark School has been a leader in cross-disciplinary engineering research for several decades, having established through the university three highly successful and well known institutes:

Associate Professor Timothy Horiuchi (ECE/ISR) holds a tiny prototype bat head next to a bat-inspired sonar device. See "Robots That Hear" sidebar for more information.

The Institute for Systems Research (ISR)
ISR advances and exploits fundamental methodological tools—intelligent control, modeling and optimization, communications and signal processing, computing, operations research, human factors, reliability and risk assessment, and systems integration—to solve systems engineering problems. The institute has produced enabling technologies for manufacturing processes, consumer products and very large-scale engineering systems such as hybrid communication networks, and made important contributions to basic research and education. ISR offers a full range of collaboration options for interested corporations.

The Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (MTECH)
MTECH accelerates new ventures, spurs economic growth, and brings university expertise to Maryland companies through technology entrepreneurship and research programs. Research programs are:

• The Maryland Industrial Partnerships Program (MIPS, faculty research to enhance company competitiveness)
• Biotechnology Program (bioprocess scale-up, technical assistance, and training)
• Maryland Technology Extension Service MTES, (manufacturing solutions for Maryland companies)
• A Scholars Program for Industry-Oriented Research in Engineering (ASPIRE, undergrad research projects)

Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR)
To significantly boost the state's research capacities in bioscience and biotechnology, and thereby increase scientific discovery, technology transfer, and economic development, IBBR brings together the research strengths of the University of Maryland College Park, the University of Maryland Baltimore (including the Schools of Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry, and Nursing), the National Institute for Standards and Technology, and the former University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute. IBBR participates in the Maryland BioChip Collaborative.

The Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics (IREAP)
A joint institute of the Clark School and the College of Computer, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, IREAP applies basic science skills to practical problems and engineering skills to fundamental scientific investigations. The institute is recognized internationally in high-temperature plasma physics, plasma spectroscopy, relativistic microwave electronics, high-brightness charged particle beams, laser-plasma interactions, nonlinear dynamics (chaos), ion beam microfabrication techniques, microwave sintering of advanced materials, nanoscience and nanotechnology.

Several institutes outside the Clark School jointly appoint our faculty and encourage cross-disciplinary research and education. Two such institutes are:

• The University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS)
• The Institute for Physical Science and Technology (IPST)