Currently, there is little overlap in research projects between the two disciplines.
Research is sponsored by industry and governmental agencies.
The Department is also home to the AgrAbility Project, a USDA sponsored project to assist handicapped farmers and ranchers. MMEC provides start-up and operation assistance for small business throughout the state of Montana. The laboratories in the Department are well equipped for research in turbulence, heat exchangers, heat transfer, materials science, and fluid dynamics. Flexible manufacturing systems, robotics, machine vision, and computer-aided manufacturing are supported by a computer integrated manufacturing laboratory. Facilities for decision support systems, facilities design, and expert systems are undergoing expansion.