The institute presently is serving as a focus to develop high-end computing capabilities to meet the needs of computational researchers in engineering and science. Co-Director The Institute for Environmental Research serves as a focal point for interdisciplinary research on thermal environmental engineering and the thermal interaction between people and their thermal environment. The institute is administered by the College of Engineering and research is administered through the Engineering Experiment Station. It works in cooperation with academic departments from throughout the university. Faculty and students from these departments participate in the institute's research programs, use the facilities for their own research, and utilize the facilities for specialized graduate courses and seminars.
Research funding is primarily from contracts with private companies and government agencies.
Research facilities are available for controlling and measuring thermal environmental parameters over a range of conditions, for measuring thermal characteristics of clothing, and for measuring human physiological variables. Institute for Systems Design and Optimization L. T. Fan, Director The Institute for Systems Design and Optimization promotes interdisciplinary research, teaching, and communications in systems engineering. The institute is administered through the College of Engineering and the Engineering Experiment Station and provides channels of communication between disciplines throughout the university in engineering systems design. It includes a pavement Accelerated Testing Laboratory and a shake-table for dynamic testing of model buildings. Future plans include structural testing of bridge components and pre-stressed concrete girders.