Research in Engineering and Aviation

Graduate and undergraduate engineering and aviation students at Saint Louis University’s Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology have the opportunity to apply their education in a global context. We design our research projects to help students find ways to be technically brilliant, socially responsible, enterprising and ultimately to make our world better.

Areas of Research

To accomplish this, we focus on six areas of research: Aviation Safety, Biomedical Engineering, Space Systems, Sustainability, Structural Mechanics and Design and Thermal-fluid Sciences.

These six areas of research at the college address global challenges of the 21st century. Our research areas cross traditional disciplines, allowing students to work not only with engineering and aviation faculty, but also with faculty from business, medicine, psychology and chemistry. Together, diverse faculty and students bring multiple perspectives to solve challenging problems. Both undergraduate and graduate students collaborate with faculty, publish their results and present at professional conferences.

When you graduate with a degree from Parks College, you are armed with more than technical knowledge. Our graduates are equipped to work with others in a professional, yet collaborative, setting and realize the results of their work. Learn more about our undergraduate aviation degrees and undergraduate engineering programs. You may also want to download the graduate program overview to understand those research areas.

Aviation Safety Research
Aviation safety incorporates the theory, examination, and classification of flight failures, and the prevention of such failures through regulation, education and training. It can also be applied in the context of campaigns that inform the public as to the safety of air travel.In 2008, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted Parks College $2.25 million to form the Center for Aviation Safety Research (CASR).
Biomedical Engineering Research
Biomedical engineers are innovators; they use the principles of engineering to solve problems of the human body. Biomedical engineering is a relatively new field that is naturally interdisciplinary and growing quickly. Our research in Biomedical engineering focuses on tissue engineering, biomedical signal processing, orthopedic mechanics and cardiovascular mechanics.
Space Systems Research
A space system consists of all of the elements necessary to complete a successful space mission: spacecraft, launch vehicle, ground operations, etc. Often, it is the behavior of the system as a whole that determines success or failure, not the optimal design of any one part. At the Space Systems Research Lab (SSRL) at Parks College, our emphasis is on the end-to-end system; it informs our research activities as well as how we train our students. There are many ways to participate in SSRL: graduate research, undergraduate research, student volunteer, summer intern, senior design and through our formal coursework.
Structural Mechanics & Design Research
The Structural Mechanics & Design focus area provides researchers and practicing engineers with the skills and knowledge to apply advanced computational and experimental techniques to design, evaluate and improve complex, real-world structures.
Sustainability Research
SLU researchers are concentrating their efforts on areas such as wind and solar power, green design, infrastructure design, as well as evaluation and restoration to answer the need for a more sustainable planet.
Thermal-Fluid Sciences Research
Thermal-Fluid Sciences research efforts at Parks College address a full range of problems, including micro- and nano-scale phenomena and galaxy-sized events. Research efforts are underway to simulate the clouds and large vortices that advect in the atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune. More accurate aerial delivery is under investigation by studying the aerodynamics of parachutes and airdrop systems.