This laboratory allows students, through research, to increase their understanding of the nature of a wide range of engineering materials. Students can also explore processes that are used to fabricate these materials. In addition to the research classes, two elective classes are taught through this laboratory. One, the Nature of Materials, is designed to introduce students to the families of engineering materials and to expose them to the physical properties of each. The second elective is Materials Processing. As Nature of Materials is designed to introduce studnets to the characteristics of materials, Materials Processing is designed to allow students to explore the various ways engineering materials can be fabricated. These electives are designed to lay a foundation for students who will be conducting research in the Proto-typing and Engineering Materials Laboratory.
"I was working in the Prototyping Lab, and my partner and I were constructing the fiberglass hull for a human-powered submarine we had designed. Among enlisting the aid of professionals as far away as Tacoma, Washington, trying several mold designs, dealing with varied fiberglass weaves, and using resins of different chemical compositions, I learned what a lot of people are saying they learned...patience." -Todd Stansfield, Student