Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems

Mission

The Materials Processing (MP) Cluster at the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems (CAVS) is a true partnership between universities, industry, government agencies and professional and trade associations to develop cutting-edge technology for the processing of engineering materials. Our missions are 1) research, 2) training students and industry professionals, and 3) transfer of new technology to the production line. The researchers have core competencies in sintering, polymers, rapid prototyping, heat transfer, controls, surface chemistry, tolerancing, statistical process control, durability, mechanical testing, microscopy, and computer modeling.

Programs

Consulting

Individual hourly billing arrangement with the researcher, typically for short duration assistance.

Testing and Services

Straightforward efforts based on use of existing experimental capabilities on a per-test basis.

Gifts or Grants-in-Aid

Best known as scholarships and fellowships, but often including gifts to help with the overall program such as donated equipment, materials or funds with no deliverables expected.

• Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), Academic Research Services

  Standard agreement for measurement, composition, or fabrication that includes analysis and interpretation of test results. Efforts include participation by staff and students with specific deliverables for the sponsor.

  
  

• Sponsored Research Agreement

  Formally negotiated contract between Mississippi State University and the sponsor that covers funding and payments, technical statement of work, intellectual property rights, and any other concerns.

Education

Outreach and education are integral parts of the MP cluster activities. They serve to provide "education for a lifetime," acting as a conduit for knowledge to flow from research and best practices to every level of learning.

• Promote science and engineering careers
• Increase undergraduate involvement in research
• Heighten industrial perspectives
• Disseminate research findings
• Provide opportunities for under-represented groups
• Increase public awareness

Projects

The MP Cluster has focused on using research as an educational tool to involve students in contemporary problems associated with engineering materials. MP Trust research includes long- and short-term projects.

• Precision and Performance in Engineered Components
• Full-Density, High-Precision, High-Value Products and Processes
• Tailored and Functionally Designed Hard Materials
• Rapid Fabrication of Prototype Components and Tooling
• Computer Simulation and Process Control
• Designer Materials