Exceptional From the Outset

Michigan Engineering's formal research program dates to 1860, when the University's Regents endorsed work that challenged researchers to answer questions of great importance in those days: What time of year is best for working on earthen roads? When should engineers use covered or tiled drains rather than open drains? Is one tiled drain in the center of a road ever preferable to two parallel ones on the outside?

Over the next 40 years, these simple studies -- and others like them -- were important enough to make a difference in people's lives. It was that idea -- making a difference in people's lives -- that became the ultimate objective for all Michigan Engineering research, from those early years to this very day.
 
Between 1900 and the early 1950s, the College pioneered the measurement of electrical resistance and discovered Martensitic transformation, which became the basis for modern physical metallurgy. There was a thorough investigation of interactions between ships' propellers and wakes to optimize propulsion. A novel vacuum-tube design helped lay the foundation for the electronics industry. Michigan Engineering researchers even devised formulas that designers still use to maximize natural lighting in buildings.

The College was a major force in the world of research during its first 100 years, but it became a juggernaut during its next half century.