RESEARCH
OUTREACH
Outreach Centers
Applied Energy Research Center
The center provides research and technology transfer on innovative, patentable advanced manufacturing products that will improve energy efficiency in the industrial, power generation, and transportation business sectors. The initial research will concentrate on computational modeling and processing of ceramic and composite materials, and possibly nano-fabrication of components.
Center for Credit and Consumer Research
The center examines issues pertaining to the credit card usage habits of consumers in the United States and international markets. Faculty and staff affiliates conduct empirical research related to credit card usage and provide educational outreach to help consumers manage their credit card debt. Research focuses on the ethical problems and risks associated with credit card usage among vulnerable populations in society.
Center for Mathematical Biology
The center coordinates, encourages, and promotes collaborative efforts between mathematicians and biologists. Activities of the center focus on areas of current faculty expertise: electrical activity in nerve and secretory cells, spiral wave formation in chemical and biological systems, modeling the effects of chemotherapy on cancer, and biological patterns in heterogeneous habitats.
Center for eBusiness and Advanced Information Technology
The center is a collaboration among The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, GE Transportation Systems (GETS), the Economic Development Corporation of Erie County (EDCEC), and Penn State Erie. The center was created for the purpose of accelerating economic development in NWPA and throughout the Commonwealth by promoting e-business and information technology best practices within business and industry.
Center for Organizational Research and Evaluation (CORE)
The center was established to provide high quality research and evaluation for the social service base of northwest Pennsylvania. CORE staff provides cutting-edge evaluations of program effectiveness, identification of best practices, and grant-writing services.
Economic Research Institute of Erie
The purpose of the institute is to collect, analyze, interpret, and disseminate data and the resulting knowledge related to Erie County's economy. The institute's research is designed to provide an enhanced understanding of the regional economic structure and its relation to the national and international economies.
The Institute on the American Dream
The institute explores the bright and dark sides of individual, ethnic, and national dreams. The institute will define, analyze, and compare dreams; seek their origins; and evaluate who wins and who loses under the various definitions.
Janet Neff Sample Center for Manners and Civility
The center was founded to foster a civility-enriched academic experience within the college community. It provides resources for teaching, research, and co-curricular programs leading to an understanding of the global, theoretical dimensions of civility as well as to an enhancement of practical interpersonal and public communication skills.
Plastics Computer-Aided Engineering Center
The center serves as a plastics industry resource for the development and deployment of computer-aided engineering and design technologies. The center's mission is to justify the implementation of flow analysis software technologies in companies that develop, design, or manufacture plastic products and tooling.
The center's mission is to assist plastic-related companies in becoming more competitive. The center is an operating unit of the Northwest Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center. Selected services include product and part design, process improvement, rapid prototyping and tooling, materials testing and analysis, and metal to plastic conversion.
The center, administered in conjunction with the Center for eBusiness and Advanced Information Technology, assists businesses in implementing Radio Frequency Identification technology, which increases productivity and reduces costs; assists them in preparing for supply chain customer compliance, expedites information technology providers' understanding of RFID technologies; conducts and coordinates applied research in the areas of RFID technology and supply chain management; and develops RFID implementation service offerings, such as executive briefings, public and customized training programs, pilot projects, and an internship program.
School of Engineering Applied Research & Design Center
The center provides state-of-the-art applied research and technology transfer to benefit industry in areas related to computer, electrical mechanical, and software engineering. Selected areas of expertise include computer-aided design, finite element analysis, manufacturing systems and processes, machine vision, measurements, instrumentation and control, signal processing, fluid flow and heat transfer analysis, vibration, and data communication networks.