Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE)

SURE offers summer research internships to outstanding current U-M undergraduate students who have completed their sophomore or junior year (preference will be given to those who have completed three years of study) by the time of their internship.  Participants have the opportunity to conduct 10-12 weeks of full-time summer research with some of the country’s leading faculty in a wide range of engineering disciplines. The program provides opportunities for students to assess their interests and potential in pursuing research at the Masters or Ph.D. level in graduate school.  All participants must apply online through the SURE website.  Accepted applicants from the University of Michigan receive guidance by a faculty advisor in a College of Engineering research facility, a stipend of $6,000, attend regular meetings and seminars and contribute to an abstract booklet with highlights of their summer research project and/or experience.

Selection Process: Once the SURE Manager has shared your application with the Department, we will provide the eligible applications to the Faculty Mentors who will review your application materials. It is possible that they will reach out to you directly for further information. You do not need to do anything else, but if you have any specific questions regarding a SURE Project, you are welcome to reach out to the listed Faculty Mentor. Any notification of an offer will be sent from the SURE Manager.

General Timeline:

• December – Application opens
• January – Application is due
• February – Applications are reviewed
• March – Offers will begin being sent out
• April – Offers may still be issued during this time
• May – SURE Projects may begin

Learn more: https://sure.engin.umich.edu/

Mechanical Engineering 2025 SURE Research Projects

 

ME Project #1: Dynamics of Piezoelectric Microsystems for Biomedical Instrumentation
Faculty Mentor: Kenn Oldham, [email protected]
Prerequisites: Statics and or dynamics coursework
Project Description: Piezoelectric microsystems are miniature sensors and actuators that convert strain to voltage, and vice versa, in devices just a few millimeters in size.  Applications include miniature robotics, medical devices, and micro-assembly.  In this project, the student will perform a combination of experimental testing and dynamic modeling of devices fabricated by the Micro dynamics Laboratory in Mechanical Engineering for use in endoscopy and cancer biology applications, to better understand motions that are feasible for these miniature engineered systems.
Research Mode: Hybrid, In-Lab (In-Lab preferred)

ME Project #2: Engineering elastin-like polypeptide vesicles as synthetic cell models
Faculty Mentor: Allen Liu, [email protected]
Prerequisite: None, but interest in experimental biophysics/bioengineering research is desired.
Project Description: While natural cells have lipids as the boundary material, cell-size lipid vesicles are fragile and are susceptible to mechanical stress. Recent research has shown that elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) can assemble into bilayer vesicles and such peptidic encapsulants can survive in harsher environments than biological lipid membranes and have improved biocompatibility and biofunctionalization than synthetic polymersome materials. The primary aim of the proposed work is to establish amphiphilic peptides as alternative membrane materials for synthetic cells that offer tremendous opportunities for engineered microcompartments with tailored structure and function. The student will synthesize different ELPs and test their propensity for forming peptide vesicles.
Research mode: In-Lab

ME Project #3: Modeling and simulation of high-energy-density flows and plasmas
Faculty Mentor: Eric Johnsen, [email protected]
Prerequisite: None (Compatible with engineering students with strong interest in physics)
Project Description: Driven by the promise of inertial fusion energy, high-energy-density (HED) physics is an exciting emerging field of research. The behavior of matter under such extreme conditions (megabar, tens of thousands of degrees) is poorly understood as hydrodynamics, radiation, magnetic fields, and other effects may be coupled. The goal of the project is to use modeling and simulations to better understand shock-accelerated material interfaces in HED physics.
Research Mode: In-Lab

ME Project #4:  Cavitation in biomedical applications
Faculty Mentors: Eric Johnsen, [email protected]
Prerequisites: None (Compatible with engineering students with strong interest in physics)
Project Description: The implosion of cavitation bubbles has long been known to damage the hardest metals (e.g., propellers, pump impellers, etc.) in naval applications. Cavitation-induced damage has been leveraged in biomedical applications such as lithotripsy (to break kidney stones) and histotripsy (to treat tumors). Additionally, cavitation is thought to play a major role in blast-induced traumatic brain injury. However, bubble dynamics in a soft material are poorly understood. The goal of the project is to use modeling and simulations to better understand the dynamics of cavitation bubbles in soft matter.
Research Mode: In-Lab

ME Project #5: 3D-printing of Personalized Orthotics and Prosthetics
Faculty Mentor: Albert Shih, [email protected]
Prerequisites: ME 250 and ideally ME350
Project Description: This project partners with clinicians of the Orthotics and Prosthetics Center (OPC) of Michigan Medicine to explore new applications of 3D-printing for design, manufacturing, and testing/evaluation of custom orthoses and prostheses with personalized fit and comfort. Innovative design features enabled by 3D-printing and initiated from clinicians and engineers will be explored and analyzed to create new classes of foot orthotics and prosthetic sockets for patient care. The student will have the opportunity to work in the Biomedical Manufacturing and Design Lab (BMDL) and can learn the close collaboration with Michigan Medicine clinicians to develop novel medical devices meeting unmet clinical needs. 
Research Mode: In-Lab

ME Project #6: Automating At-Home Balance Training Using Wearable Sensors
Faculty Mentor: Kathleen Sienko, [email protected] & Leia Stirling, [email protected]
Prerequisites: None
Project Description: Balance training, led by physical therapists, is an essential part of balance rehabilitation and helps to reduce falls in populations with impaired balance, such as older adults. Telehealth and automated at-home systems to support balance physical therapy provide an opportunity to increase access to balance training without the need for a physical therapist to be physically present. The goal of this project is to use kinematic data from wearable inertial measurement unit sensors to develop expert-informed machine learning models to support at-home balance training. Using an existing dataset, the SURE student, depending on their interests and background, may apply signal processing techniques to preprocess kinematic data, extract features from the kinematic data, and/or support the creation and validation of machine learning models.
Research Mode: In-Lab

ME Project #7: Development of a Phone/Web Game App for Teaching 3D Printing to Middle School Kids
Faculty Mentor: Chinedum Okwudire, [email protected]
Prerequisites: Background in programming phone or web apps
Project Description: Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is a popular method for 3D printing with metals. It involves the use of a high-power laser to melt selected portions of a powder bed layer by layer to print 3D parts.  A common problem in LPBF is that printed parts may be distorted due to uneven heat distribution during the printing process. The S2A Lab at Michigan has developed the SmartScan algorithm that helps to achieve uniform heat distribution in LPBF, and thus mitigate the distortion of 3D printed parts (see Youtube video at https://youtu.be/nhPEliajsxA?si=-e9zGG4llhqQzueK). We seek to create a phone/web game app that allows middle school kids to compete against SmartScan to help them see the power of math and science in solving engineering challenges.
Research Mode: Hybrid or Remote

ME Project #8: The effects of surfactants on droplet breakup in high-speed cross flows
Faculty Mentor: Martin Erinin, [email protected]
Prerequisites: Fluid Mechanics (desired, but not necessary)
Project Description: The breakup of droplets in high-speeds cross flows is important in many industrial, naval, and environmental applications. In the environment, the breakup of droplets above wind waves in high wind speed conditions is thought to be one of the primary mechanisms for droplet generation in extreme weather events like hurricanes. Droplet breakup also plays a key role in the operation of internal combustion and jet engines. However, it is not understood how surfactants, chemicals that change the interfacial properties of a fluid, change the fundamental physical mechanisms for droplet breakup in cross flows. In this projects, students will help with the building of an experimental setup to study droplet breakup, use modern optical based techniques to study the problem, and help analyze the resulting data.
Research Mode: In-Lab, Experimental, Hands-on

ME Project #9: The accretion of ice on marine structures
Faculty Mentor: Martin Erinin, [email protected]
Prerequisites: Fluid Mechanics (desired, but not necessary)
Project Description: The accretion of ice on marine structures has a negative impact on critical industrial and naval infrastructure such as ships and offshore platforms. The fundamental physical mechanisms responsible for ice accumulation are not well understood and modeled. In this project, students will assist with the building of an experimental facility to study how ice accumulates on marine structures. Research Mode: In-Lab, Experimental, Hands-on

ME Project #10: The transport of inertial particles near turbulent free-surfaces
Faculty Mentor: Martin Erinin, [email protected]
Prerequisites: Fluid Mechanics (desired, but not necessary)
Project Description: The transport of inertial (heavy) particles near turbulent free-surfaces plays an important role in our ability to model and predict the transport of microplastics near ocean surfaces, the transport of larvae in estuaries, and seagrass pollen in marine ecosystems. These transport mechanisms can play an important environmental and ecological influence on marine ecosystems. In this project, students will assist with the building of an experimental facility to study how inertial particles, particles that do not follow the flow field faithfully, are transported near turbulent free-surfaces. Developing a better understanding of the fundamental physical transport mechanisms can aid in solving environmental issues such as pollution or conservation efforts.
Research Mode: In-Lab, Experimental, Hands-on

ME Project #11: Modelling the impact toughness of TPO
Faculty Mentor: Michael Thouless, thouless@umich,edu
Prerequisites: ME382 
Project Description:  Microstructural characterization of TPO composites supplied by DOW chemical as an initial step in a long-term project to understand the role of compositions on impact toughness.  Setting up a Charpy impact tester in the PI’s lab, and using it to make initial investigations of the impact toughness.  This work will be the very first steps in a three-year project funded by Dow.  There will be an option of continuing to work on this project as it develops after a graduate student starts to work on it in the Fall.
Research Mode: In-Lab

ME Project #12: Fabrication of porous structures with controlled morphology
Faculty Mentor: Wenda Tan, [email protected]
Prerequisites: Materials, Manufacturing
Project Description: Porous materials have found applications in a multitude of industries. The pore morphology, including the pore orientation and size, are heavily affected by the fabrication processes and, in turn, have significant impacts on the performance of the porous materials in their applications. On this project, the student will use 3D printing and freeze casting technologies to produce porous materials. Parametric experiments will be performed to reveal the effects of different processing parameters on the pore morphologies.
Research Mode: In-Lab, Experimental, Hands-on

ME Project #13: Dynamic Response of Inks in Piezo Printhead
Faculty Mentor: Uduak Inyang-Udoh, [email protected]
Prerequisites: Background in Dynamical Systems and Fluid Dynamics (Desired, not required)
Project Description: Piezo printhead are devices that use voltage pulses to ‘squeeze’ out ink droplets by piezoelectric action. They are widely used for 2D printing as well as for fabricating 3D parts including soft robots and microelectromechanical devices. In this project, the student will perform experiments and simulations in order to better understand and characterize relationships between voltage pulses and the ink responses for a piezo printhead device.
Research Mode: Hybrid, In-Lab

ME Project #14: Middle Ear Prostheses
Faculty Mentor: Karl Grosh, [email protected]
Prerequisites: To have completed Sophomore-level ME classes
Project Description:  The middle ear bones are the smallest bones in the human body (1 millimeter in diameter and ~10 millimeters long).  These bones are responsible for transmitting sound from the outer ear to the fluid-filled  cochlea which then sends signals to the brain.  Over 360 million people worldwide and 30 million people in the US suffer from significant hearing loss (loss that affects their daily life), and auditory prostheses (hearing aids and cochlear implants) make a significant difference in people lives.  We have a project to build ultraminiature and lightweight (less than 10 milligrams – lighter than a rice grain) accelerometers that fit on the middle ear bones to enhance the safety, usability, and comfort of auditory prostheses.  This project may involve benchtop testing  as well as design and fabrication of packing for the accelerometer to attach it to the middle ear bones.  Interaction with engineering and medical school faculty are planned.
Research Mode: In-lab and online (meetings)

ME Project #15: Ice Adhesion on Micro/nanostructured Surfaces
Faculty Mentor: Solomon Adera, [email protected]
Prerequisites: Fluid mechanics coursework
Project Description:  Surfaces that minimize ice adhesion are critical for improving the safety and efficiency of aerospace, energy, and transportation systems in cold environments. Our study focuses on understanding and minimizing ice adhesion on micro/nanostructured lubricant-infused surfaces. In this project, the student will design advanced surfaces, conduct experiments to measure ice adhesion forces, and analyze the effects of surface geometry and lubricant properties on anti-icing performance.
Research Mode: Hybrid, In-lab