Materials Engineering

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Materials Engineering Laboratory

Microscopes and Rockwell Hardness Tester

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Materials Engineering Laboratory

Students in the Materials Engineering Laboratory analyze how the physical and mechanical properties of components meet desired design characteristics. We are focused on both the biological and materials sciences with activities ranging from applied research on the properties of industrial and biological materials to the development of open-source tools that aid other labs in carrying out the same educational research at lower costs. Our capabilities include tensile, fatigue, and hardness testing; heat treating; failure analysis using optical microscopy techniques, soft tissue testing, and a range of prototyping tools for the design of low-cost open-source hardware.

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.