Armour R&D gives undergraduate engineering students at Illinois Tech opportunities for hands-on work and direct experience with the research and development process.
As an Armour R&D participant, you’ll receive a stipend to work with a faculty member, gaining valuable research and development experience and professional mentorship.
With a range of projects, including researching water desalination methods, detecting Alzheimer’s disease using MRI, and developing open-source GPS, Armour R&D offers opportunities both for students interested in discovering fundamental science and students who want to develop and implement technology that is based on research findings.
This year-round program offers you the chance to work on projects that tackle real-world problems while gaining skills that are highly valued in the engineering profession.
Participants selected for this competitive program conduct their project over the course of 10 weeks during the semester and showcase their work at the Armour R&D Expo.
Students may select a project proposed by a faculty member or develop a proposal for a project in conjunction with a faculty member.
The application for the summer 2025 semester is currently open and will be closed at 5 p.m. CST on April 25. The summer 2025 Armour R&D program runs from June 6 to July 25, 2025.
Students involved in the summer 2025 semester can expect to participate in the Armour R&D Expo.
For more information, contact engineering@illinoistech.edu
- Abhinav Bhushan
Project Title: Temporal Stimulation of Cells using Microfluidics
Project Description: The goal of this project is to investigate how temporal stimulation of cells affects cell function and fate. - Abhinav Bhushan
Project Title: Microfluidic Devices for Patterning Cells
Project Description: The goal of this project is to pattern cells in specific locations within a microfluidic device. - Abhinav Bhushan
Project Title: Effects of Microgravity on Cell Function
Project Description: The goal of this project is to determine how microgravity affects function of different types of cells. We will analyze datasets from collaborators and generate hypothesis that can be verified through experiments. - Douglas Carter
Project Title: Turbulence Box Facility Construction
Project Description: The study of vehicles, particles, or droplets and their response to turbulence requires an environment that can be precisely controlled. The most successfully built facilities of this kind use panels of pressurized air jets that are - Douglas Carter
Project Title: Benchtop Laser Experiment for Molecular Tagging Velocimetry
Project Description: Molecular tagging velocimetry is an advanced technique to measure the velocity of fluid flows without seeding the flow with tracer particles. Recent advancements have indicated the potential for photodiodes to measure flow velocities (instead of traditionally-used cameras), but the associated uncertainty is currently unexplored. In this project, the student will design and build a benchtop experiment to traverse a laser across two avalanche photodiodes at a known velocity and test how accurately the laser speed can be measured from the photodiode data. Goals: Assess potential of photodiodes to measure moving light sources and determine if such an approach is feasible in supersonic flow. - Fouad Teymour
Project Title: Optimization of Core-shell Polymer/Wax Nanocomposite Emulsions
Project Description: My lab has developed technology for the synthesis of BioCompatible Nanoparticle Emulsions for delivery of novel therapeutics. We aim to extend the technology into other application fields and particle morphology and infrastructure. - Fouad Teymour
Project Title: Development of a Biocompatible Core-shell Nanoparticle Emulsion for Drug Delivery.
Project Description: My lab has developed technology for the synthesis of BioCompatible Nanoparticle Emulsions for delivery of novel therapeutics. We aim to extend the technology into other application fields and particle morphology and infrastructure. - Francisco Ruiz
Project Title: Understanding the Physics of Human Whistling
Project Description: In this NSF-funded project, the goal is to find the exact mechanism of sound when a person whistles. This involves several experimental techniques, design and 3D printing of prototypes, and possibly computer analysis. This year we will also begin investigating the effectiveness of instruments based on this principle for music teaching. - James Mann
Project Title: Exploring Mechanochemical Effects in Enhancing Material Removal Processes
Project Description: The research will advance material removal processes for ductile "gummy" metals through local embrittlement in surface plasticity. The goals of this research is to characterize mechanochemical effects in cutting of Tantalum refractory metal, and if the gumminess can be eliminated using benign media that strongly adsorb into the metal surface. - Mohammad Heidarinejad
Project Title: Building Systems Semantic Models
Project Description: This project will focus on developing building systems semantic models that integrate best practices in computer science, such as knowledge representation, reasoning, machine learning techniques, with other engineering models (electrical, mechanical, architectural). Knowledge of working with object-oriented programming languages (e.g., Python/Java), understanding of semantic web technologies (e.g., XML, RDF, SHACL, SPARQL), or familiarity with building mechanical systems and tools (i.e., Revit, AutoCAD) would be beneficial. - Mohammad Heidarinejad
Project Title: Application of Embedded Systems and Microcontrollers in Buildings
Project Description: This project will focus on leveraging recent developments in low-cost sensors and microcontrollers to develop and deploy smart building sensing and controls solutions, especially for our steam systems (i.e., low-cost steam traps and radiator valve controls solutions). Students with a background in coding (e.g., in C/C++, Rust for embedded systems and microcontrollers, Python), prototyping (e.g., assembly and fabrication using 3D printers), or building test circuits on breadboards (e.g., design to a printed circuit board) will work together with the current undergraduate and graduate students. - Mohammad Heidarinejad
Project Title: Modeling and Deployment of Analog Circuits
Project Description: The student will utilize different filters (e.g., Elliptical, Butterworth, RC, and RF) using LTSpice or similar tools, as simulator, schematic capture and waveform viewer. Then, the waveform creation will occur in software tools (e.g., EasyWaveX) and the files will be uploaded into an oscilloscope. Basics understanding skills in Python or similar to help with data analysis would be beneficial. The application will be focused on heating systems in buildings. - Mohammad Miralinaghi
Project Title: Smart Escort Scheduling for Illinois Tech Campus Safety
Project Description: This project proposes the development of an intelligent scheduling and routing system for Illinois Tech’s late-night escort service, using predictive analytics to match vehicle availability with peak demand periods. The system aims to reduce student wait times, optimize driver shifts, and enhance coverage efficiency in surrounding neighborhoods, ultimately improving both safety and resource utilization. - Mohammad Miralinaghi
Project Title: Optimizing Drone-Based Emergency Delivery in Flood Zones
Project Description: This project aims to improve how emergency supplies like food and medicine are delivered during floods using drones and boat-based support stations. The goal is to optimize supply centers and charging points to enable drones to reach people more quickly, even in the event of flooded roads. By analyzing past flood data and demand patterns, this project helps planners make smart plans to reduce delays and serve more people efficiently. - Mohammad Miralinaghi
Project Title: Optimizing Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure on Illinois Tech’s Campus
Project Description: This project aims to optimize the location and use of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations on Illinois Tech’s campus to better serve the growing demand for sustainable transportation. By analyzing usage patterns, spatial constraints, and power availability, the project will identify ideal station placements and schedules to reduce wait times and improve accessibility. The results will support campus sustainability goals while enhancing convenience for EV users. - Georgia Papavasiliou
Project Title: In Vivo Evaluation of Proangiogenic Peptide-Loaded Hydrogel Nanoparticle Emulsions in Establishment of Vascularized Tissue in Diabetic Wounds
Project Description: This project will focus on immunohistochemical staining and analysis of mature vessel formation of explanted tissues from excisional cutaneous diabetic murine wounds treated with and without peptide-loaded hydrogel nanoparticle emulsion ointments.
