Atmospheric and Space Sciences
Atmospheric and space sciences researchers at Michigan Technological University work in the largest laboratory there is: the universe itself. Applying physical laws and engineering principles to the workings of the cosmos, Michigan Tech researchers learn about the origin, structure, evolution, ecology, and applications of the universe and its constituents. They investigate countless vexing topics, from issues of security and sustainability to wireless communications and aerospace engineering.
By leveraging world-class facilities and resources (like our one-of-a-kind cloud chamber that simulate high-altitude cloud conditions and our large-size vacuum chambers used to test plasma space propulsion), Tech’s researchers can model the Earth’s atmosphere—and the atmospheres of other planets—in order to solve some of the most difficult problems facing scientists and engineers today. With so many mysteries of the universe left unsolved, atmospheric and space scientists aim to make sense of phenomena ranging from the smallest atomic particles to the universe’s largest galaxies.
At Michigan Tech, graduate students work one on one with faculty to conduct research in atmospheric and space sciences and related areas.