Shared Research Instrumentation and Facilities
The College of Engineering and Applied Science believes in the power of collaborative, interdisciplinary research and actively seeks to support the shared instrumentation and facilities needed to achieve that. It is all part of our goal to help prepare and train the workforce of tomorrow while accelerating our research impact today. Here you will learn about shared resources housed within the college and opportunities for collaboration – not only across departments and programs – but regionally with the partners on campus as well as the national laboratories and industry leaders that make up Boulder’s extended research community.
Colorado Shared Instrumentation in Nanofabrication and Characterization (COSINC)
COSINC is a multidisciplinary core research facility and service center that provides access to state-of-the-art equipment in the areas of micro and nanofabrication, nanomaterials characterization and metrology and offers expertise and advanced hands-on training for students, faculty, and staff in the same related areas. It is an open-research facility that serves academic, governmental, industrial, and individual researchers across campus and beyond.
The Materials Instrumentation and Multimodal Imaging Core Facility (MIMIC)
MIMIC contains state-of-the-art equipment to assess the structural, mechanical, and chemical properties of materials down to the submicron scale. It is an open fee-for-service facility accessible to all researchers including academic, governmental, industrial and individuals. The possible applications for the equipment span multiple academic disciplines, in addition to providing industrially relevant material inspection capabilities. MIMIC collaborates closely with COSINC for achieving magnifications not possible at MIMIC.​​
The ITLP supports hands-on engineering learning through an innovative environment where students integrate engineering theory with practice and learn through doing. It features a wide range of equipment available to help design, prototype, build, and test engineering projects – and a knowledgeable tech staff to guide you along the way.
Our High-Sensitivity Low-Energy Ion Scattering Spectrometer is used to study a wide array of critical surface properties in catalysis, atomic layer deposition and coatings, photovoltaics, and solid-state structure. Housed within the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, the instrument is only the second comparable one in North America and is the only one to have capabilities to transfer samples from liquid reaction environments, opening new frontiers in understanding surfaces exposed to solvents, such as in electrochemical systems. It is a publicly available resource that serves academic, governmental, industrial and individual researchers across campus and beyond.
The Center for Infrastructure, Energy, and Space Testing (CIEST)
CIEST provides a centrally managed experimental testing facility offering geotechnical centrifuge, structural dynamics and materials testing. The facility boasts unique, large-scale, fast loading rate, gravitational and environmental control capabilities housed within the main engineering building on campus. The center is open to students, faculty, and visitors.
The ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Facility for Electron Microscopy of Materials (¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ FEMM)
The ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ FEMM facility features state-of-the-art electron microscopes housed in a vibration, static-free, and temperature-controlled environment. It includes a FEI Titan Themis 300 which is equipped for probe aberration correction, making it a unique instrument in the region for obtaining atomic-resolution images and elemental maps. It features a remote operation system allowing users to control the instrument without stepping foot on campus.
College and Campus Resources
Faculty director for shared facilities for material characterization and fabrication
Professor Michael Toney serves as the faculty director for shared facilities for material characterization and fabrication in the college. In his position, Toney works to implement a shared vision facilities – including a strategy for instrumentation acquisition, maintenance, and upgrades. He is also tasked with developing best practices for staffing and financial support of shared facilities and collaborating with the Research & Innovation Office (RIO) and other campus units to formulate sustainable business models.
Shared Instrumentation Network
Claudius Mundoma serves as the director of Core Facilities and Shared Instrumentation within the Research & Innovation Office (RIO). In his role, Claudius serves as the Core Facilities focal point of contact in developing strategic partnerships with campus stakeholders to ensure discoverability, optimal access and efficient utilization of shared research resources. Our goal is to integrate the Core Facilities in the Research Life-Cycle - from ideation, application for new grants and research publications. Please contact Claudius Mundoma by email to learn more about the Core Facilities across campus and in our Front Range region.