Two students working together and using an engineering machine.

Northwestern Center for
Innovation & Research

Serving God’s world through faith-driven innovation.

Why partner with NCIR?

NCIR is a multidisciplinary hub advancing industry innovation and technology through collaborative research and development. Partner with us for your product development and process improvement needs – we are here to support your success. Whether your company is large or small, and regardless of where you are on your innovation journey, we can tailor to your needs.

Expertise and Facilities

The NCIR team brings together expertise across diverse fields, including biotechnology, biological sciences, instrumentation, computational modeling, fluid dynamics, coatings, material processing, separation and purification, computer science, virtual reality, humanoid technologies, and transportation. We are here to support your unique industrial needs, offering contract-based research, development, testing, and prototyping for companies of all sizes.

Engineering Faculty Biology and Biochemistry Faculty Computer Science Faculty

Interested in partnering with the School of Science & Engineering?

The School of Science & Engineering’s Engineering program offers collaborative support from faculty with expertise in the areas of biotechnology, instrumentation, physical and computational modeling, fluid dynamics, coatings, materials, and transportation. UNW students entering the engineering field offer their skillset as a resource to develop ideas and formulate solutions. The goal is to create breakthrough solutions for industrial partners with consideration for standard procedures, ethical practices, and contemporary technologies.

Send completed proposal forms to stam@unwsp.edu.

Submit an Internship Proposal Submit a Project Collaboration Proposal

Two engineering students collaborating on a hands-on project, focused on assembling components.

Female engineering student using a surveying device in a lab setting.

Engineering student collaborating with a professor on a thermo-fluids experiment.

Two engineering students welding a piece of medal with masks and jackets on for protection.

Three engineering students working in the lab with a laptop and machine.

Male engineering student with protective eye wear on using a milling machine.

Male engineering student building a bridge using popsicle sticks.

Engineering students working on a machine with a monitor showing waves.

Male engineering student using machine that creates smoke.

Arm attached to wires and it is set on a wooden table for an electronics lab.

Laboratories

NCIR strives to conduct research, development, testing and prototyping to meet industrial needs in companies of all sizes. In addition, we help develop a highly skilled science and engineering workforce. These laboratory spaces can be a resource to outside agencies and companies who might lack the technology in the areas of biotechnology, materials testing, and product development.

Anatomy Laboratory	Biology Laboratory	Chemistry Laboratory
Electronics Laboratory	Engine Laboratory	Introduction to Engineering Laboratory
Machine Shop	Materials Laboratory	Physics Laboratory
Physiological Signals Laboratory	Senior Design Laboratory	Simulation Laboratory
Soils and Concrete Laboratory	Surveying Laboratory	Thermo-Fluids Laboratory

All Labs

Research Projects

Summer Research Projects

UNW Research Experience in Molecular Biology 2026

Design, synthesis, and characterization of antimicrobial peptide mimics for therapeutic application

Computational Modeling of Late Stent Thrombus Formation in Patient Specific Arteries

Visualization and Measurement of Hemodynamics and Thrombosis in Stented Patient-Specific Arteries using Particle Image Velocimetry

Skin Surface Imaging for Psychiatric Patient In-Processing Phase II

Graphene-Enhanced Silicon MOSFET for Point-of-Care Hydrogen Breath Analysis

Mathematical Modeling of Water Retention Behavior of Variably Saturated Biological Solids

Conference Presentations

C. Y. A. Tsai, M. Jacobson, J. Tsai, and S.-Y. Tam, Hydrogen sensor for the detection of gut diseases, in Proc. 2026 Design of Medical Devices Conf. (DMD2026), Minneapolis, MN, Apr. 20-22, 2026

J. Zderad, Applications of Tony PI with Assistive Robotics, Association of Christians in the Mathematical Sciences conference, Calvin University, Grand Rapids, MI, May 28-29, 2026

C. Y. A. Tsai, M. Jacobson, J. Tsai, and S.-Y. Tam, “Feasibility of a Low-Cost, Portable Hydrogen Breath Sensor for Point-of-Care Clinical Diagnostics, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Annual Meeting, Nov 8-12 2025, Minneapolis, MN (accepted, forthcoming)

Published Papers

C. Y. A. Tsai, M. Jacobson, J. Tsai, and S.-Y. Tam, Feasibility of a Low-Cost, Portable Hydrogen Breath Sensor for Point-of-Care Clinical Diagnostics, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Conference Proceedings (forthcoming)

J. Zderad, Applications of Tony PI with Assistive Robotics, in the proc. Association of Christians in the Mathematical Sciences conference, Calvin University, Grand Rapids, MI, May 28-29, 2026 (forthcoming)

C. Y. A. Tsai, M. Jacobson, J. Tsai, and S.-Y. Tam, Hydrogen sensor for the detection of gut diseases, in Proc. 2026 Design of Medical Devices Conf. (DMD2026), Minneapolis, MN, Apr. 20-22, 2026, Paper No. DMD2026-1030 (June 2026)

Tongyan Pan (21 Aug 2025): Microstructure-based three-dimensional study of sulfate deterioration in variably saturated concrete, Journal of Sustainable Cement-Based Materials, DOI: 10.1080/21650373.2025.2548854

2026 Senior Projects

The NCIR supports a wide variety of initiatives across various fields. View past projects for an idea of what we are positioned to support.

Litchfield Residential Subdivision

Integrated Cath Lab Hub

Pressure-Mapping Seat Manufacturing Fixtures

Thermal Energy Storage

Ways to Partner

We are a dedicated team of faculty and researchers committed to supporting companies throughout the entire product development process. From early-stage research and concept exploration to prototyping, market analysis, and product adoption, we aim to provide guidance at every step of the product life cycle. Each project is overseen by faculty with specialized expertise in the relevant field. We welcome projects of all sizes:

Class Projects

2-3 week project for a single student or a team project. Examples are testing and simple analysis.

Proposal Form

Senior Capstone

A 9 month full academic year project for a team of 2-4 senior students of complementary skills. Example projects are design and prototyping.

Proposal Form

Research Projects

Research project of any length led by a faculty researcher or a team of faculty researchers with students as research assistants. Examples are in-depth analysis with sophisticated tools or equipment for cutting edge product and process development.

The foundation we built together [within the NCIR Entrepreneurship group] was instrumental in landing this internship-turned-full-time position. Everything we worked on, turning ideas into prototypes, pitching under pressure, and learning how to lead cross-functional teams, gave me the exact skills the company was looking for.

Trevor Conger

Graduate | Application Developer, CliftonLarsonAllen

The Engineering students we hired as interns from the University of Northwestern – St. Paul have been extremely beneficial to our emerging business. They have displayed attributes of character, preparedness, perseverance and servanthood. They are willing to be taught by more experienced engineers, they have been willing to do any task requested, and they have simply made our company better. We have hired one of our interns into full-time employment and we are anxiously waiting for the graduation of the other.

John Deedrick

Employer | National Defense Corporation

We have hired three interns from UNW to work in electrical design and embedded firmware maintenance and verification. One of these has been with us for several years and came on full time following graduation while the other two are still students. All three are very curious, love to learn, are solid contributors to their teams, and work hard. In my interaction with UNW students, an attribute I have truly come to appreciate is integrity and honesty. Its common today for job candidates to present distorted resumes and have difficulty with telling it like it is. I truly appreciate the character of the UNW students and graduates.

Brian Brockway

Employer | President and CEO, Vivaquant

A student writing notes alongside switches and connectors for an engineering project.

Female student and supervisor working together in a cubicle.

Male engineering student presenting his research.

Two small engineering switch boards with wires connected to both of them.

Multiple test tubes with different colored liquid in them for biology testing.

Engineering device resembling a radio, featuring dials, switches, and technical components.

Male student working on an engineering machine.

multiple beakers stored on a shelf in a dimly lit room.

Primary points of contact for the Northwestern Center for Innovation & Research

We are a dedicated team of faculty and researchers committed to supporting companies throughout the entire continuum of product development. From initial research and concept exploration to prototyping, market analysis, and product adoption, we strive to guide businesses at every stage of the product life cycle. Our goal is to empower your innovation journey, ensuring that each phase is met with expertise and strategic insight, ultimately driving successful outcomes in the marketplace.