Available Tours
Meeting and Departure Point: H.M. Comer Hall | Lobby Tour Desk
Departure Time: All Tours depart at 4 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. unless noted otherwise
Styslinger College of Engineering Overview Tour
45-minute tours departing at 4 p.m. and 4:45 p.m.
- Tour Leader: Dr. Derek Williamson, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies
- Transportation: Participants will walk from H.M. Comer lobby
Description: This high-level overview will take participants on a walking tour of some of the main facilities and laboratories within the Styslinger College of Engineering, centered around the Engineering Quad and its collection of engineering and science-focused facilities, to give participants a look at the scale and nature of the College.
Engines and Combustion Lab Tour
45-minute tours departing at 4 p.m. and 4:45 p.m.
- Tour Leader – Dr. Ajay Agrawal, Professor, Robert F. Barfield Endowed Chair in Mechanical Engineering | Tour Co-Leader: Dr. Josh Bittle, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Associate Director of Center for Advanced Vehicle Technologies (CAVT)
- Transportation: Participants will walk from H.M. Comer lobby
Description: Participants will visit one of the College’s signature research environments for propulsion, power generation, fuels, emissions, and advanced combustion research. The Engines and Combustion Laboratory is a major facility in the South Engineering Research Center, with capabilities that include engine and vehicle testing, emissions analysis, high-pressure sprays, flow diagnostics, rotating detonation rocket engine development, gas turbine combustion, industrial combustion, and sustainable fuels research. The tour will emphasize how faculty and students use experimental test cells, diagnostics, dynamometers, and combustion platforms to address cleaner energy conversion, transportation, aerospace propulsion, and industrial combustion challenges.
Alabama Materials Institute Tour
45-minute tours departing at 4 p.m. and 4:45 p.m.
- Tour Leader: Dr. Gregory Thompson, Distinguished University Research Professor in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Executive Director of the Alabama Materials Institute (AMI)
- Transportation: Participants will walk from H.M. Comer lobby
Description: Participants will be introduced to the Alabama Materials Institute, a campus-wide hub for interdisciplinary materials research and characterization. Home to a wide variety of state-of-the-art characterization tools that are critical for advanced materials research, including one of the highest-resolution aberration-corrected TEMs in the world, atom probe microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, SAXS beamline, and much more, this institute is one of the most capable materials characterization facilities in the country.
Alabama Mobility and Power Center Tour
45-minute tours departing at 4 p.m. and 4:45 p.m.
- Tour Leader: Dr. Bharat Balasubramanian, Executive Director of Center for Advanced Vehicle Technologies, Chief Mobility Research and Development Officer, Alabama Transportation Institute, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Electrical & Computer Engineering | Tour Co-Leader: Mike Oatridge, Executive Director for Alabama Mobility and Power Center
- Transportation: Participants will board e-buses at H.M. Comer lobby for transport to SCIB and return by e-bus
Description: Participants will travel to SCIB to see how UA and the Styslinger College of Engineering are building research capacity at the intersection of mobility, electrification, power systems, transportation infrastructure, and smart communities. The Alabama Mobility and Power initiative was created as a partnership involving UA, Alabama Power, and Mercedes-Benz U.S. International to support research and workforce development for the emerging electric vehicle market. The tour will highlight smart and resilient grid technology, alternative electric generation, battery testing, mobility-power integration, and the role of SCIB as a collaborative home for transportation and sustainable mobility research.
USGS Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility Tour
90-minute tour, departing at 4 p.m.
- Tour Leader: Dr. Robert Bertini, Department Head for Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Chief Transportation Science R&D Officer for the Alabama Transportation Institute | Tour Co-Leader: Dr. Derek Bussan, Hydrologic Instrumentation, Research and Operations Chief
- Transportation: Participants will board e-buses at H.M. Comer lobby for transport to Smart Communities and Innovation Building (SCIB) and return by e-bus
Description: Participants will travel to the USGS Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility, a national water science and engineering facility located on the UA campus. The tour will introduce the facility’s mission to support USGS water-observing networks, hydrologic instrumentation, water-resource monitoring, training, and research. Participants will see or learn about the facility’s hydraulics lab, water quality labs, field testing areas, environmental chambers, sensor innovation space, warehouse, training labs, network operations center, and administrative spaces.
High Performance Computing Center and Computer Science Facilities Tour
45-minute tours, departing at 4 p.m. and 4:45 p.m.
- Tour Leader: Dr. Shahram Rahimi, Department Head for Computer Science
- Transportation: Participants will board e-buses at H.M. Comer lobby for transport to High Performance Computing Center and Computer Science Facilities and return by e-bus
Description: Participants will travel by e-bus to learn about UA’s facilities that support research and education in AI, cybersecurity, software systems, data-intensive computing, and advanced computing infrastructure. The first stop of the tour will be UA’s High Performance Computing and Data Center, a new 40,000-square-foot $100 million facility that will open in early 2027 and house a state-of-the-art enterprise-class HPC that is designed to support AI, research computing, industry collaboration, and expanded computing power for campus and strategic partners. As time allows, the tour will also include a walkthrough of the main facilities supporting the Department of Computer Science.
Alabama Astrobotics and Lunar Simulation Laboratories Tour
45-minute tours, departing at 4 p.m. and 4:45 p.m.
- Tour Leader: Dr. Kenneth Ricks, Department Head for Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Transportation: Participants will walk from H.M. Comer Lobby
Description: Participants will visit facilities associated with the nationally recognized Alabama Astrobotics program and the College’s student-centered robotics and lunar-simulation activities. The tour will showcase how interdisciplinary student teams design, build, test, and operate robotic systems for simulated lunar or planetary surface environments.
UA Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Departmental Tour
90-minute tour, departing at 4 p.m.
- Tour Leader: Dr. Steven Daniewicz, Department Head for Metallurgical and Materials Engineering | Tour Co-Leader: Dr. Luke Brewer, Professor and Director of the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Materials Design Integration (CAMMDI)
- Transportation: Participants will walk from H.M. Comer Lobby
Description: Participants will tour the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering and learn how the department supports education and research in metals, ceramics, composites, materials processing, characterization, and advanced manufacturing. The tour will include stops in the 3D Metals Additive Manufacturing Lab, the Alabama Atomization Facility, the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Materials Design Integration, the Cold Spray Lab, and the Foundry.
Wind and Water Tunnels Lab Tour
45-minute tour, departing at 4 p.m. and 4:45 p.m.
- Tour Leader: Dr. Paul Hubner, Interim Department Head for Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics | Tour Co-Leaders: Dr. Amy Lang, Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics |Graduate Students
- Transportation: Participants will walk from H.M. Comer Lobby
Description: Participants will visit Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics facilities used for experimental fluid dynamics, aerodynamics, flow visualization, and wind and water tunnel research. The tour will highlight UA’s mix of low-speed wind tunnels, water tunnel capabilities, and supersonic tunnel infrastructure used to study aerodynamic and hydrodynamic behavior.
E-Bus Program Highlights Integrated with Transportation to Remote Facilities and Lab Tours
- AMP E-Bus Tour Leader: Dr. Bharat Balasubramanian, Executive Director of Center for Advanced Vehicle Technologies, Chief Mobility Research and Development Officer, Alabama Transportation Institute, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering
- USGS E-Bus Tour Leaders: Dr. Lusha Wang, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering | James Knickrehm, Associate Director Transit
- HPC Tour Leaders: Dr. Krishna Shah, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering | Steve Tsapatoris, Transportation Services Manager for Crimson Ride
Description: Participants riding e-buses to remote tour locations across campus will be informed about UA’s living labs research approach and receive a brief introduction to UA’s electric bus initiative and its connection to broader research in vehicle technology, electrification, mobility systems, and sustainable campus transportation. UA announced the addition of eight new electric buses to the Crimson Ride fleet in summer 2025, with Dr. Bharat Balasubramanian serving as project lead. This mobile portion of some tours will connect the participants directly to the College’s work through the Center for Advanced Vehicle Technologies, which is dedicated to advancing vehicle technology through government- and industry-supported research programs.