Jay S. Meldrum

Jay Meldrum has served as the director of Michigan Tech's Keweenaw Research Center (KRC), in Houghton, Michigan, since July 1997. The Center's staff of approximately two dozen scientists and engineers partners with Michigan Tech faculty. Projects involve vehicle mobility studies including track development, the use of new composite materials, noise-and-vibration studies, snow research, and classified research into survivability design and testing.

Since coming to KRC, Jay has facilitated contracts with John Deere, Champion International, and TACOM focusing on noise and vibration reduction. In addition, KRC has developed an off-road test course in collaboration with Chrysler Jeep/Truck Engineering in support of their new traction control system. The CenterÕs Institute of Snow Research has also developed improved grooming equipment for snowmobile trails. Field trials in the 2002 winter proved that the new MTU SnowPaverª exceeds the performance of current technology. Mr. Meldrum is currently the Principal Investigator on a commercialization grant from the State of Michigan to identify a manufacturing partner for the SnowPaver™.

Meldrum holds a joint appointment with the MTU College of Engineering as the Coordinator for the Center for Advance Manufacturing and Materials Processing. In this role, Jay encourages inter-departmental research among faculty and research staff of the University. Jay is also a member of the Michigan Tech Enterprise SmartZoneª (MTEPS) Launch Committee, a program sponsored by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), to promote economic growth in the Houghton/Hancock area. Jay will manage the Advanced Technology Development Complex, one of three new business incubators sites, in support of the MEDC SmartZone™ project.

Jay Meldrum is also active in the community "Lumitalo" (Finnish for Snow House) project which promotes winter tourism in the Keweenaw. Meldrum is the lead organizer for the SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge (CSC), a University student competition that promotes the redesign of snowmobiles for lower emissions, lower noise output, and better fuel economy. The SAE CSC will be held at MTU in March 2003.

Jay Meldrum earned an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, Dearborn, and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from General Motors Institute. He is an active member of the Society of Automotive Engineers and a volunteer teacher in the SAE World of Motion Program.