ISE
Integrated Systems Engineering

Partnering and Extension

OSU is a land-grant university, which means an important part of the university's mission is extension and engagement with entities outside the university.

Faculty, research staff, and students in the ISE Department reap mutual benefits from forging connections with businesses and others outside of the university community.

Here are some of the ways in which we engage and partner:

• Our faculty turn research-findings into solutions for companies in Ohio, and throughout the US and the world. Consult our faculty directory and our Research Centers to find the expertise you are seeking to help address your needs.
• Our senior undergraduate students address real-world problems in their 2-quarter capstone course. Sponsoring organizations include hospitals, large and small private companies, non-profits firms, and schools. Learn more about capstone, including how to become a sponsoring organization.
• Interested in exploring a professional relationship with the ISE Department? If so, please contact Dr. Philip Smith, Interim Department Chair, 614.292.4120 or smith.131(@osu.edu).

Land Grant Universities

Prior to the mid-1800's in the US, there were no public universities; only private institutions, and tuition was often too expensive for the average family. In 1862 President Abraham Lincoln signed into law the Morrill Act, which gave 10,000 acres of Federal government land to each state to sell and use the proceeds to create a public university to teach agriculture and the mechanic (engineering) arts. Today, every state has a land grant university. Although now there are other public universities as well in most states, it is the land grant university that has the major responsibility for agricultural research and teaching responsibility as well as a major "outreach" or extension education mission to the public.