Last week, the exciting new round of Research Through Making projects made their debut at the Taubman College Liberty Gallery.

In its sixth year, University of Michigan Taubman College's Research Through Making (RTM) Program provides seed funding for faculty research, worked on by faculty, students and interdisciplinary experts. The exhibition presents tangible results of their collaborative work.

This year's installations were incredibly varied and inventive. Sean Vance, Siyang Ziui Chen, and Rebecca Hasson's "Drop Kick Push Pull" investigated the flexible resonance of silicone by embedding sensors that react to pressure and displacement in surfaces. Meredith Miller, Anya Sirota, Patrick Beaucé, and Jean Louis Farges' "Electrofrost" considered ways that climate, materials and electricity can interact to create architectural surfaces and nuanced effects.

Karl Daubmann's "RoboPinch" used robots as a speculative collaborator in the production of plaster form and volume studies. "Social Sensory Surfaces", created by Sean Ahlquist, David Chesney, and Sile O'Modhrain, looked to develop new material technologies as tactile interfaces designed to confront critical challenges of learning and social engagement for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Finally, Ellie Abrons and Adam Fure's "Texture Tectonics" sought to re-envision texture as something volumetric and tectonic, thus activating it on an architectural scale. The opening night featured welcome remarks from Dean Monica Ponce de Leon, as well as an extremely well-attended reception following.

Research Through Making runs from March 12-April 12.