2018-2019 Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Scope and Objectives

The Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering offers curricula in aerospace engineering and mechanical engineering at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The scope of the departmental research and teaching program is broad, encompassing dynamics, fluid mechanics, heat and mass transfer, manufacturing and design, nanoelectromechanical and microelectromechanical systems, structural and solid mechanics, and systems and control. The applications of mechanical and aerospace engineering are quite diverse, including aircraft, spacecraft, automobiles, energy and propulsion systems, robotics, machinery, manufacturing and materials processing, microelectronics, biological systems, and more.

At the undergraduate level, the department offers accredited programs leading to B.S. degrees in Aerospace Engineering and in Mechanical Engineering. At the graduate level, the department offers programs leading to M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering and in Aerospace Engineering. An M.S. in Manufacturing Engineering is also offered.

Department Mission

The mission of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department is to educate the nation’s future leaders in the science and art of mechanical and aerospace engineering. Further, the department seeks to expand the frontiers of engineering science and to encourage technological innovation while fostering academic excellence and scholarly learning in a collegial environment.

Undergraduate Program Educational Objectives

The aerospace engineering and mechanical engineering programs are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.

In consultation with its constituents, the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department has set its educational objectives as follows: within a few years after graduation, the students will be successful in careers in aerospace or mechanical or other engineering fields, and/or in graduate studies in aerospace or mechanical or other engineering fields, and/or in further studies in other fields such as medicine, business, and law.

Associate Professor Veronica J. Santos and her biomechatronics laboratory team discuss techniques for teleoperating
artificial hands in human-machine systems.