Introduction
The undergraduate program is designed to impart
a broad knowledge in basic and engineering sciences and to provide
a solid understanding of contemporary engineering practices.
The program also seeks to provide students with a foundation
in communications skills, principles of economics, and other
fundamentals upon which they will draw in their professional
careers. Special emphasis is placed on communications skills
by requiring extensive written laboratory reports and design
project presentations. Computer literacy is bolstered by a variety
of course assignments throughout the program and especially
in the design courses, wherein students are exposed to a number
of design software programs widely used in the engineering industry.
The Mechanical Engineering courses are grouped
into five major areas streams:
- Thermal and Fluid Systems
- Mechanical Systems
- Mechanics and Materials
- Dynamic Systems
- Design
The courses in each of these areas give students
a grasp of the relevant engineering sciences with a strong orientation
in design and extensive laboratory experience. The design curriculum
culminates with a one-year capstone design course in which the
students design and implement a full system or product, usually
under industrial sponsorship.
By weaving the design component through the
core curriculum, the students are able to apply the design process
in conjunction with the subject matter of the course in question
(e.g., thermal-fluid systems, mechanical systems, dynamics,
etc.). A broader approach to design instruction is then offered
in the capstone course, in which the students work in teams,
and design a system independently from a specific discipline.
The undergraduate program is monitored by Associate
Chair Dr. George Buzyna and Undergraduate Coordinator Dr. Patrick
Hollis, who are responsible for organizing and coordinating
the undergraduate program and scheduling undergraduate courses.
Each student is assigned a faculty advisor upon entering the
program and the student is expected to plan their course of
study in consultation with their faculty advisor before registering
for any classes.
Several undergraduate teaching laboratories
provide extensive experimental apparatus for laboratory courses.
The Fluid Mechanics laboratory, Heat Transfer laboratory, Solid
Mechanics laboratory, Dynamic Systems laboratory, and Controls
and Robotics laboratory are all well equipped with the latest
tools and equipment for experimentation, data acquisition, post
processing and analysis. The College of Engineering provides
several computer labs running a variety of standard design and
analysis software packages, including Algor FEA modules, PTC's
Pro/Engineer and Pro/Mechanica, MSC.Software's ADAMS and Mathworks
MATLAB.
The undergraduate program leads to a Bachelor
of Science in Mechanical Engineering. The program is accredited
by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).
In the Fall 1995 semester, the department also introduced a
five-year combined BS-MS degree program which is described elsewhere.
Outside of the formal classroom setting, students
have many opportunities to further their education through participation
in numerous extracurricular technical activities. The Department
sponsors student chapters of professional societies such as
the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the Society
of Automotive Engineers (SAE), and the American Institute of
Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), as well as the Pi Tau Sigma
National Honorary Mechanical Engineering Society. In addition,
the College sponsors student chapters of the National Society
of Black Engineers (NSBE), the Society of Women Engineers (SWE),
and the Tau Beta Pi National Engineering Honor Society. Students
active in these groups participate at the regional and national
meetings where they forge important connections and develop
crucial leadership skills. These organizations also participate
in regional and national competitions which challenge students
to compete against their peers by applying their knowledge in
practical applications.
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