The Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering is divided into two majors, Mechanical and Aeronautical, and undergraduate students are introduced to the field of mechanical engineering through introductory and advanced courses. At the graduate level, students pursue a wide range of research, including mechanics, control, production, thermal engineering, fluid engineering, and nano/bio. These studies play an important role across industries, and the importance of mechanical engineering is constantly emphasized.
There are professors who have traveled to the far reaches of the Pacific Ocean to catch fast-swimming fish, professors who study the metastasis of cancer cells, and professors who create and exhibit beautiful works of art. These professors may seem like they’re in different fields, but they’re all doing research in the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. In this article, I would like to introduce you to what I know about mechanical engineering as an undergraduate student. The Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering is divided into two majors: mechanical and aeronautical, but since I am a mechanical major, I will limit my introduction to the mechanical major.
First, I will introduce the four-year undergraduate program of the mechanical major. In the first year, you will learn the basic subjects necessary for the major, including math and physics, and take two major courses: mechanical drafting and creative engineering design. In Mechanical Drafting, you will learn the drafting skills necessary to design products and learn basic computer-aided design. In creative engineering design, you will work on a project to build a simple robot, which will give you a taste of the process of creating a product. The basic knowledge gained in these courses is an essential foundation for further study and research.
In your second year, you’ll learn about the four forces that form the theoretical foundation of mechanical engineering. These are solid mechanics, thermodynamics, dynamics, and fluid mechanics, and we’ll explain each of them briefly. Solid mechanics is the study of whether a solid object at rest can withstand a force and how strong it needs to be to do so. Thermodynamics is the study of the conversion of different forms of energy, such as heat and electricity, and the utilization of that energy. Kinematics is the study of how a solid object will move when a force is applied to it, and fluid mechanics is the study of how a liquid or gas will move when subjected to a force.
In the third year, students build on the theoretical foundation laid in the first and second years by studying a number of specialized courses, including Introduction to Robotics, Heat Transfer, and Manufacturing Processes. To give you an idea of the subjects, in introductory robotics, you’ll learn some math so that you can determine if the designed robot can perform the desired behavior and what inputs it needs to do so. In Heat Transfer, you’ll learn about how much heat is transferred and what the temperature distribution is when an object is subjected to heat. In Manufacturing Processes, you’ll learn more about the process of actually manufacturing a product, giving you a real sense of how products are made. You’ll also experience firsthand what you’ve learned in theory through experiments. Learning at this stage is focused on developing real-world problem-solving skills, rather than just acquiring knowledge.
In your fourth year, you’ll deepen your studies, mobilize the knowledge you’ve gained and further research to write your undergraduate thesis. The thesis process helps students develop independent research skills and gives them the opportunity to acquire a variety of skills needed in a real-world research environment.
Graduate research is categorized into six main areas: mechanics, dynamics and control, production and design, thermal engineering, fluid engineering, and nano/bio. The field of mechanics is related to solid mechanics and involves the study of how to make a product lighter or stronger through various methods of mechanical analysis. An example is the study of how to make a bicycle of the same size lighter and stronger. In the field of dynamics and control, we study moving products, which are often automobiles and robots. Specifically, researchers study how to improve the ride comfort of cars, collision avoidance systems for cars, etc.
In the production/design field, researchers use computer programs to design creative products and study the process of manufacturing them. For example, they design robots that have never existed before, such as building exterior cleaning robots and household service robots. The field of thermal engineering focuses on engines, air conditioners, and heaters, and is also researching solar cells and fuel cells to reduce the use of fossil fuels. Fluid engineering studies the flow of fluids in engines, and also works on surfaces that can reduce resistance when traveling in air or water. One example is how a full-body swimsuit should be made to reduce drag in water.
Finally, nano/bio is a field that deals with very small scales, and we study a lot about the fabrication of small structures. For example, mimicking the microscopic structure of a lotus petal to create a surface that allows water droplets to roll off without sticking, or creating microscopic needles that can draw blood without causing a wound.
This is a very broad range of research within a single major, mechanical engineering. As you can see from the diversity of research, many areas of industry require mechanical engineering. This makes sense when you think about the process of how a product is produced in industry. The conceptual design, mechanical analysis, detailed design, and manufacturing methods are all part of mechanical engineering. In other words, mechanical engineering is the framework for the production process of any product from start to finish. As such, mechanical engineering has remained an important discipline throughout the ages. In addition, mechanical engineers are constantly researching and developing new technologies and methods to ensure sustainable development. Mechanical engineering will continue to be important in the future and will lead the way through various research and innovations.
