The Profession of Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical Engineering is about the creation of systems that harness forces and energy in nature to serve society. In dealing with forces and energy, Mechanical Engineers are usually involved with things that move. We apply principles discovered by scientists and engineers to turn envisioned concepts into real physical objects and systems through a process of problem description, creative idea generation, design, analysis, judgement, planning, and production. This process typically involves design engineers, test engineers, analysts, customer engineers, manufacturing engineers, patent attorneys, educators, managers, and a host of others who may all have been educated as Mechanical Engineers and who consider themselves as part of that profession.

Mechanical Engineers work in such diverse fields and industries as aerospace, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, law, computers, banking, agriculture, medicine, and entertainment. A Mechanical Engineer may design automobile engines, test airfoils, design artificial human implants, develop patents, design laser printers, trouble-shoot customer problems, create manufacturing processes, design medical instruments, monitor space flights, educate engineers, recover sunken ships, design roller coasters, analyze thermal losses in computer chips, seek new methods for generating solar energy, or design acoustical treatments for churches. Think of any device or system that involves energy or movement—its creation probably involved one or more Mechanical Engineers.

Graduates of our Mechanical Engineering Program design fuel cells, write computer programs for orbital mechanics, practice law as patent attorneys, manage corporations, design heating and air conditioning systems, design high-performance aircraft, create virtual reality simulations to increase mine safety, design robust laptop computers, analyze aircraft airframes, design processes for manufacturing electronic instruments, help companies become more productive, design huge earth movers, and teach in colleges and universities. Indeed, our Mechanical Engineering alumni have almost as many different types of jobs as there are graduates.

Some exciting, rapidly developing fields and emerging technologies of interest to Mechanical Engineers that you may wish to learn more about include:

Fuel Cells The use of chemical fuel and an oxidant to directly produce electricity. An especially significant application is as a residential power source.

Rapid Prototyping The use of computer-controlled machines to fabricate complete objects in one step directly from computer models. Such devices are being used to create proof-of-concept models, models for injection molding, and limited-run parts such as surgical implants. Rapid prototyping is certain to generate spectacular gains in manufacturing, equal to those that have been realized from computer aided design (CAD) and robotics.

Mechatronics  The marriage of mechanical systems and electronic sensing and control. Examples abound and include the familiar computerized automobile fuel and ignition systems, computer-assisted aircraft flight control, and computer-assisted automobile braking systems.

Biomedical Engineering The application of engineering to problems in medicine and biology. Applications include the design of surgical instruments, artificial organs and implants, and devices to aid the handicapped.

Nanoengineering  The creation of materials and devices at the nanometer level, i.e., at the atomic, molecular, or supramolecular levels. Potential applications include: the use of a microorganism motor, such as those found on bacteria cell membranes, to propel nanoscale robots; channeling heat flow using carbon nanotubes in composite materials; use of motion generated by biomolecular reactions to detect cancer, activate switches, and control motors. Experts claim that nanoengineering will spawn a new kind of industrial revolution, promising breakthroughs in a variety of fields, including food production, health care and the environment.

Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS)  The integration of mechanical, chemical, and/or electronic systems at the chip level. Similar to nanoengineering, but on a larger scale, this new technology involves microscopic pumps, gas turbines, controllers, sensors, combustors, and other devices for uses such as resource processors for extra-terrestrial environments, microchip environmental monitors, acceleration sensors for automobile air bags, and inner ear implants and other wireless integrated microsystem sensors for the human body.

HOW TO GET INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT MECHANICAL ENGINEERS DO

Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME): http://www.manufacturingiscool.com/cgi-bin/mfgcoolhtml.pl?/careerinfo.htm&

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA): http://www.aiaa.org/market/indexhfm?mar=5

Biomedical Engineering Society (BME): http://www.bmes.org/careers.asp

Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE): http://www.sae.org

National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE): http://www.nspe.org/students/

First, talk to your college advisor and science teachers. Second, ask your college counselor to obtain the tape (or CD-ROM) produced by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Careers for Mechanical Engineers. Third, visit one or more of these Internet sites for career information: