We believe it to be the responsibility of the University, its School of Engineering, and the Department of Mechanical Engineering to develop men and women who are both competent engineers and educated, responsible human beings.

The student's evolution into an educated and responsible human being is affected by course work from both the liberal arts and the profession. Conversely, a graduate who cannot communicate effectively, cannot make correct logical inferences, or will not behave ethically is deficient not only as an educated human being, but also as a competent professional. Thus, the two aspects of our goal are interwoven, being a single, integrated fabric having many threads, contributed by many curricula. This synthesis is articulated by us in two sets of objectives, one rooted in the University Core Curriculum, the other in the Mechanical Engineering Degree. The latter set may be summarized as follows:

The Mechanical Engineering Program develops engineers who:

• Understand the fundamental principles of mathematics, science, and engineering science, and who can apply them to the identification, formulation, analysis, and solution of engineering problems.

• Understand and can perform effectively within the context of engineering practice.

• Understand and are able to apply the techniques of experimental design and data collection.

• Are able to synthesize viable engineering design solutions.

Diversity of opportunity and professional breadth are hallmarks of Mechanical Engineering. This translates into a need for a thorough grounding in a variety of mathematical, scientific, and engineering fundamentals. Our Program thus prepares the student in the areas of mathematics, chemistry, physics, mechanics, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, materials, manufacturing, design, control theory, experimentation, and economics. We enhance these fundamentals with exposure to important engineering tools such as: mathematical techniques; computer programming; computer applications tools including computer aided design (CAD), computer aided manufacturing (CAM) finite element analysis (FEA), and computational fluid dynamics (CFD); and the use of equipment, instruments, and software typically found in manufacturing and laboratory situations.

Teamwork is an essential aspect of the modern practice of Mechanical Engineering, and our Program gives considerable attention to building personal communication skills through team design projects, reports, and presentations, as well as through communication skills courses in the University Core Curriculum.

Design is an important part of our Program. All students engage in design activities beginning in the freshman year and continuing in courses such as machine design. The design activity culminates in a three-semester major design experience that includes the solution of real industrial problems by student design teams led jointly by faculty and industry engineers.