Mechanical Engineering

Pushing Boundaries Above and Beyond

It is hard to believe how far the aerospace industry has come since the Wright Brothers first flew in 1903. Commercial airline travel is ubiquitous, and supersonic flight (faster than the speed of sound) has been mastered. Humans have walked on the moon, and space probes have explored the surface of distant planets and asteroids. Satellites affect nearly every minute of our daily experience. Now, the field of aerospace is more exciting than ever.

Why Choose the Aerospace Concentration?

For many decades, aerospace has been an immense and constantly growing field, and that growth continues unabated, in terms of both the constant expansion of cutting-edge technology and the sheer size of the industry. Further, while this industry has centers of excellence all over the globe, the Northeastern region of the United States that Western New England University serves most directly is one of the more prominent of those centers. 

While the aerospace industry relies on contributions from virtually every corner of the science and engineering world, it continues to rely heavily on mechanical engineers as the backbone of, and primary contributor to, its workforce. Aerospace is among the foremost applications of mechanical engineering in that it uses all the disciplines within the mechanical engineering field — not just a subset of them — and in that it tends to push every one of those disciplines up to and beyond the limits of currently known technology. Aerospace engineering, then, is an expansion of the mechanical engineering curriculum rather than a focus on a particular aspect of it. 

The WNE College of Engineering (COE) is committed to providing an excellent and relevant education that builds on existing COE strengths, which will be highly desirable to aerospace employers both locally and worldwide.

What Will You Study?

The goal of the aerospace concentration is twofold:

1. To provide awareness and context of how the traditional mechanical engineering coursework is applied and often expanded to meet aerospace needs, and
2. To offer coursework and practical knowledge in areas where a traditional mechanical engineering student may not obtain an optimal level of exposure for the aerospace industry.

The concentration requires four aerospace-based courses along with an aerospace-focused senior project. 

Required courses: All students must complete the following courses.

• Gas Dynamics
• Fluid Machinery Design
• Fundamentals of Flight

Concentration electives: Students complete one of the two following courses.

• Aerospace Testing, Validation, and Certification
• Aerospace Seminar

Students in the Aerospace concentration may replace the non-mandatory aerospace elective with an additional semester of senior design project, ME 440, to enable full-year senior design projects.

Educational Objectives

The objectives of the Mechanical Engineering Program are to produce graduates whose careers and professional behavior several years after graduation are marked by:

• A commitment to continuing education and technical competency in solving engineering problems, consistent with the ethics of the profession, and serving the needs of local, national, and multinational communities and enterprises;
• Advancement in their professional careers, including the attainment of increased technical or managerial capabilities; and
• Continual improvement in effective technical and non-technical communication and teamwork.

Student Outcomes

The program has documented student outcomes that support the program's educational objectives. Attainment of these outcomes prepares graduates to enter the professional practice of engineering. Student outcomes are listed below:

1. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
2. an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
3. an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
4. an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
5. an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
6. an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
7. an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Mechanical engineering graduates work primarily in engineering services, research and development, manufacturing industries, and the federal government. Our alumni have been hired by Belcan Engineering, BNL Industries, Collins Aerospace, Control Automation Group, Electric Boat, EverPower Wind Holding Inc., FloDesign, General Dynamics, Global Foundries, Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Newell Rubbermaid, Pratt & Whitney, PTI Industries, Inc., RTX, Smith & Wesson, SynQor, and Texas Instruments. Many students head directly to graduate schools, including Clemson University, Georgia Tech, Northeastern University, Purdue University, Stanford University, and Western New England University.

Internships

Students are encouraged to take on internships to apply their classroom knowledge to the real-world industry. Recent internship sites include Boeing, Chrysler, FloDesign, General Electric, General Motors, Milton Bradley, NASA, Newell Rubbermaid, Sikorsky Aircraft, Smith & Wesson, Spalding Sports Worldwide, United Technology Research Center, and UTC Aerospace Systems.

Engineering Abroad

Our Mechanical Engineering majors have trekked all over the globe for educational and humanitarian pursuits, as part of their study abroad experiences. In recent years, students have traveled to Guatemala to help set up a water irrigation system in a remote village.

Our students participate in research projects with faculty and collaborate on projects within their majors and beyond. They also have opportunities to travel regionally and nationally to present their design projects and research papers at professional conferences.

Recent examples of research and collaboration include:

• Experimental Study of Nitinol Wire Arrangements as Servo-Biomimetics for Facial Muscles
• Study of Shape Memory Alloy Servo-Biomimetic Actuations
• Impinging Jet Spray Formation using Viscoelastic Liquids
• Optimization of PEMs: Conductance as a Function of Fabrication Method
• Investigation of Non-Newtonian Impinging Jets
• Cross-disciplinary collaboration with engineering and business students and faculty in the Product Development and Innovation Course

There are several student competitions each year that allow you to present your hard work and compete with students from other schools. Entries include design projects, academic papers, and research conducted with faculty members. Students also enter their entrepreneurial inventions in the Entrepreneurial Spirit Awards to vie for prize money to fund their own business or product or incubate their newest ideas through the Western Mass Innovation Jam.

With a growing interest among engineering students to work in the automotive industry, the Golden Bear Racing Club was established to design, develop, and produce an off-road vehicle that competed in the national Baja SAE competition. Mini-Baja racing is a form of off-road “dune buggy” style racing on dirt or sand courses.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering offers the latest technology and equipment, which is available to students, faculty, and staff to utilize for research-related activities. We are rigorous in our efforts to provide a safe and productive environment for all lab users.

Laboratory I is the first in a two-course sequence and is designed to give students personal experience in the use of laboratory instruments and in the collection and interpretation of data. Experimental methodology and communication of experimental results are stressed throughout the course. This course also serves to enhance technical writing skills.

Laboratory II builds on the skills developed in Laboratory I. A student works with team members to perform laboratory experiments in materials science, mechanics of materials, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, data acquisition, and manufacturing. Additionally, each student works on an interdisciplinary semester-long team design project.

Mechanical Engineering students may have interests in American Society of Mechanical Engineers, National Society of Black Engineers, Society of Women Engineers, or the FIRST® Robotics Club. Students have the opportunity to participate in the Mini Baja SAE® competition, ASME Design Competitions, academic conferences, and entrepreneurial contests. Many of our students also participate in varsity and intramural sports, special interest groups, and student government.

Clubs and Organizations

You'll learn from experienced faculty who are dedicated to your success. They will guide you not only through coursework but also through projects, outside research, career opportunities, and internships. The personal attention and support you will receive are unparalleled. All members of the full-time faculty have doctoral degrees with research expertise in areas such as fluid mechanics, solar energy, sensor design, data acquisition, acoustics, mechatronics, and control systems.

Faculty