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Please take a moment to think about to think about what you have done today.  Did you switch on a light, open a door, ride in an elevator, travel by car, or use a computer? If the answer to this question is yes, then your activities have been influenced by the practice of mechanical engineers.  Mechanical engineering is as broad in opportunity as is the difference between microscopic gears and 12 story high boilers. 

Mechanical engineering is concerned with the design, manufacture, and operation of components, devices, or systems such as:

• Heat exchangers, refrigerators, ventilation systems
• Manufacturing technologies that include use of lasers, precision machinery, and nano-technology
• Biomedical devices
• Automobiles, airplanes, and other vehicles
• Robotics, mechatronics, and electronic control of machinery
• Predictive maintenance and reliability technologies
• Modeling of machinery and systems using virtual reality

State of the art laboratories specifically designed for undergraduate students are a predominant feature of the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering. Computing facilities are equipped with the best computers available on the market.  These computers and software that is prevalent in industry enables our students to complete their work neatly, accurately, and professionally.

The undergraduate mechanical engineering program at Iowa State University is made up of over 1000 students; 10.5% of whom are women, 6.7% of whom are minority students, and 34.4% of our students are from places other than Iowa.  

Opportunities for our students include: undergraduate research with faculty members, membership in engineering organizations like the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE), Society of Women in Engineering (SWE), Tau Beta Pi (honorary engineering organization) and PrISUm (ISU Solar car organization).  The department currently has approximately 40 faculty involved in teaching, research, and outreach, many of whom are acknowledged as national and international experts in their fields.

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