BS in Mechanical Engineering

If you pursue engineering to study acoustics you will have many career areas to choose from including audio engineering (high fidelity sound system design); architectural acoustics (design of concert halls, recording studios, and music rooms); musical acoustics (design of musical instruments); noise control and sound quality (of machinery, jet engines, automobiles, and environmental regulations); and bioacoustics (design of hearing aids, replacement parts for the ear, hearing test equipment).

Learn more about the two options UHart offers in Acoustics here.

Computational Mechanical Engineering (CompME) provides you with the modern modeling and simulation skills used across all engineering and science disciplines. You will gain experience creating models of new and existing systems, simulating systems, visualizing results of your models and simulations, going through the process of verification and validation, optimizing solutions, and building applications that are used in manufacturing, energy, and aerospace industries, among others.

The above image is from a simulation app built by undergraduate mechanical engineering students with acoustics concentration Jeffrey Severino '19 and Iliana Albion-Poles '19. Their work was supported by the Connecticut Space Grant for Faculty Research. The app predicts the appearance of tones in a dual stream 4-strut nozzle for jet engines.

The above image is a Flow Past a Cylinder, Simulation app built by undergraduate student Patrick Dubiel ’19, BSME.

The above gif is based on the paper "Design of an Electro-Osmotic Microfluidic Mixer" by Stefan Keilich '18, BSME.

With our concentration in energy engineering and sustainable design, you can focus your studies on technologies in renewable (solar, wind, geothermal, ocean wave, etc.); as well as on non-renewable (nuclear and other conventional fossil-fuel based); energy production and conversion. Emphasis is placed on the judicious use of energy in the conception and design of mechanical systems and processes for energy production and consumption. The concentration prepares you to enter careers in building mechanical systems (HVAC design); power plants (energy production); utility companies (energy distribution); and industrial manufacturing facilities (energy use, design and auditing).

The concentration in manufacturing is an interdisciplinary field with a significant design emphasis that includes a broad range of specialization from materials, machining, fabrication, automation and microelectronics, to systems and systems control, and robotics. You will learn to apply state-of-the-art real-world manufacturing technologies (computer aided design—CAD; computer aided manufacturing—CAM; computer aided inspection and quality control—CAIQC), to help manufacturers increase productivity, quality, and cost effectiveness in the engineering design and manufacturing sectors.

As the demand for “smart” factories and automation is increasing, so does the need for robots. With our robotics concentration, you will be in an intellectually stimulating and project-based environment, learning to program and operate robots and autonomous vehicles. Emphasis is placed on helping you understand the design of robots, modeling their dynamic control systems, and interfacing sub-systems with sensors, actuators, and controllers.

Turbomachinery is a diverse field that draws on most of the disciplines and specializations in mechanical engineering. You will focus on machines that add and/or extract energy between a rotor and a fluid, including turbines and compressors. Turbomachinery can include everything from Dutch windmills to jet engines and the space shuttle’s main engine turbopumps. You will be able to enter challenging careers with companies that design and manufacture wind, water and steam turbines, as well as fans, pumps, and compressors.

The Mechanical Engineering program seeks to prepare students for productive, rewarding careers in the engineering profession. During their careers our alumni:

1. will become successful practicing engineers in a wide range of mechanical engineering fields and will advance professionally by accepting responsibilities and, potentially, pursuing leadership roles (PEO1);

2. will advance their knowledge of engineering, both formally and informally, by engaging in lifelong learning experiences (PEO2); and

3. will, as contributing members of multidisciplinary engineering teams, successfully apply the fundamentals of engineering analysis and engineering design to the formulation and solution of emerging technical problems (PEO3).

The engineering design experience is distributed over the entire engineering curriculum. The curricular sequence ensures that there is a one-half year of credits devoted to design content, which begins in the first-year course Engineering and Design and continues through the senior year's Capstone Design Project. The majority of the design work is incorporated into the junior and senior years to ensure that the students have taken sufficient preparatory engineering science courses.

Basic concepts of physics, chemistry, and mathematics create the foundation on which all engineering education is built. Basic tools of engineering practice, such as graphic communication, computer-aided drafting/design, and computer programming and applications, are also required knowledge. The basic engineering sciences, such as statics, dynamics, mechanics of materials, material science, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, electrical circuits, design of machine elements, and control theory, complete the introductory phase of the program.

Mechanical engineering is generally considered to consist of a number of engineering subject areas, such as:

• Energy Conversion
• Fluid Flow
• Heat Transfer
• Heating, Ventilating, and Air-Conditioning
• Instrumentation
• Machine Design
• Manufacturing Industrial Engineering
• Materials
• Mechanics of Solids
• Mechanisms
• Noise Control
  Refrigeration
  System Control

All mechanical engineering students have the opportunity to take elective courses in any of the above subject areas. Through proper choice of electives, a student may become specialized in one or two of these areas. The Mechanical Engineering department has formalized three areas (acoustics, energy and sustainability, and manufacturing) as designated concentrations, with a separate curriculum listing.

Extensive laboratory experience enhances the theoretical coursework. There are several required laboratory courses in the sciences and engineering. Written and oral communication of laboratory results is needed.

Oral presentation by the students is introduced in the first year and continues through to the capstone design course, as well as in several other required advanced and elective courses.

Through participation in the All-University Curriculum and in additional elective courses in the humanities and/or social sciences, students are given the opportunity to broaden their perspectives and to take part in the larger learning community of the University. It is imperative that engineers understand and appreciate the unique role that technology plays in our society and the interactions between and among the various components of our society.

The student learning outcomes of the mechanical engineering program leading to BSME degree are aligned with the student learning outcomes of ABET EAC (1 through 7), and prepare graduates of the program to attain the program educational objectives.

Student outcomes (1) through (7) are articulated as follows:

(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.