Department of Mechanical Engineering

Faculty and Fields of Interest

Afsoon Amirzadeh engineering mechanics, machine elements and mechanical systems design, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer

Sankha Bhowmick (chairperson) heat and mass transfer, bioengineering, alternate energy systems

Vijaya B Chalivendra mechanical characterization of biological materials and biocomposites

Alex J Fowler fluid flow in porous media, heat transfer, thermodynamics, bioengineering

Wenzhen Huang product and manufacturing process modeling, simulation, design analysis and optimization, and diagnosis for variation reduction and quality improvement

Hangjian Ling experimental fluid mechanics, super-hydrophobic materials, optical imaging, collective motions, biological and environmental sciences

Tesfay Meressi robotics, control theory, machine design

Kihan Park multi-scale medical robotics, sensing/actuation/manipulaton at the micro-scale, biological tissue characterization, machine learning for medical applications

Mehdi Raessi computational fluid dynamics and heat transfer, two-phase flows, renewable energy, material processing and manufacturing, environmentally friendly refrigeration systems, high performance heterogeneous CPU-GPU computing

Hamed Samandari mechancial systems design, computational mechanics, nonlinear systems identification and modeling, nonlinear vibrations, bioengineering

Banafsheh Seyedaghazadeh fluid-structure interactions, vibrations, experimental fluid mechanics, flow visualization, offshore structural design, biomimetic sensing

Caiwei Shen multifunctional composites, energy storage materials, nanomaterials, sensors, electrochemistry

Amit Tandon fluid dynamics, physical oceanography, environmental, and computational physics

Mechanical engineers are involved in a spectrum of technical activities from the design and manufacture of various products to fundamental research.

Mechanical engineers are concerned with the production, transmission, and use of power. They design and develop systems which produce power, such as steam and gas turbines, internal combustion engines, nuclear reactors, jet engines, and rocket motors. They also design, develop, and manufacture devices which consume power in order to accomplish some useful result, such as refrigeration and air conditioning equipment, machine tools, rolling mills, and elevators, to name a few. The Mechanical Engineering department offers two concentrations, Advanced Manufacturing and Energy, for students to develop in-depth knowledge in these specific areas.

The environmental impact of these systems forms an integral part of their analysis and design. Mechanical engineers must cope with stringent standards of air and water quality, noise abatement, and thermal pollution.

Graduates find employment in a number of areas, including private industry, government, consulting firms and education. They may be involved in one or more of the following: research, design, development, manufacturing, administration, management, sales or production supervision. Others continue studies in graduate school.

The undergraduate Mechanical Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org.

Student chapters of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and Society of Manufacturing Engineers permit the student to initiate professional contacts through a program of technical and social events which introduces the student to practicing engineers from industry and students from other engineering schools.

Mission Statement

The Mechanical Engineering Department at UMass Dartmouth offers two degrees: a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering. The department also participates in the Ph.D. degree in Engineering and Applied Science (EAS). The program provides service to meet the needs of students, industry, government, and society. The program offers excellence, access, and value through a strong commitment to teaching, scholarship, outreach, and professionalism.

Program Educational Objectives

The Mechanical Engineering program at UMass Dartmouth is structured to provide our graduates with a broad technical background that is grounded in fundamental principles as well as modern tools of engineering. In addition, the program educates students in ethical standards for the field and culturally broadening university studies courses. Students have the option of developing a specialized career plan by concentrating their field of study to focus on areas of interest through the selection of electives. Ultimately, the success of our program is best reflected by the success of our graduates after graduation as measured by the following program educational objectives (PEOs), which are available at: http://www.umassd.edu/engineering/mne/undergraduate/program-educational-objectives/.

I. Career and Advancement: Our graduates will be successfully employed and advance in professional careers or graduate education programs.

II. Lifelong learning: Our graduates will continue their professional and individual development through participation in activities such as: graduate education, self-study, membership in professional organizations, professional registration, and certifications.

Student Outcomes

The department has established student outcomes that are published in the Mechanical Engineering Department website at the following URL: http://www.umassd.edu/engineering/mne/undergraduate/studentoutcomes/.

The following are the Mechanical Engineering Program Outcomes.

UMass Dartmouth Mechanical Engineering graduates will have:

(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 judgements, 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 judgement to draw conclusions

(7) An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies