About Us

The Department

The Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science houses ABET-accredited mechanical engineering and materials science and engineering programs that provide the solid fundamentals, critical thinking, and inventive spark that fires up our graduates as they design the future.

The department graduates approximately 90 mechanical and materials science engineers each year, with virtually 100% of being placed in excellent careers with industry and research facilities around the globe.

The department houses faculty who are world-renowned academicians and accessible teachers, individuals of substance who seek to inspire and encourage their students to succeed. The department also has access to more than 20 laboratory facilities that enhance the learning process through first-rate technology and hands-on experience.

That experience is integrated into every aspect of the department. Events such as the SAE Formula Car Program add to students' real-world knowledge; each year, students construct their own vehicle and compete with students from other universities nationwide and internationally on the strength of their design and racing. The Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science also is involved in the Cooperative Education (Co-Op) Program, bringing students together with industry for three terms of professional work.

Knowledge to Succeed

In the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, graduates are fueled by the knowledge they need to succeed.
The department has a long history of industrial partnerships in the rich technological environment of Pittsburgh and the surrounding regions.

What Is MEMS?

The Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science (MEMS) is the largest in the school in terms of students and faculty. The department has core strengths in the traditional areas of bioengineering, manufacturing, microsystems technology, smart structures and materials, computational fluid and solid dynamics, and energy systems research. Key focus is reflective of national trends, which are vying toward the microscale and nanoscale systems level.

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News

Qing-Ming Wang, associate professor, was recently awarded a three-year research grant from the U.S. Army Research Office for the development of thin film bulk acoustic wave resonators for RF and microwave frequency control applications.

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