Mechanical Engineering
The Department of Mechanical Engineering provides diverse opportunities for graduate studies in fundamental and applied research in all areas of mechanical engineering. The program offers master’s and doctoral degrees and has been recognized for the quality of its academic and research programs. It also focuses on multidisciplinary, collaborative research with faculty in other departments of the College of Engineering, the College of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, and the College of Medicine.
The mechanical engineering graduate program was ranked 21st among its peers in the 2008 listing by U.S. News & World Report. Departmental faculty members hold seven endowed chair positions and named professorships, and 31 Fellow memberships of national professional societies, including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Nuclear Society. Our faculty includes eight recipients of the prestigious Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) awards from the National Science Foundation or other government agencies, plus one recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).
Opportunities for Students
Each year, the mechanical engineering department and individual faculty members employ more than 100 graduate associates including graduate teaching associates (GTAs), graduate research associates (GRAs), and graduate administrative associates (GAAs). GTAs may be asked to teach, provide laboratory assistance and/or perform other related activities. GRAs are assigned to research projects under the supervision of graduate professors. It is usually possible to carry out thesis and dissertation research on such projects. GAAs perform a variety of administrative and management duties, which may include collecting and analyzing information for administrative purposes and providing counseling services. The strongest applicants are nominated by the department for University Fellowships, which are awarded by the Ohio State Graduate School following a rigorous university-wide competition. Fellowship awards can be for one, two or three years, cover tuition and include competitive stipends, and have no duties other than pursuing a graduate degree.
About the Department
Established in 1881, the Department of Mechanical Engineering engages extensively in collaborative, interdisciplinary research and educational projects. Mechanical engineering is a broad discipline with natural links to other programs both within the College of Engineering and in other colleges. Department faculty provide leadership for the Center for Automotive Research, the Center for Precision Forming and the Smart Vehicle Center. Department faculty members participate in the university-wide Institute for Materials Research and the NSF Nanoscience and Engineering Center for Affordable Nanoengineering of Polymer Biomedical Microdevices.
The department’s new $72.5 million building complex, the Peter L. and Clara M. Scott Laboratory, is home to the Departmetn of Mechanical Engineering. Scott Laboratory enhances the department’s teaching and research infrastructure, with features that include 14 modern classrooms, ample space for multidisciplinary capstone design projects, a state-of-the-art distance learning area in support of college-wide initiatives and high-quality space for research laboratories.
Departmental instructional and research activities are organized around the technical areas of applied mechanics; design and manufacturing; dynamic systems; energy, fluid and thermal systems; and nuclear engineering.
Research
The mechanical engineering department’s state-of-the-art research and instructional laboratories support comprehensive educational and research activities and are supplemented by specialized university research facilities.
Sponsored research expenditures for 2006 totaled nearly $21.7 million, with $6 million provided by industrial sponsors. Focus areas for the department’s research include advanced transportation systems (automotive and aerospace), energy and environmental quality, materials and manufacturing, micro- and nanotechnology, and bioengineering. Industrial sponsorship of research is strong, particularly in the areas of automotive engineering, gas turbines, gear and noise dynamics, net shape manufacturing and computer micro- and nanotribology. Governmental agencies support research in these areas as well as non-equilibrium plasma processes, aeroacoustics, optical diagnostics, precision engineering and metrology, computational mechanics, smart material systems and structures, robotics, reactor safety and advanced nuclear reactor instrumentation and control.
Research Centers
- Center for Advanced Polymer and Composite Engineering
- Center for Automotive Research
- Engineering Research Center for Net Shape Manufacturing
- NASA University Research, Engineering, and Technology Institute on Aeropropulsion and Power
- NSF Nanotechnology Science and Engineering Center on Advanced Nanoengineering of Polymeric Biomedical Devices
- NSF Industry-University Cooperative Research Center for Precision Forming
- NSF Industry-University Cooperative Research Center for Smart Vehicles
- Wright Center of Innovation on Aeropropulsion and Power
- Wright Center of Innovation on Fuel Cells
- Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization
Research Laboratories
- Acoustics and Dynamics Laboratory
- Aeropropulsion and Power Technology
- Computational Mechanics of Material Processing (ComPro)
- Computational Mechanics Research Laboratory
- Computer Applications of Mechanics Laboratory
- Coordinate Metrology and Measurement Laboratory
- Dynamics and Vibration Laboratory
- Experimental Mechanics of Materials Laboratory
- Flow, Engine and Acoustics Research Laboratory
- Fluid Dynamics Computation and Visualization Laboratory
- Gas Dynamics and Turbulence Laboratory
- Gas Turbine Laboratory
- Gear Dynamics and Gear Noise Research Laboratoryv
- Integral Attachment Program Laboratory
- Intelligent Structures and Systems Laboratory
- Locomotion and Biomechanics Laboratory
- Nanotribology Laboratory for Information Storage and MEMS/NEMS (NLIM)
- Non-equilibrium Thermodynamics Laboratory
- Nuclear Applications and Instrumentation Laboratory
- Nuclear Reactor Laboratory
- Powertrain Control and Diagnostic Laboratory
- Smart Materials and Structures Laboratory
Graduate Applications
Applications to Ohio State University must be submitted online. Please visit the Ohio State University Office of Graduate Admissions Web site to apply online with a credit card. Also, the mechanical engineering department’’s Web site provides links to the university admissions Internet site.
