2013–2014 The Bulletin - USS at Tufts - Tufts University

Mechanical Engineering >
Mechanical Engineering
Professor William C. Messner, Department Chair & John R.
Beaver Professor; Automatic control systems with an emphasis
on applications to data storage systems, robotics, microfluidics,
and biological systems and instrumentation
Professor Mark Kachanov, Fracture mechanics, micromechanics
of materials
Professor Chris Rogers, Robotics, musical instrument design,
fluid mechanics, and engineering education
Professor Anil Saigal, Materials engineering, manufacturing
processes, quality control
Professor Igor Sokolov, Condensed matter, soft condensed
matter and biomedical research, energy-related materials and
sustainability, surface science and engineering
Associate Professor Behrouz Abedian, Fluid mechanics,
electrokinetics and thermal-fluid systems
Associate Professor Marc Hodes, Sustainable energy,
thermoelectricity and heat transfer
Associate Professor Thomas James, Dynamics, mechanics
and materials engineering
Associate Professor Douglas M. Matson, Solidification
processes, thermal manufacturing, machine design
Associate Professor Jason Rife, Robotics, dynamics and
controls
Associate Professor Robert White, Microsystems,
dynamics, acoustics and sensors
Assistant Professor Luisa Chiesa, Sustainable energy,
superconducting materials
Assistant Professor Jeffrey Guasto, Microscale transport,
bio-fluid dynamics
Senior Lecturer and Research Assistant Professor
Gary G. Leisk, Machine design, non-destructive testing
Professor of the Practice Robert Hannemann, Thermal
sciences, heat transfer
Professor of the Practice Dan Hannon, Human factors in
product design
Professor of the Practice Michael A. Zimmerman,
Material science, thermal manufacturing
Research Associate Professor Pratap Misra, GPS,
emerging satellite navigation systems
Research Associate Professor Peter Y. Wong, Thermal
materials processing and radiative heat transfer
SECONDARY APPOINTMENTS:
Adjunct Professor Vincent Manno, Franklin W. Olin College
of Engineering; thermal-fluid phenomena, power generation
systems
Adjunct Associate Professor Steven D. Schwaitzberg,
Cambridge Health Alliance; haptic feedback for surgical
training
Professor Richard Wlezien, Illinois Institute of Technology
Professor and Vance and Arlene Coffman Endowed Department
Chair in Aerospace Engineering, Iowa State University;
Fluid mechanics, turbulent shear flows, wind engineering
Mechanical engineering is a rich and versatile
profession that encompasses invention, analysis, and
manufacture of mechanical components and
systems. Broadly speaking, mechanical engineering
is the branch of engineering that encompasses the
generation and application of heat and mechanical
power. In other words, mechanical engineering is
all about the analysis, design and manufacturing of
systems in motion. It spans both mature, wellestablished
industries such as automotive, aerospace,
shipping, power, heating and cooling, and
machinery and new and emerging technologies
such as robotics, medical devices, and micro and
nano devices. Some of the most exciting areas in
mechanical engineering occur where it interfaces
with other disciplines.
In addition to the traditional disciplines of heat
transfer, fluid dynamics, dynamics and controls,
materials processing, manufacturing, mechanics,
and mechanical design, the Department of
Mechanical Engineering is focused in three
integrated areas of specialization.
• Mechatronics, which is the interface between
mechanical engineering and electronics. This
specialty encompasses robotics, dynamics and
controls, micro electro-mechanical systems
(MEMS), manufacturing, and advanced
materials.
• Biomechanical systems, which is the interface
between mechanical engineering and biology.
This specialty includes human factors engineering,
tissue scaffolds, soft-bodied robots,
micro fluidic systems, biofluidics, biomechanics,
and biological materials.
• Sustainable energy, which is focused on
systems for the generation or consumption of
power in a sustainable system. This specialty
includes power generation and propulsion
system efficiency and innovation, electronics
thermal management, sustainable data center
technology, superconducting energy transmission
and storage, wind energy, advanced
thermodynamic cycles, heat transfer and fluid
mechanics.
213