A. L. ADDY, Head;
A. M. CLAUSING and J. E. PETERS, Associate Heads
144 Mechanical Engineering Building,
1206 W. Green St., Urbana, IL 61801 · 217-333-1176
The mission of the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering is to meet the needs of our profession and society with distinction and integrity through education, research, and service; to educate engineers who will become leaders in their fields; to generate new knowledge that will strengthen the engineering profession and respond to societal needs; and to foster effective professional and public service.
Research in the department is broadly based, following the traditional disciplines of mechanical engineering and industrial engineering on the one hand and exploring emerging areas on the other. These research directions reflect the interests and creativity of the faculty and students. Education of new generations of researchers is integral to the department's research mission.
While the generation of new knowledge remains central, the application of new knowledge and technology transfer are also driving factors in the department's research commitments. The faculty is deeply concerned with meeting the needs of the state of Illinois and the nation.
The department is committed to expanding its cooperative research with state and federal govern- ntment agencies and, especially, its outreach to industry. Several departmental industry-driven initiatives focus on research and technology transfer: the Manufacturing Research Center; the Institute for Competitive Manufacturing; the Machine Tool Agile Manufacturing Research Institute; and two National Science Foundation industry/university cooperative centers, the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Center and the Center for Machine-Tool Systems Research.
The department is strongly committed to cross-disciplinary research and works closely with other departments across the College of Engineering. The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, the Materials Research Laboratory, and other campus resources add strength and diversity to the department's research.
Much of the department's research involves investigation of the production, conversion, utilization, and conservation of energy along with environmental impact; the problems of creating safer, more efficient, and more cost-effective raw materials, products, and services; and the dynamics of man-machine systems. Areas of focus are described on the following pages.