Dear students, faculty, alumni and friends:
It gives me great pleasure to announce our name change from the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace & Structural Engineering to the Department of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science.
The Department and the School of Engineering & Applied Science at Washington University in St. Louis have recently developed strategic plans for education and research; the purpose is to maximize opportunities for our faculty and students, and to take advantages of the unique strengths of Washington University.
As a result of this planning process, we are adjusting our focus to include the development and study of advanced materials. The most pressing challenges of the 21st century involve energy, sustainability, healthcare, security, and information technology. New materials – nano-structured, multi-functional, energy-harvesting, light, strong, and environmentally sustainable - will play a significant role in addressing each of these challenges.
Mechanical engineers, in collaboration with physicists, chemists, physicians, biologists, and other partners, will harness these new materials to address the grand challenges we face.
The Department will award the ABET-accredited B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering. The Department will continue to administer the Structural Engineering program and will award the ABET-accredited B.S. degree in Civil Engineering through September 2013.
Our new department is poised to grow, generate new knowledge, and prepare students to achieve great impact in this new technological era.
I look forward to hearing from you and working with you toward these goals.
Philip Bayly
Department Chair & Professor
The Lilyan & E. Lisle Hughes Professor of Mechanical Engineering