Originally published in Mechanical Engineering Magazine
In a world of diverse challenges, mechanical engineers are developing the solutions. Their contributions have never been as valuable as they are today.
Almost everyone comes into contact with the products of mechanical engineering on a daily basis, but very few people—including some engineers themselves—can provide a succinct explanation of what mechanical engineering is. Even ASME, our field’s professional society, offers no written description of mechanical engineering as a field. Someone looking to understand what mechanical engineers (MEs) do might be left cold by the definitions provided by reference books, Wikipedia, or ChatGPT.
That’s a problem, because it can be difficult to attract students into engineering programs if they don’t have a clear understanding of what they would actually do once they get a degree.
We are eight ME professors, leaders of our respective departments, who are eager to share our forward-looking perspective about the excitement, breadth, and social impact of our chosen field.
As academics we have a unique vantage point on the frontiers of university education, as well as the cutting edge of advanced research that is shaping our world for decades to come. To be sure, mechanical engineering has its roots in the engines and vehicles of the Industrial Revolution, yet today it encompasses so much more: from 3D printing to AI-driven autonomous cars, from greener aircraft engines to lab-on-a-chip medical devices.
While we know that MEs tackle society’s greatest challenges head on, we also realize that too many people don’t have a clear understanding of what MEs do. To remedy that, we would like to define our profession through four perspectives:
- MEs solve societal challenges
- MEs share core knowledge
- MEs are creative and collaborative
- MEs follow diverse career paths
While the four perspectives above don’t lead to a quick and easy definition of the mechanical engineering field, that should be expected. Any definition for mechanical engineering must be as dynamic and evolving as the profession itself.
Even more important than what MEs learn and do today, is where we are heading tomorrow. The profession is future facing, and that perspective has never been as valuable as it is today. As global resources continue to shrink, out-of-the-box thinking will be imperative to tackle the present and impending challenges. The most powerful tools MEs possess are their fundamental versatility and creative problem-solving skills. The next generation of MEs will not only need to master the core disciplinary knowledge but also position themselves to work in highly interconnected engineering systems. This will entail the creative use of state-of-the-art data tool and openness to rapid changes in consumer trends and societal needs.
The future will offer countless diverse and challenging career prospects for mechanical engineers, and their strong foundation will provide tremendous opportunities to work together to make the world a better place.
Authors
Mary Frecker is Riess Chair of Engineering, Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and director of the Penn State Center for Biodevices at Penn State University, University Park.
Chris Dames is Howard Penn Brown Chair in Mechanical Engineering at the University of California Berkeley.
Jonathan Cagan is David and Susan Coulter Head of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
Don Siegel is chair of the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin.
Mina Pelegri is chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Rutgers University in Piscataway, N.J.
Anthony Jacobi is head of the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
David Erickson is S.C. Thomas Sze Director of the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.
Devesh Ranjan is Eugene C. Gwaltney, Jr. School Chair in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech in Atlanta.
