Message from the Chair

Dear Prospective Student,

Let me share with you a few comments about our Mechanical and Materials Engineering (MME) Department. The department began in July 2007 after splitting the former Engineering Department into the MME Department and the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department (ECE). In both Departments, we strive to continue the great tradition of the highly successful Engineering Department. We maintain a strong integrated undergraduate curriculum with the ECE Department reinforced by joint faculty positions between the two Departments.

The mission and goals of our Department are to have some of the best mechanical and materials engineering programs in the country, greatly respected both nationally and internationally. We will achieve this through high quality undergraduate and graduate teaching, as well as through our excellent, competitively funded research programs.

Our main undergraduate program is a BS in Mechanical Engineering. In our graduate curriculum, we offer such programs as a MS in Mechanical Engineering, a MS in Bioengineering, a MS in Engineering, a MS in Mechatronics Systems Engineering, MS in Materials Science, a PhD in Engineering, and a PhD in Materials Science. The MS programs have either non-thesis or thesis options. The PhD degree in Engineering, offered in either Mechanical Engineering or as an interdisciplinary degree jointly with either business or natural sciences. The PhD program in Materials Science is offered jointly with the Departments of Physics & Astronomy and Chemistry & Biochemistry.

We have a highly diversified student body engaged in various teaching and research programs. Some of the programs are specific for our main mechanical and materials science disciplines. However, several of our teaching programs have been built in collaborations with other units on campus. One of the unique features of our teaching is that our classes are small, with the student to faculty ratio of about 12:1, allowing very thorough individual faculty attention. We offer quality teaching both on campus and on various industrial sites around Denver, including Lockheed Martin.

Our faculty is truly experienced, talented, and dedicated. Several of us are internationally recognized experts in various research and educational fields, with the rest of the faculty rising fast to the same level of national and international distinction. Our Department has two University of Denver John Evans professors, the highest distinction awarded at DU.

We are constantly expanding our research efforts into new areas, making sure that our research is productive, socially responsible and always at the cutting edge of technology. Most of our research efforts have been generously supported by such prestigious funding agencies as the National Science Foundation, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Electric Power Research Institute, various branches of NASA including the NASA Glenn Research Center, and numerous major US and international industries.

Thank you for your interest in our Department. I personally assure you that if you decide to join us, we will provide you with an excellent education, which will allow you to successfully compete in the global marketplace.

Please feel free to contact me if you require additional information.

Maciej S. Kumosa
Professor and Chair