| Winter 07: Innovation in Education: Making the Most of the MANE Difference
Distinctive department’s new head plans thrust areas, curriculum makeover
“By their very nature, other engineering disciplines tend to be very focused,” Wei explained, “while our department encompasses everything. The message going forward is, we are one department, pulling together as a single entity—and we will build the department around thrust areas that support major center-level activities.” |
Mechanical, Aerospace, & Nuclear Engineering (MANE)
It ranks in the top 20 departments of its kind nationwide. It produced the designer of the Brooklyn Bridge. Today’s graduates go on to lead global technology giants.
And Timothy Wei wants to take MANE to the next level?
Indeed. For the new head of Rensselaer’s Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering (MANE), the effort begins with one word: community.
Future Thrust Areas
Energy
MANE’s strengths make it primed for such initiatives. Take energy as a thrust area. “Energy is huge for us,” Wei said. “Already our NSF IGERT (Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training) center is exploring many aspects of fuel cells. Our nuclear researchers are working on fusion materials for the next generation of reactors. Others are working on sustainable energy projects. Clearly there is room for interdisciplinary efforts.”
Nanotechnology/Biotechnology
The same holds true for nanotechnology—where research directions range from nanomechanics to nanoscale thermophysics—and biotechnology as well. Within MANE currently, various researchers are investigating medical imaging as well as core medical issues like arterial flow; Wei would like to integrate these research directions and take advantage of the synergies between them.
In identifying such thrust areas and building centers around them, Wei is breaking new academic ground. “Mechanical engineering departments are very good at being part of centers, but usually the PI is from another department,” he noted. “We’re looking to our people to actually build the centers, so they’re the PIs bringing in faculty from other areas of our department. Ideally I would like to see at least one center headed up by each of our programs—mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear—so we can take advantage of our inherently multidisciplinary nature.”
Curriculum Gets a Makeover
Even as it is, the MANE curriculum has produced a substantial number of leaders. Under Wei, this too will move to the next level.
“We have a phenomenal history of high-powered alums,” he explained. “There’s something in this curriculum that I would like to bottle. So we will look at our entire curriculum—from undergraduate to Ph.D.—to determine what factors have made it so successful in the past, and what we can do to incorporate these factors throughout the curriculum in the future.”
Reaching even younger students is part of the motivation for the curriculum review. In a “grade school to grad school” approach, Wei wants to build dynamic partnerships with local schools and teachers, so that the department is involved in science and engineering education from kindergarten up. MANE graduate students will engage in curriculum development for these schools; local teachers will visit campus to learn about MANE’s state-of-the-art research.
“To make this successful, we must rework our curriculum as we reach into the elementary, middle, and high schools,” Wei said. “That allows us to go after the very best students and attract them with a course of study that will empower them to thrive in the workforce.”
Research That Draws Attention
In all these efforts, Wei is working with a department that has already distinguished itself in many areas. “Our faculty and students are internationally recognized for their research and teaching in areas from neutron scattering to nanomaterials to aerospace structures,” he mentioned. “We are developing micro-fluidic lenses. We have developed video-based tools to help the U.S. Olympic swim team. Our students have built a Segway®. We are designing and manufacturing nanostructured materials and devices, fuel cells and micro-UAVs. Our new $100 million Computational Center for Nanotechnology Innovations will bring the world’s fastest university-based parallel computer to campus.”
Such “raw materials”—and the department’s distinctive structure—give Wei a great deal of hope for the future. “This may be the only department in the U.S. that combines mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering,” he said. “It’s a unique blend. If we can build a common vision, we can make the most of it.”