Message from the Chair

These are exciting times for the department. In August 2002, we moved the department offices and labs into the new $23.6 million Ralph G. Anderson Building, which provides about 45,000 square feet of space for the department's research and teaching activities. The building also has about 25,000 square feet of space for a student commons and college administrative offices. Please visit us in our new facility!

The department offers an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering, along with M.S. and Ph.D. programs. We have about 500 undergraduate students and about 100 graduate students. The department also provides a B.S. degree through the Extended Campus program at Paducah, in Western Kentucky. We have four areas of emphasis in the department - Mechanics, Systems & Design, Thermal-Fluid Sciences, and Manufacturing. Each faculty member has an individual web page, and you are invited to review these, along with specific pages for research programs and Centers.

We have two faculty with NSF Career Awards; Prof. Khraisheh, and Prof. Parker. Our BIG BLUE, AIRCAT and Solar Car teams continue to excel. The department faculty receives about $3 million in funded research each year.

The endowments in the department include the James F. Hardymon Chair in Manufacturing Systems Engineering, resulting from a major gift by Mr. Hardymon, and matched by the Commonwealth's Research Challenge Trust Fund. The Tennessee Valley Authority also provided a gift for a Power Engineering professorship in Mechanical Engineering and graduate fellowships, Harper Industries provided an endowment for fellowships and the Lester Professorship was established. The Paducah program has the PJC Professorship and the Katterjohn Professorship. These initiatives will further strengthen our program.

Again, we welcome you to our website.

Keith E. Rouch
Professor and Chair of Mechanical Engineering