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Background Information
Background Information
The
department consists of 20 full time graduate faculty members and over
70 graduate students, with one third of those students pursuing a PhD
degree. The department has aggressively expanded its research program
into new and unique areas, and is quickly becoming one of the top
research mechanical engineering programs in the nation. Research
funding levels increased 313% between 1993 and 1997, or 62.8% per year.
A significant fraction of the department faculty has exceeded research
funding levels of greater than $100,000 per faculty member per year.
When the program's $2.5 million per year research funding level is
compared to those at other universities, the data shows that the
program's funding level exceeds those at University of Kansas and
Wichita State University. With the current growth rate, the
department's funding level will approach those at Purdue University,
Iowa State University, and other well-recognized mechanical engineering
research programs.
The program facilities have grown
significantly during the last six years. These facilities are mostly
contained with the Durland Hall/Rathbone Hall/Ward Hall complexes with
the Institute of Environmental Research located in Seaton Hall and the
National Gas Machinery Laboratory's Turbocharger Test and Research
Facility located on off-campus. These facilities support strong
research programs that are striving for international prominence. For
the most part, the departmental facilities are supported through
extramural funds from the federal and state governments, research
organizations, and private industry. The MNE faculty collaborates with
the National Institute for Aviation Research to develop advanced
general aviation aircraft. Faculty and students working in this
collaborative effort work directly with engineers at Boeing, Cessna,
Beechcraft, and supporting companies. Other research facilities include
the engines laboratory, Mechanical Testing and Evaluations Laboratory,
the Complex Fluid Flow Laboratory, and the Two-Phase Flow Laboratory.
The department is also the home of a TRIGA Mark-II nuclear reactor. A
comprehensive listing of all the department's research facilities are
contained within the department's graduate program web site.
Graduate
students are recruited from all geographic regions. The department
specifically caters to students graduating with a baccalaureate degree
in physics, mathematics, or chemistry from four-year schools. These
students find a rich and rewarding environment within the K-State MNE
graduate program where they can strengthen their skills with mechanical
engineering foundations. Applications are reviewed in the spring for
entry during the fall semester and in the fall for entry during the
spring semester. The department boasts a broad diversity of research
topics.