The Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering encompasses three distinct programs in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Packaging Engineering with undergraduate and graduate degrees.
Mechanical engineering is about learning how to conceive new ideas and bring them to life through design and manufacturing. Students acquire basic principles in design, analysis, and modeling of physical components and processes, while building core knowledge in fluids, thermal, and structures.
The aerospace engineering program at Rutgers provides a broad and multi-disciplinary education in the fundamentals of aircraft and spacecraft design. Rutgers is currently the only public university in New Jersey offering an aerospace engineering degree.
Packaging engineering is a multi-disciplinary field within that draws on chemical, industrial, materials, and mechanical engineering in order to design and create boxes, cartons, bottles, and other packing materials that meet specific criteria.
Encompassing a wide range of research and development activities focused on applications to aeronautical systems and space exploration, our program is focused on offshore wind energy, unique hypersonic testing and simulation capabilities, improvements in drone design and automation, and looking forward into a sustained human presence away from the Earth.
With a multidisciplinary approach aimed at applying mechanical engineering principles to provide insights and solutions for improving human health, faculty are engaged in a range of research that includes biomechanics, biofluid dynamics, cardiovascular flow, cerebral biomechanics, cellular and tissue mechanics, modeling of sub-cellular components, drug delivery, bioprinting, biosensors, wearable technologies, bio photonics, bio safety, bio- and bio-inspired locomotion.
Focused on processing and learning from vast, complex datasets, with artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data-driven methods integral across the field.We are bridging classical engineering with data science is driving a paradigm shift within the discipline aiming to exceed human modeling, design, and decision-making capacities.
By harnessing the data thread throughout the product lifecycle, this area aims to drive manufacturing quality, productivity, flexibility, sustainability, security, and competitiveness across diverse industries.
Fluid flow and heat and mass transfer arising in a wide range of engineering problems are investigated.
Studies in this area describe the relationships between elastic properties, external stimuli, and responsive behaviors in solid matter.
Packaging Engineering is a true multidisciplinary field that is solidly rooted in basic engineering, and that involves mechanical engineering, material science, AI, robotics and automation, electrical engineering, supply chain management, business development, and creativity and innovation.
Specific research topics in this area include autonomous vehicles, mechatronics, human-robot interaction, motion control, precision engineering, unmanned air vehicle (UAV), space robotics, astrodynamics, smart materials, structural dynamics, acoustics, and adaptive and meta structures.
Adeline Ripberger MAE'23
Mechanical engineering major and mathematics and psychology minor Allison Chen, who juggles three jobs and a full course load, is an acknowledged leader.
Aerospace engineering major Sarah Terracina is passionate about space and has complemented her classroom experiences and developed her knowledge of extreme environment engineering with summer internships at Northrop Grumman and Boeing.
The Office of Naval Research, which sponsors research and development for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, has provided funding to MAE assistant professor Amin Reihani to develop microbolometers for measuring infrared radiation.