College of Engineering
Department of Mechanical Engineering
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About

A hallway in a Mechanical Engineering building that reads, "leave your limits at the door."

Committed to challenging the status quo

The Department of Mechanical Engineering celebrates curiosity, ingenuity and relentless trial and error, all in pursuit of life-changing innovations. As one of the largest and most vibrant departments on campus today, we have a special responsibility to lead and embrace the ideals of this great institution.

Caroline Hayes

“Channeling our young people’s natural curiosity towards discovery, invention, and entrepreneurship is the most direct way to ensure Iowa’s lead in the high-tech global economy.”

Meet the Chair: Caroline Hayes holds bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from Carnegie Mellon University and received her Ph.D. in Robotics—the first person in the world to achieve that honor. She is passionate about human-centered design and believes combining engineering, computer science and psychology can improve our work and enable us to live in better harmony with technology.

Mechanical engineering is the most popular major at Iowa State University and was the major for which Iowa State University’s first diploma was awarded.

The department boasts internationally acclaimed research programs in biological and nanoscale sciences, clean energy technologies, complex fluid systems, design and manufacturing innovation, and simulation and visualization. Our research programs are sponsored by industrial partners including the National Science Foundation, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Departments of Energy, Defense, Agriculture, and Transportation.

Mechanical engineering faculty lead major research enterprises, including the Bioeconomy Institute, the CyberInnovation Institute, the Virtual Reality Applications Center, the Industrial Assessment Center, and the Center for Building Energy Research.

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Where Undergrads Overachieve

Our state-of-the-art facilities are specifically designed for undergrad students to engage with their peers in hands-on learning that’s key to collaboration, discovery and innovation.

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Hands-on Learning? Count ME In!

Many of our research labs provide paid opportunities for students to conduct real-world research on everything from concussions and brain function to designing rockets and rocket fuel.

A legacy more than 150 years in the making

Mechanical Engineering, originally part of mechanic arts, was one of two majors offered at Iowa State when the institution opened its doors in 1869.

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