Welcome to the Department of
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering!

Have you ever wondered how the amazing machines that we all depend upon are designed, tested, and built? Are you fascinated with mechanical design and CAD, and with the hands-on challenge of actually making a design come to life in the machine shop? Are you curious about the mathematics, theory, and advanced computations that predict how things work and how nature responds to changes? Do you find mystery and joy in the flow of water and air, in the way your car handles on a curve, in the dynamics of bicycles and motorcycles, in the spinning of a wind turbine, or in writing a computer program for a micro-computer to make something cool? Do you want to be a part of the future in human-robotic teaming, drone engineering, or autonomous vehicles?

Have you ever wondered why airplanes actually fly, or how rockets really work, or whether you could design a satellite? Do you want to know why airplane wings bend, how aluminum differs from carbon-composite materials, and how metals crack and break? Are you interested in supersonic flight, quiet aircraft engines, eVTOLs, and helicopters? How about the engineering that enables space stations, lunar water-mining, Mars greenhouses, and spacewalking? What if you could design a prosthetic arm that was controlled by thought? Or an entirely electric airplane? Do you think about what sets the large and small limits on size for the machines that we need? Do you want to help develop energy generation, storage, and conversion ideas for a more efficient and less polluting future?

Are you drawn to pushing the boundaries of what humans know through pioneering research that you do yourself? Are you fascinated with problems that are at the frontiers of both engineering and science? Are you interested in both theory/computation and design/fabrication/testing?

Here in the UC Davis MAE Department, every undergraduate, graduate student researcher, and professor shares fascinations like these (and more!) and is committed to advancing the frontiers of engineering itself through inspired teaching and collaborative research that spans a huge variety of expertise. We work hard, we work together in supportive teams, we tackle the toughest problems, and we love what we do.

Please explore the exciting world of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering on these web pages, and consider joining us to make us even smarter, even more diverse, and even more committed to making the world a better place.

Sincerely,

Ben D. Shaw

Warren and Leta Giedt Endowed Professor and Chair
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

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