Mechanical Engineering

Fynn Reinbacher fires up oxy-fuel combustion project in Gas Turbine Industrial Fellowship
Fynn Reinbacher, a Ph.D. candidate in mechanical engineering and a graduate assistant in CoMFRE affiliate James Michael’s research group, was a Gas Turbine Industrial Fellow at Southwest Research Institute. Reinbacher focused on three projects in oxy-fuel combustion, contributing unique multi-phase flow research expertise he developed at Iowa State. Read More

June 7, 2023
Cris Schwartz appointed assistant dean for engineering student success
Cris Schwartz, professor of mechanical engineering, has been named College of Engineering assistant dean for engineering student success. Read More

June 6, 2023
The Conversation: Ted Heindel, fluid flow expert, on why peanut butter is a liquid and the physics of this and other unexpected fluids
"When the TSA recently confiscated a jar of Jif under the rule that only liquid under 3.4 ounces can be carried on a plane, peanut butter lovers were up in arms. Just like Americans’ favorite legume-based sandwich ingredient, the story – and the outrage it inspired – began to spread. However, I’m a mechanical engineer who studies fluid flows, and the TSA action made sense to me. By the scientific definition, peanut butter is indeed a liquid." Read More

May 4, 2023
Nathan Butler: Outstanding senior in mechanical engineering
"I am aiming to engineer autonomous systems that incorporate robust mechanical design and intelligent controls to navigate uncertain or variable environments. Regardless of where this path takes me, I wish to carry forward the hard-working ethics and values instilled by Iowa State to engineer safe, reliable and high-quality systems." Read More

May 2, 2023
Mechanical engineering’s Todd Kingston and Cary Pint receive NASA EPSCoR grant for battery research and infrastructure development
Kingston and Pint are investigating lithium-ion batteries in extreme thermal conditions, such as freeze-thaw cycles often encountered by spacecraft during lunar and Martian exploration. Read More

May 2, 2023
Four mechanical engineering faculty members receive promotions
Mechanical engineering faculty member Soumik Sarkar has been promoted to full professor; Sarah Bentil, Jaime Juarez and Beiwen Li received tenure and promotion to the rank of associate professor. Read More

April 27, 2023
Robotics Club Participates in 13th Annual Autonomous Snowplow Competition
Early this year, members of the ISU Robotics Club placed 5th at the 13th Annual Autonomous Snowplow Competition (www.autosnowplow.com) held January 20-21, 2023 at… Read More

April 19, 2023
Mechanical engineering graduate students receive Excellence Awards
The Department of Mechanical Engineering selected Fynn Reinbacher for a Teaching Excellence Award, while Robert (Gage) Hjort, Nick Hunter and Adam Thelen each won Research Excellence Awards. Read More

April 12, 2023
Mechanical engineering’s Eliot Winer recognized as Exemplary Faculty Mentor
Department of Mechanical Engineering Professor and Director of the Virtual Reality Applications Center (VRAC), Eliot Winer, has been named an Exemplary Faculty Mentor for going above and beyond expectations of Iowa State’s mentoring program. Read More

March 23, 2023
Mechanical engineering alum’s good fortune inspired scholarship
Ron McClellen (mechanical engineering, '61) started a scholarship in 1983 that has helped numerous mechanical engineering seniors pursue their dreams without the added debt. “I now feel that I can have a positive effect on Iowa State long after I am gone.” Read More

March 14, 2023
SoilTech industry-university center to develop technology to measure, track soil health
The research groups, led by Iowa State's Carmen Gomes and Jonathan Claussen, will be part of a new coast-to-coast, industry-university research hub called the Center for Soil Technologies, or SoilTech. Researchers from four universities just launched the center with a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation. Read More

March 7, 2023
Mechanical engineering senior presents biothreat detection research at Iowa State Capitol
Anthony David, senior in mechanical engineering, will present his undergraduate research at the Research in the Capitol Undergraduate Research Symposium on March 6, 2023. His research, “Fabricating Biosensor Platforms for Real-Time Biothreat Detection,” is one of 20 research projects selected to represent Iowa State and one of six engineering projects to be selected. Read More

March 2, 2023
Spaceflight Operations Workshop returns in August – apply now!
Do you have what it takes? If pushing yourself to master new tasks, employing teamwork and following operational thinking to achieve goals sounds like a great way to end your summer, then you need to apply for the Department of Aerospace Engineering’s 2023 Spaceflight Operations Workshop™. Read More

March 2, 2023
Samantha Guido is building a one-of-a-kind engineering career piece by piece
When she was a kid, Samantha Guido’s big sister told her that engineering was like building with LEGO: a way to make new things from scratch. Read More

March 1, 2023
Researchers team up to break down, upcycle low-quality, rejected plastic wastes
Iowa State's Xianglan Bai is leading two, $2-million-plus projects that will study and develop new ways to break down waste plastics and convert them to useful materials. The U.S. Department of Energy is supporting both projects. Read More

February 9, 2023