Exterior of the R. L. Smith Building with the clock tower in the background to the left.

By the Numbers

By Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
The R. L. Smith Building is home to the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

Michigan Tech has been a beacon of engineering excellence since the University's inception in 1885.

Rooted in a rich tradition of mechanical engineering education and research, the MAE department consistently pushes the boundaries of innovation and expertise. Pivotal moments in the department's history mark our foundational achievements, from mechanical engineering to cutting-edge aerospace engineering. Today, Tech's commitment to progress and adaptation continues to produce skilled engineers adept at tackling the practical challenges of their time.

1927

Mechanical engineering program added. Enrollment jumps from under 12 to 75 by 1931.

1929-30

First BSME and MSME degrees conferred.

1946

Michigan Tech's US Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) Detachment 400 established (one of 19 original detachments).

1958

Department of Engineering Mechanics (EM) formed.

1969-70

ME and EM departments combine into the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics (ME-EM).

1971

Man standing behind a baricade and a sign reading "Danger Area Authorized Personnel Only Beyond This Point" with additional words obscured by snow.
Two Nike Apache sounding rockets launched from Keweenaw Missile Range, coordinated with other NASA North American facilities, to mark the International Geophysical Year. The Nike Apaches are by far the largest sounding rockets fired so far from the range. MTU and University of Michigan researchers collaborate on the project.

1971

R. L. Smith Building cornerstone set. ME-EM department moves into "The MEEM" in 1972.

1975

First doctoral degree conferred by the ME-EM department. The program's enrollment begins an upward climb lasting through the 1990s.

1999

MTU's Enterprise Program launches, supported by a three-year $749,000 National Science Foundation grant. Teams collaborate with clients from industry, communities, and government organizations, and work closely with a faculty advisor.

2001

First Design Expo showcases undergraduate student projects from Enterprise and Senior Capstone Design.

2002

Aerospace Enterprise formed by ME-EM faculty L. Brad King at students' request.

2002-10

Highly successful, the Building the Future (Phases I and II) campaigns raise nearly $30 million to fund curriculum revision and creation of endowed faculty positions.

2006-11

Jeff Naber and his research team receive a $1.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation, funding the Alternative Energy Research Building Laboratory. Funding from the US Department of Energy with a team across the University in 2010 enables the creation of the hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) graduate certificate and Mobile Lab. APS LABS, formed in 2007, moves to its current55,000-square-foot facility in 2011.

2012

Enterprise Program selected by National Academy of Engineering (NAE) for inclusion in its Infusing Real World Experiences into Engineering Education publication (only 29 programs selected nationally).

2013

Aerospace engineering minor approved by University Senate; first students enroll in 2014.

2014

Multiplanetary INnovation Enterprise (MINE) launched by ME-EM faculty Paul van Susante.

2017

Greg Odegard standing in front of a bank of servers.
Institute for Ultra-Strong Composites by Computational Design (US-COMP) awarded $15 million by NASA, with ME-EM faculty Greg Odegard as principal investigator. Its goal: Develop and deploy a carbon nanotube-based, ultrahigh-strength, lightweight aerospace structural material within five years.

 2018

Michigan Tech Aerospace Engineering Research Center (MARC) established for activities related to aerospace engineering.

2019

Michigan Tech's student-built Oculus-ASR nanosatellite rides the SpaceX Falcon Heavy from Cape Canaveral Pad 39A into orbit.

2021

Dusty Thermal Vacuum Chamber
A custom-built rectangular Dusty Thermal Vacuum Chamber (DTVAC) is added to faculty Paul van Susante's Planetary Surface Technology Development Lab, and is one of eight academic facilities listed on NASA's ARES Dust Testing Facilities webpage.

2022

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) student branch chartered at MTU.

2024

ME-EM department officially becomes the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) on August 12.

 

  • 1,200
    current undergraduate students, earning the nation's 24th-highest number of BSME degrees annually
  • 20
    years since Tech students requested an Aerospace Enterprise team
  • 8th
    largest BSME enrollment in the US
  • $23.2M
    research expenditures in FY24—a demonstration of consistent growth over FY19 expenditures of $20M
  • 900+
    alumni of the Aerospace Enterprise, one of MTU's largest and oldest Enterprise teams with 100 members annually
  • 50K+
    square feet of research, lab, computing, and learning space in the 13-story R. L. Smith Building
  • Top 27
    in mechanical engineering BS degrees awarded for 37 consecutive years

Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.

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