Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical Engineering prepares students for a diverse field with direct links to three bioengineering tracks—biomaterials and biomechanics, biomicrosystems, and biosystems and environmental engineering. Students can complement their coursework with hands-on research experience in each of these areas.

In biomaterials and biomechanics, ME faculty are studying ways to design better joint replacements. With an increasing number of people needing implants—hips, knees, and elbows—at younger ages, the goal is to increase the long-term durability of artificial joint replacements. Another area of ME research focuses on mechanical properties of cells. By monitoring a cell’s stiffness, for example, researchers are searching for indicators that the cell is being attacked before physical symptoms of a disease show themselves.

Biomicrosystems combine biology with microscale and nanoscale technology. Mechanical engineers design and fabricate tools such as a lab-on-a-chip that can be used for medical diagnoses. Miniaturized mechanical flow devices and sensors constitute components on the chip.

Mechanical engineers are also heavily involved in biosystems and environmental engineering projects. Researchers are working on numerous technologies that can transform biomass into biofuels and biobased products.

Contact:

Pranav Shrotriya, Virginia and William Binger Assistant Professor
3023 Black Engineering Building
515 294-9719
email: shrotriy@iastate.edu
http://www.me.iastate.edu/who-we-are/people-and-offices/faculty-directory/shrotriya-pranav.html

 

Affiliated Faculty:

Song-Charng Kong, Assistant Professor
http://www3.me.iastate.edu/kong/