>> Since 1868, Mechanical Engineering has grown from a humble, two-room laboratory
to one of the top-ranked programs in the world.
Many visionary and dedicated scholars contributed to this remarkable transformation, starting
Many visionary and dedicated scholars contributed to this remarkable transformation, starting with Mortimer Cooley, who built the first mechanical engineering laboratories and taught
with Mortimer Cooley, who built the first mechanical engineering laboratories and taught
students about steam engines and water wheels.
With the explosion of innovation at the turn of the century, more courses and research
topics would be added, some becoming their own departments, like Naval Architecture and
Marine Engineering, Aerospace Engineering and Biomedical Engineering.
One of the longest running fields in the department has been automotive engineering.
Walter Lay, who graduated from the program in 1915, joined the faculty and led many early
Walter Lay, who graduated from the program in 1915, joined the faculty and led many early areas of automotive research, like streamlining cars, determining optimal highway grades,
areas of automotive research, like streamlining cars, determining optimal highway grades,
and improving car safety and comfort.
>> The department was always kind of at the front edge of where engineering was happening.
At the Auto Lab, which I was a part of for many years, we had facilities that were absolutely outstanding.
Now as we have seen the maturation and the expansion of the department, and really recognize
that when we're talking about auto and technology, every aspect of engineering is involved.
It's really, to me, a demonstration of what I call good systems thinking.
>> This led to the establishment of the Automotive Research Center in 1994, which grew into a
>> This led to the establishment of the Automotive Research Center in 1994, which grew into a consortium of six universities collaborating with both government and industry, and now
consortium of six universities collaborating with both government and industry, and now
helps lead the development of autonomous vehicles.
>> We're dealing with an extraordinarily complex world today, and you have to try to take advantage
of the complexity and do things that are really going to provide an appropriate movement forward.
>> Another area that the department led from very early on was manufacturing, beginning
with Orlan Boston.
>> Boston started manufacturing in the department.
This was very fundamental.
The first time that some equations and science came into the metal cutting.
Before his time, people did not payattention to tool life, if you have to change tools,
how often to change.
He developed models of how to do it.
Jim Duderstadt became dean of engineering in 1981.
One of the changes that he made was in manufacturing.
He formed a center called CRIM, Center for Robotics and Integrated Manufacturing.
And the idea was to change completely the manufacturing research, which was a repetition
of what Boston started in 1940, they did the same in 1980.
My area of expertise was to add mathematical tools and to add the control theory into the
manufacturing processes. And Sam Wu, he was the first person who brought statistics into
the metal cutting industry.
>> In 1984, the National Science Foundation started offering large grants to form important
university industry partnerships called Engineering Research Centers, or ERCs.
university industry partnerships called Engineering Research Centers, or ERCs. The first ERC granted to the University of Michigan was for Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems,
The first ERC granted to the University of Michigan was for Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems,
led by Yoram Koren, Galip Ulsoy, and Jun Ni, who studied under Sam Wu.
>> We are very proud, because we did something that nobody has done in the United States.
It was a slow moving industry and we added new ideas, new science, we made a dramatic
change in a traditional manufacturing industry.
change in a traditional manufacturing industry. >> Beyond the very practical applications of cars and manufacturing, the department
>> Beyond the very practical applications of cars and manufacturing, the department
also expanded the use of science in engineering in the form of applied mechanics.
>> Stephen Timoshenko was a major player in solid mechanics in this country in the late 30s
and he came to the University of Michigan and he created a lot of courses.
Timoshenko introduced a lot of mathematical reasoning into engineering.
Timoshenko introduced a lot of mathematical reasoning into engineering. Up till then there was a lot of resistance to using mathematics and engineering.
Up till then there was a lot of resistance to using mathematics and engineering.
>> Timoshenko was a god, because his books on elasticity, meaning, how bodies are deformed,
were the standard texts, and all the professors were teaching elasticity referred to his solutions,
and not only the solutions, the way he was approaching problems and arrive at the solutions intuitively.
>> The depth of understanding brought on by the traditional applied mechanics people has
really helped make mechanical engineering more sophisticated in its applications.
And nowadays these applications are all the way from new medical devices to developing
new kinds of materials for new kinds of applications.
>> The mechanical engineering department continued to bring in new disciplines that would have
been unthinkable decades earlier, like the integration of biology with the field of biomechanics.
>> When the soldiers came home, there were a lot of people needed artificial limbs.
>> When the soldiers came home, there were a lot of people needed artificial limbs. And that was really the beginning of sort of organized biomechanics research in this country.
And that was really the beginning of sort of organized biomechanics research in this country.
And then orthopedic surgery took advantage of biomechanics to develop internal prostheses,
artificial hips and knees.
And then gradually cardiovascular biomechanics with the development of artificial hearts
and heart valves.
>> In 1983, the Biomechanics research lab was established by Albert Schultz, performing
important research in spinal mechanics as well as balance and falls in the elderly.
>> There are a lot of people here who have an innate interested in how the body works
in one way or another.
And Michigan is a fantastic place to do biomechanics research because it has a really good medical
school and dental school just a mile away.
>> One unique feature of the University of Michigan is its very comprehensive and multidisciplinary.
In fact, we have over 100 programs that are ranked top 10 in the university.
This kind of environment encourages people to work together and cross the discipline.
>> The faculty, students, staff and alumni of Mechanical Engineering have made fundamental
and lasting impacts on the country and the world.
They have designed new technologies and new curricula.
They have served as leaders at the college, the university and beyond.
They have received patents, and have started companies.
And they have been recognized nationally and internationally.
>> The most exciting thing for a faculty member and his students is to make a difference.
So the fact that two or three people working in a lab of G.G. Brown can affect millions
of people in a positive manner is satisfying, but the problem with research is there's always
the next problem to solve.
>> We have a lot of work to do.
And when I look at the faculty today, I look at the leadership of the department, what
we see is a continuation of that level of excellence.
The Mechanical Engineering department and what it does is right at the very top of what's
happening in this important field.
>> With the new buildings and the new labs and so on.
It looks it.
It looks like a big scientific endeavor.
Mechanical Engineering I feel encompasses a lot of different areas that are critical
to the university as a whole.
And I'm really very proud, and I'm very happy.