CSM Mechanical Engineering Graduate Research Areas Specialties Research Overview The Mechanical Engineering Department offers the Masters of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Mechanical Engineering. The program demands academic rigor and depth yet also addresses real-world engineering problems. The department has four areas of research activity that stem from the core fields of Mechanical Engineering: (1) Biomechanics, (2) Thermal Science and Engineering, (3) Solid Mechanics and Materials, and (4) Robotics, Automation, and Design (which includes elements from Computer Science, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering disciplines). Note that in many cases, individual research projects encompass more than one research area. Solid Mechanics and Materials investigations consider solid-state material behavior as it relates to microstructural evolution and control, nano-mechanics, functionally graded materials, biomaterial analysis and characterization, artificial bio material design, and fracture mechanics. Research in this area tends to have a strong computational component covering a broad range of length and time scales that include molecular dynamics, Finite element methods, discrete element methods, and boundary element methods. These tools are used to study a variety of material systems. Strong ties exist between this group and activities within Particle-laden flame Robotic welding instrument the campus communities of physics, materials science, mathematics and chemical engineering. Thermal /Fluid Science and Engineering is a research area with a wide array of multidisciplinary applications including clean energy systems, materials processing, combustion, biofuels and renewable energy. Graduate students in this area typically specialize in Mechanical Engineering but also have the opportunity to specialize in interdisciplinary programs such as Materials Science. Graduate student Jen Labs attending to laser diagnostics facility Robotics, Automation, and Design is an area at CSM that merges research in mechanical design, control systems, sensing, and mechatronics to develop automated and autonomous systems that can be used to carry out tasks that are dirty, dangerous, dull, or difficult. Biomechanics focuses on the application of engineering principles to the musculoskeletal system and other connective tissues. Research activities include experimental, computational, and theoretical approaches with applications in the Fuel cells from the Colorado Fuel Cell Center at the Colorado Finite element analysis of human knee structures areas of rehabilitation engineering, computer assisted surgery and medical robotics, patient specific biomechanical modeling, intelligent prosthetics and implants, and bioinstrumentation. The Biomechanics group has strong research ties with other campus departments, the local medical community, and industry partners. 2
CSM Mechanical Engineering Admissions, Degree Financial Program Aid, Requirements and Degree Programs Graduate Degrees The Mechanical Engineering Department offers Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Mechanical Engineering. The M.S. Programs require 30 credit hours of coursework and/or research credits. The Ph.D. program requires 72 credit hours of course work and research credits. ME Course Offerings MEGN501 Advanced Engineering Measurements MEGN502 Advanced Engineering Analysis MEGN503 Graduate Seminar MEGN510 Solid Mechanics of Materials MEGN511 Fatigue and Fracture MEGN512 Advanced Engineering Vibration MEGN513 Kinetic Phenomena in Materials MEGN521 Introduction to Discrete Element Methods MEGN530 Biomedical Instrumentation MEGN531 Prosthetic and Implant Engineering MEGN535 Modeling & Simulation of Human Movement MEGN536 Computational Biomechanics MEGN537 Probabilistic Biomechanics MEGN540 Mechatronics MEGN544 Robot Mechanics MEGN545 Advanced Robot Control MEGN552 Viscous Flow and Boundary Layers MEGN553 Computational Fluid Dynamics MEGN560 Design and Simulation of Thermal MEGN566 Combustion MEGN569 Fuel Cell Science and Technology MEGN571 Advanced Heat Transfer MEGN591 Advanced Engineering Design Methods MEGN593 Engineering Design Optimization MEGN598 Special Topics Admissions/Entrance Requirements The minimum requirements for admission to the M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering are a baccalaureate degree in engineering, computer science, a physical science, or math with a grade-point average of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale; Graduate Record Examination score of 160 (Quantitative Reasoning) and a TOEFL score of 550 or higher (paper based), 213 (computer based), or 79 (internet based) for applicants whose native language is not English. Applicants from an engineering program at CSM are not required to submit GRE scores. The Mechanical Engineering Graduate committee evaluating an applicant may require that the student take undergraduate remedial coursework to overcome technical deficiencies. Such coursework does not count toward the graduate program. The committee will decide whether to recommend to the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research regular or provisional admission, and may ask the applicant to come to campus for an interview. Financial Support Financial aid is available to outstanding students through student teaching assistantships (TAs), research assistantships (RAs), and a select number of fellowships. These contracts typically include full coverage of tuition, fees, health insurance, and a stipend. The application for admission found on the Graduate Studies website includes a section regarding interest in financial support; notification of financial awards is usually done at the time of admission notification. Federal and CSM student loans are also available to give graduate students additional funding beyond any assistantships and fellowships they might receive. Also visit the ME fellowship page for information about available fellowships and grants. For More Information Mechanical Engineering website: mechanical.mines.edu CSM Graduate Admissions: mines.edu/graduate_admissions Financial Aid: mines.edu/howtopay_gs 3
CSM Mechanical CSM Mechanical Engineering-List Engineering of Faculty Faculty Joel Bach, Associate Professor. Musculoskeletal, orthopedic, occupational and sports biomechanics. Techniques used range from mechanical testing to computer simulation and modeling. jmbach@mines.edu Jenifer Blacklock, Teaching Associate Professor. Jenifer received her Ph.D. from Wayne State University/Max Planck Institute- Potsdam in biomedical engineering. She comes to CSM from her most recent appointment at NIST in Boulder where she was a National Research Council Materials Engineer. Jblacklo@mines.edu John Berger, Professor. Computational mechanics, fracture mechanics, modeling of advanced materials. jberger@mines.edu Gregory Bogin Jr., Assistant Professor. Coupling experiments and computational fluid dynamics to study the use of alternative fuels and advance combustion strategies in Internal Combustion Engines to improve efficiency and reduce emissions; areas of interests include utilization of second- generation biofuels in aviation turbines. gbogin@mines.edu Robert Braun, Associate Professor. Systems Analyses of Bio-refineries, Dynamic Modeling of Bio-fueled SOFC systems, and Design and Optimization of IGCC/IGFC System Architectures. rbraun@mines.edu Ozkan Celik, Assistant Professor. Research focuses on design and development of mechatronic and haptic interfaces (such as exoskeletons) with applications in robotic rehabilitation of motorimpaired patients, human motor skill augmentation, prostheses and neuromuscular modeling. ocelik@mines.edu Steven Decaluwe, Assistant Professor. Dr. DeCaluwe's research interests focus on interfacial studies of electrochemical energy systems, in particular the use of fundamental experiments and in situ measurements to validate and assist in scale-up of atomistic models. Applications include solid oxide and polymer electrolyte fuel cells, as well as Lithium-ion batteries. decaluwe@mines.edu Greg Jackson, Professor and Department Head. Prof. Jackson leads a research group with a breadth of activities in solid oxide electrochemical cells, PEM fuel cell systems and electrocatalysis, and catalytic and solar thermal reactors for energy conversion and H 2 production. His research includes a combination of fundamental experiments and design model development and validation, which has made an impact in both the scientific and industrial R&D communities. gsjackso@mines.edu Ventzi Karaivanov, Teaching Associate Professor His recent research projects include life prediction modeling of thermal barrier coated turbine airfoils, developing custom finite element analysis routines, and corneal biomechanics. vkaraiva@mines.edu Cristian Ciobanu, Associate Professor. Mechanics and physics of nanowire structures. Self-organized nanostructures. Global structural optimization. cciobanu@mines.edu Robert Kee, Professor. George R. Brown Distinguished chair. Dr. Kee's research interests are primarily in modeling and simulation of chemically reacting fluid flow. rkee@mines.edu 4
CSM Mechanical CSM Mechanical Engineering-List Engineering of Faculty Faculty Graham G. W. Mustoe, Professor. Modeling and simulation of engineering systems that exhibit complex combined continuum-discontinuum behavior; dynamic impact, fracture, ice mechanics; mechanics of granular media; materials processing. gmustoe@mines.edu John P. H. Steele, Associate Professor. Robotics and automation; intelligent machines; machine health monitoring; artificial intelligence; supervisory control; intelligent materials processing; neural networks. jsteele@mines.edu Anthony Petrella, Associate Professor. Computational biomechanics, adult and pediatric spine biomechanics, FEA-based techniques for product design verification & validation, total joint replacement mechanics and computational wear simulation, new concepts in engineering education. apetrell@mines.edu Neal Sullivan, Associate Professor. Experimentation in chemically reacting flows. Director of the Colorado Fuel Cell Center. nsulliva@mines.edu Jason Porter, Assistant Professor, Sensors. Optical measurements in high-temperature and-pressure reacting systems. Coal and biomass gasification. jporter@mines.edu Cameron J. Turner, Assistant Professor. Computational design, optimization, design methods, robotics, CAD/CAM/CAE, design visualization, fault detection and system intelligence. cturner@mines.edu Derrick Rodriguez, Teaching Associate Professor. Derrick received his Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Engineering from Colorado School of Mines. Derrick also holds an MS in Environmental Engineering and a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Wyoming. drrodig@mines.edu Douglas Van Bossuyt, Assistant Professor. Professor. Comes from a stint in industry as a probabilistic risk assessment engineer at NuScale Power, LLC where he helped in the development and commercialization of small modular reactor technology and helped to guide risk-informed design at the company. dvanboss@mines.edu Anne Silverman, Assistant Professor. Musculoskeletal biomechanics, rehabilitation engineering and training, the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. Gait analysis, musculoskeletal modeling, computer simulation. asilverm@mines.edu Xiaoli Zhang, Assistant Professor. Dr. Xiaoli Zhang s research expertise lies in medical robotics including surgical robotics, medical devices design, intelligent humanrobot cooperation, smart healthcare and wellbeing, medical cyberphysical systems. xlzhang@mines.edu 5