The MME department is in the second year of changes to the BSME curriculum. This year we will develop the curriculum for a required, two-credit, Junior level course to teach students professional practices such as ethics, business processes, career development, service to the profession and one's community. To make room for this course we will reduce the content and credit hours in another required, Junior level course that teaches numerical analysis. The MME department will also be running a trial version of a new, freshmen-level course sequence that will replace our current freshman level curriculum. The new freshman level curriculum was developed at Louisiana Tech University with support from the National Science Foundation. The new freshman level curriculum features fabrication of mechanical and electrical systems, instruction in design methodology, and exposure to professional practices.

The MME Department has secured funding for a new Freshman Engineering Laboratory, and for improvements to the Junior level Fluid Mechanics Laboratory. The goal is to use those funds to improve the laboratory experiences of our students.

The MME Department has identified opportunities for increasing its research infrastructure. With the leadership and inspiration of Professor Mark Weislogel, the Maseeh College was successful in raising $140k to fund the construction of a drop tower for research on fluid behavior in microgravity. During this year we will complete the design, construction, and commissioning of the drop tower. This facility will be very visible evidence of our research leadership in microgravity. The drop tower will also provide recruiting and outreach opportunities for the college and university. Another signature laboratory is being developed to support research on wind turbines and the atmospheric boundary layer. With funds generated by bond sales, the college is investing in a world class wind tunnel to support the research of Assistant Professor Raul Cal. The Department's initiative is to oversee the construction, installation and commissioning of this wind tunnel.

The MME Department will build in existing faculty expertise in Green Buildings and energy conservation in the built environment. In the past year, Professor David Sailor has obtained $1.6M in funding for development of the Green Building Research Laboratory. In January 2010, a new Assistant Professor, Huafen Hu, will join the MME Department. Dr. Hu is an expert in building energy modeling, and her salary will be paid (in the first few years) from the Miller Sustainability Grant. With these investments, the MME Department is poised for increases in research productivity and the attendant national visibility.

The MME Department is beginning a review of its graduate course offerings and graduate degree programs. One goal is to increase the rigor of some courses. Another goal is to increase the number of courses in order to support the new PhD program in Mechanical Engineering