Mechanical and Energy Engineering Department at UNT

Our Vision for a
Mechanical and Energy Engineering Department

We want to create an outstanding, innovative and interdisciplinary program that emphasizes the fundamentals of engineering, modern applications pertaining to energy production, management and distribution, and life-long learning skills, within a research/project oriented environment.

Message from the Department Chair

The University of North Texas has received authority from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to create the first Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering in the United States. We are en route to create an outstanding and innovative Department, to hire excellent faculty, to set up modern undergraduate and research laboratories and to welcome our very first students in the Fall Semester of 2007.

The origins of human civilization are indelibly connected to the harnessing of energy in the form of fire. The industrial revolution, which altered drastically the history and destiny of mankind, has its foundations in the harnessing of energy by machines. Today the wealth of modern nations and the welfare of their citizens depend greatly on the availability of affordable energy.

As we progress in the twenty-first Century, the availability of affordable energy is becoming a major challenge that imposes constraints in our economic growth. It is apparent that we need to harness more efficiently our existing energy sources, to develop new energy sources and to better manage our ways of production, distribution and consumption of energy. At the same time we need to be conscious of the effects of energy production and consumption on the environment. We must ensure that our activities of today do not harm the Earth our children will inherit.

There is a national need for more, better trained and environmentally conscious Energy Engineers who will tackle successfully the Energy Challenge and will assist the Nation and the World in meeting responsively their energy needs. At UNT we are creating a new Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering that will educate and train Mechanical Engineers with a deep knowledge and understanding of the Energy Challenge. Using innovative teaching methods, we will educate the modern Mechanical and Energy Engineer with a deep foundation of factual knowledge and strong experience in engineering methods and research. We intend to educate and train the engineer of the twenty-first Century, who will “think outside the box” and will provide solutions to our Energy Challenge.