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Spotlight: Powering the Region
UNT fuels local economy and provides increasing opportunities for students and industry leaders
By Randena Hulstrand
When UNT began as a normal college in 1890, President Joshua C. Chilton declared the institution's aim to become a leader in "the education of the young men and women of Texas, fitting them to creditably fill the most important positions in business and professional circles."
Facility Spotlight: Zero Energy Research Laboratory
The completion of the Zero Energy Research Laboratory at the University of North Texas will give students and researchers the tools to study the next generations of sustainable and renewable energy technologies.
The lab is a state-of-the-art facility – the only one of its kind in Texas – designed specifically to test various energy technologies and systems in order to achieve a net-zero consumption of energy.
Facilities and Location
Research and Learning Facilities
The Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering is located within Discovery Park, which is located about 10 miles north of the UNT campus. Students and faculty perform research and study in some of the nation’s most impressive state-of-the-art research facilities, located both within Discovery Park and at other local venues, including:
- PACCAR Technology Institute - Used to perform research in a variety of topics related to alternative energy and energy efficiency of buildings and industrial processes
Zero Energy Research Laboratory - A new 1,200 square-foot facility used to test emerging, sustainable technologies and materials to achieve a net-zero consumption of energy in buildings. The structure is expandable to include multiple alternative energy sources such as solar and wind to support a wide range of research; no other university in the nation offers this resource.- Laboratory of Small Scale Instrumentation - Used to measure small-scale systems including individual nanostructures like carbon nanotubes, nanowires and nanoparticles; nanosystems like sensors and photonic crystals; ultra-fast transport phenomena like femtosecond microscopy; and biosystems like cell death mechanisms and DNA sensing.
- Thermal Fluid Science Lab
- Computer Aided Design and Analysis Lab - Provides infrastructure for CAD, including several workstations with the latest CAD software, enabling design, test and simulation of a range of analog, digital and mixed-signal semiconductor chip designs.
- Manufacturing and Engineering Technology Lab
- Center for Advanced Scientific Computing and Modeling - Facilitates research, education, training and outreach in all facets of advanced scientific computing and modeling. The CASCaM facility, supported by the United States Department of Education, affords excellent opportunities for collaboration with UNT computational chemists for both students and faculty mentors in Texas and the surrounding states.
- Composite Mechanics and Manufacturing Laboratory: Investigates lightweight structures for energy, mechanical and thermal management. Current efforts are directed at structural composites, composite foams, nanocomposite die attach materials for increased reliability, thermal management and energy efficiency. The laboratory takes an interdisciplinary approach through the renewable bioproducts cluster and is bringing engineering value to sustainable and renewable material resources.
- Advanced Tire Technology and Vehicle Dynamics Lab
- Functional Cellular Solids Lab
In addition, the Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering has two teaching labs. The Undergraduate Teaching Lab and the Senior Design Workshop contain over $350,000 worth of equipment for teaching and research.
MEE also co-owns and operates a major piece of infrastructure, the North Texas Ambient Energy Monitoring Station (NT-AEMS), which is the only weather station in the US operated by an energy engineering department providing an opportunity to use weather data differently than anyone else ever has. The station is located at Discovery Park’s Texas Environmental Observatory (TEO) site, and MEE’s component of the station is a Mesonet-compliant weather monitoring equipment and a 2-axis solar tracker.
Find MEE
> Learn more about Discovery Park
> Get Directions to the MEE Department
MEE department mailing address
If using a government facility such as US postal service:
University of North Texas
Mechanical & Energy Engineering Department
1155 Union Circle #311098
Denton, TX 76203-5017
MEE department shipping address
If using a private company such as DHL, FedEx or UPS:
University of North Texas Discovery Park
Department of Mechanical & Energy
3940 N. Elm, Room F101
Denton, TX 76207-7102
The University and Region
UNT is the nation’s 26th largest university and offers its 36,000 students many opportunities, both academically and socially. Its diverse, bright students come from 140 countries and 49 states for UNT’s high-quality academic reputation and the region’s dynamic growth and culture. Dallas-Fort Worth is the nation’s second largest technology corridor and the fourth largest metropolitan area, and it is home to many of the nation’s fastest growing cities, which makes for a continually growing number of employment and partnership opportunities.
DFW is a prime area for mechanical and energy engineering research and employment. Its geographically strategic location allows the MEE department to benefit from interaction with and continuous support from industries such as alternative energy, nanotechnology, energy conservation and energy infrastructure.
In addition, the area provides networking and advancement through active local sections of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Association of Energy Engineers and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, with which the department is affiliated.
In addition to its vast academic and advancement opportunities, the university also offers an array of social and living options. UNT has more than 400 student organizations, comfortable and convenient housing both on and near campus, nearly 11,000 on- and off-campus jobs, and a community rich with interesting and exciting arts, entertainment, food, shopping and exercise activities.