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."
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.
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:
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.
> Learn more about Discovery Park
> Get Directions to the MEE Department
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
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
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.