Mechanical engineering applies human and material resources to the design, construction, operation and maintenance of machines (supported increasingly by sophisticated computer technology) to move people, goods and materials; generate energy; produce goods and services; and control pollution and dispose of wastes. It interacts with all other branches of engineering, and is increasingly involved with other disciplines such as medicine and biology.
A notable feature of our graduates is their versatility, the breadth of skills they have acquired and the fundamental nature of the knowledge gained from their studies. This equips them for responsibility in a wide range of activities, making available a choice of career directions and providing flexibility in the face of new leadership opportunities as society develops.
Graduates from the Department can be found in responsible positions in all phases of engineering throughout Australia and overseas. Some of the industries in which recent graduates are playing leading roles include automotive, aircraft and biomedical.
In laboratory and research work, students have access to well-equipped laboratories for materials testing, engine/turbine testing, wind tunnel investigations, simulation and metal forming processes. A heavy engineering workshop is also available for the manufacture of testing facilities and research apparatus.
Engineering design, which draws on the School's extensive computer facilities in computational mechanics and its access to the latest design software, is now established as an area of study and research and liaises effectively with numerous industrial partners.
