An Introduction to Mechanical Engineering

AN INTRODUCTION TO MECHANICAL ENGINEERING introduces students to the ever-emerging field of mechanical engineering, giving an appreciation for how engineers design the hardware that builds and improves societies all around the world. Intended for students in their first or second year of a typical college or university program in mechanical engineering or a closely related field, the text balances the treatments of technical problem-solving skills, design, engineering analysis, and modern technology.

A Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Iowa State University, Dr. Jonathan Wickert teaches and conducts research in the areas of applied mechanics, dynamics, and mechanical vibration. As a researcher and consultant, he has worked with companies and federal agencies on a diverse range of engineering problems including computer disk drives and tape libraries, the manufacture of sheet metal, and various consumer products. Dr. Wickert received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He has served as associate editor of engineering journals, as a division chair in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and as chair of the undergraduate mechanical engineering program at Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Wickert has received awards in recognition of his teaching and research from the Society of Automotive Engineers, the American Society for Engineering Education, and the Information Storage Industry Consortium. He was also elected a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

A Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University at Buffalo -- SUNY, Dr. Kemper Lewis teaches and conducts research in the areas of mechanical design, system optimization, and decision modeling. As a researcher and consultant, he has worked with companies and federal agencies on a wide range of engineering design problems. Dr. Lewis received his B.S. in mechanical engineering and B.A. in mathematics from Duke University and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He has served as associate editor of the ASME Journal of Mechanical Design. He has also served on the ASME Design Automation Executive Committee and on the National Academies Panel on Benchmarking the Research Competitiveness of the United States in Mechanical Engineering. In addition, he has worked as the Executive Director of the New York State Center for Engineering Design and Industrial Innovation. Dr. Lewis has received awards in recognition of his teaching and research from the Society of Automotive Engineers, the American Society for Engineering Education, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the National Science Foundation.