Engineering Mechanics. — In 1940 most of the Engineering Mechanics faculty had been trained as civil engineers but, through an interest in structural analysis, had chosen a career in applied mechanics. Today this faculty has backgrounds in aeronautical engineering, civil engineering, mathematics, mechanical engineering, and meteorology because mechanics now encompasses a wide range of professional application. By 1970 a much higher level of applied mathematics was required. The use of the digital computer allows students and research workers in mathematics and mechanics to solve problems that were unsolvable a few years earlier. The engineer can now predict effects accurately and inexpensively before designs are made and hardware built. Most master's and Ph.D. graduates from the department engage in teaching or research, and provide technical support for the design activities in large companies. Although the role of the mechanics graduate in industry is basically the same as in 1940, the level and scope of the activities have been enlarged tremendously.
The University of Michigan, an Encyclopedic Survey Supplement, Page 131.
