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Detailed Information

Programs of Study

The Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering (MANE) offers graduate programs in mechanical engineering, aeronautical engineering, nuclear engineering, and engineering physics. Rensselaer’s mechanical engineering program provides a graduate education experience that trains future researchers to address emerging research needs in the areas of engineering computation and high-performance computing, multiscale modeling, energy systems, nanotechnology, heat transfer, mechanics of materials, computational dynamics, fluid mechanics, control and automation, design and manufacturing, and tribology. These research activities have a wide range of applications including the design and manufacturing of new materials, fuel cells, and biomedical devices. In aeronautical engineering, Rensselaer has strong programs in computational and theoretical fluid dynamics, aerodynamics, advanced propulsion, experimental fluid dynamics, energy conversion, dynamics, and optimal design. The Institute’s nuclear engineering faculty members focus on methods, devices, and systems required for peaceful use of nuclear technology, specifically the operation, maintenance, reliability, and safety of current generation nuclear power plants; the development of radiation imaging and therapeutic devices; investigation of radiation effects on materials; and the development of next generation nuclear power systems. Engineering physicists emphasize the radiation aspect of this technological area. Examples of their currently active research projects include microelectronic, radiation technologies, health physics, neutron scattering, fusion and plasma engineering, and thermal sciences encompassing multiphase flow and heat transfer technology.

The Department offers the Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) degree, which is practically oriented and consists of course work; a Master of Science (M.S.) degree, which is more scholarly or fundamental and includes a thesis; and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree.

To accommodate a student’s career plans and interests, the graduate program requirements are structured so there is great flexibility in choosing appropriate courses while ensuring sufficient depth and breadth. The professor assigned to or chosen by a student as his or her adviser has the knowledge to make suggestions of specific courses to further the student’s educational goals.

Research Facilities

Research is supported by state-of-the-art facilities and equipment including the Rensselaer Libraries, whose electronic information system provides access to collections, databases, and the Internet from campus and remote terminals; the Rensselaer Computing System, which permeates the campus with a coherent array of more than 7,000 nodes of distributed laptops, desktops, advanced workstations, and servers; a shared toolkit of applications for interactive learning and research and high-speed Internet connectivity; one of the country’s largest academically based, class 100 clean room facilities; high-performance campuswide computing facilities that allow for serial or parallel computation; and five core laboratories for molecular biology, proteomics, bio-imaging, and tissue engineering.

Rensselaer’s research capabilities have been enhanced with the addition of the Computational Center for Nanotechnology Innovations (CCNI). The result of a $100-million collaboration with IBM and New York State, the CCNI is the world’s most powerful university-based supercomputing center and a top ten supercomputing center of any kind in the world. The CCNI is made up of massively parallel Blue Gene supercomputers, POWER-based Linux clusters, and Opteron-based clusters, providing more than 100 teraflops of computational muscle and approximately a petabyte of shared online storage.

Other facilities and research centers include the Scientific Computation Research Center (SCOREC), which provides world-class facilities that include data, application, and information servers and parallel computational facilities; the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies; the George M. Low Center for Industrial Innovation; research centers for integrated electronics, terahertz science,  nanotechnology, fuel cell and hydrogen research, lighting research, science and technology policy, and infrastructure and transportation studies; the Geotechnical Centrifuge Research Center; and the Darrin Fresh Water Institute.

In addition, academic departments and faculty laboratories have extensive discipline-specific research capabilities and equipment. Rensselaer research centers with strong MANE faculty involvement include the Center for Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Research, Center for Automation Technologies, the Flexible Manufacturing Center, the Center for Integrated Electronics, and the Center for Multiphase Research. These centers host interdisciplinary research teams and provide access to numerous facilities. For example, the Center for Integrated Electronics maintains one of the country’s largest academically based class 100 microfabrication clean room facilities. In addition, departmental and faculty laboratories have extensive research capabilities and equipment. In the Gaerttner LINAC Laboratory, for example, research is centered around a multimillion-dollar, high-power, >60 MeV, L-band traveling wave, electron linear accelerator.

Financial Aid

Financial aid is available in the forms of teaching and research assistantships and fellowships, which include tuition scholarships and stipends. Rensselaer assistantships cover the academic year, with summer support available in many departments. University, corporate, or national fellowships fund many of Rensselaer’s full-time graduate students. Outstanding students may qualify for university-sponsored Rensselaer Graduate Fellowship Awards, which carry a minimum stipend of $22,000 and a full-tuition and fees scholarship. All fellowship awards are calendar-year awards for full-time graduate students. Low-interest, deferred-repayment graduate loans are available to U.S. citizens with demonstrated need.

Cost of Study

Full-time graduate tuition for the 2008–09 academic year is $36,950. Other costs (estimated living expenses, insurance, etc.) are projected to be about $13,680. Therefore, the cost of attendance for full-time graduate study is approximately $50,630. Part-time study and cohort programs are priced differently. Students should contact Rensselaer for specific cost information related to the program they wish to study.

Living and Housing Costs

Graduate students at Rensselaer may choose from a variety of housing options. On campus, students can select one of the many residence halls and immerse themselves in campus life or choose from a select number of apartments designed for graduate students only. There are abundant, affordable options off campus as well, many within easy walking distance.

Student Group

Of the 1,176 graduate students, 29 percent are women, and 92 percent are full-time, with 75 percent of full-time graduate students studying at the doctoral level.

Student Outcomes

Rensselaer’s graduate students are hired in a variety of industries and sectors of the economy and by private and public organizations, the government, and institutions of higher education. Their starting salaries average $74,807 for master’s degree recipients and $82,750 for Ph.D. recipients.

Location

Located just 10 miles northeast of Albany, New York State’s capital city, Rensselaer’s historic 275-acre campus sits on a hill overlooking the city of Troy, New York, and the Hudson River. The area offers a relaxed lifestyle with many cultural and recreational opportunities, with easy access to both the high-energy metropolitan centers of the Northeast–such as Boston, New York City, and Montreal, Canada–and the quiet beauty of the neighboring Adirondack mountains.

The Institute

Recognized as a leader in interactive learning and interdisciplinary research, Rensselaer continues a tradition of excellence and technological innovation dating back to 1824. Rensselaer has five schools–Architecture, Engineering, Management, Science, and Humanities and Social Sciences–that offer more than 100 graduate programs in over forty-eight disciplines that attract top students, researchers, and professors. The discovery of new scientific concepts and technologies, especially in emerging interdisciplinary fields, is the lifeblood of Rensselaer’s culture and a core goal for the faculty, staff, and students. Fueled by significant support from government, industry, and private donors, Rensselaer provides a world-class education in an environment tailored to the individual.

Applying

The admission deadline for the fall semester is January 1. Basic admission requirements are the submission of a completed application form (available online), the required application fee ($75), a statement of background and goals, official transcripts, official scores on the GRE General Test, TOEFL or IELTS scores (if applicable), and two recommendations.

The Faculty and Their Research

• Michael Amitay, Assistant Professor; D.Sc., Technion (Israel). Aerodynamics flow control, mini-and micro-unmanned aerial vehicles and two-phase flows with applications in medical engineering. (amitam@rpi.edu)
• Kurt S. Anderson, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Stanford. Multibody dynamics, parallel computing, vehicle dynamics. (anderk5@rpi.edu)
• Thierry A. Blanchet, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Dartmouth. Tribology, solid lubrication, surface science, contact mechanics. (blanct@rpi.edu)
• Robert C. Block, Research Professor and Co-Director of LINAC; Ph.D., Duke. Neutron cross-section measurement, use of ionizing radiation to destroy pollutants, production of radioisotopes for medical applications. blockr@rpi.edu)
• Diana Borca-Tasciuc, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., UCLA. MEMS, NEMS, microfluidics, heat transfer in nanosystems. (borcad@rpi.edu)
• Theodorian Borca-Tasciuc, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., UCLA. Heat transfer and energy conversion, nanotechnology, MEMS. (borcat@rpi.edu)
• Luciano Castillo, Associate Professor; Ph.D., SUNY at Buffalo. Fluid mechanics, turbulent boundary layers. (castil2@rpi.edu)
• Yaron Danon, Associate Professor and Co-Director of LINAC; Ph.D., Rensselaer. Nuclear instrumentation and data, accelerator technology and radiation applications, nondestructive testing, neural networks applications. (danony@rpi.edu)
• Suvranu De, Assistant Professor; Sc.D., MIT. Numerical methods in engineering, multimodal virtual environments, fast computational techniques of MEMS. (des@rpi.edu)
• Stephen J. Derby, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Rensselaer. Automation, mechanisms, robotics, design. (derbys@rpi.edu)
• Donald D. Drew, Professor (joint with Mathematics); Ph.D., Rensselaer. Applied mathematics, fluid mechanics. (drewd@rpi.edu)
• George J. Dvorak, Professor; Ph.D., Brown. Theoretical and experimental aspects of micromechanical response of composite materials, heterogeneous media and composite structures. (dvorak@rpi.edu)
• Mark J. Embrechts, Associate Professor (joint with Decision Sciences and Engineering Systems); Ph.D., Virginia Tech. Fusion engineering, applied chaos theory, neural networks. (embrem@rpi.edu)
• Jacob Fish, Professor (joint with Civil Engineering); Ph.D., Northwestern. Computational mechanics, finite element methods, micromechanics, mathematical modeling. (fishj@rpi.edu)
• Prabhat Hajela, Professor; Ph.D., Stanford. Optimum design, structural dynamics, aeroelasticity.(hajelap@rpi.edu)
• Amir Hirsa, Professor; Ph.D., Michigan. Fluid mechanics, surface tension, micro/biofluids. (hirsaa@rpi.edu)
• Hanchen Huang, Professor; Ph.D., UCLA. Nanomechanics of materials, thin-film deposition, radiation damage, multiscale materials modeling. (huangh@rpi.edu)
• Kenneth E. Jansen, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Stanford. Computational mechanics, parallel computing, computational fluid dynamics. (kjansen@scorec.rpi.edu)
• Michael K. Jensen, Professor; Ph.D., Iowa State. Heat transfer, fluid mechanics, energy systems. (jensem@rpi.edu)
• Wei Ji, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Michigan. Radiation transport methods, application of computational transport methods and radiation imaging techniques. (jiw2@rpi.edu)
• Deborah A. Kaminski, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Rensselaer. Heat transfer, computational fluid mechanics, thermal radiation. (kamind@rpi.edu)
• Nikhil Koratkar, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Maryland at College Park. Smart materials and structures, rotorcraft, unsteady aerodynamics. (koratn@rpi.edu)
• Richard Lahey Jr., Professor (joint with Chemical Engineering); Ph.D., Stanford. Multiphase flow and boiling heat transfer, reactor safety analysis, reactor thermal-hydraulics, applications of chaos theory. (laheyr@rpi.edu)
• Jie Lian, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Michigan. Nanotechnology and energy; nuclear materials, including radiation damage and nuclear fuel; nanofabrication. (lianj@rpi.edu)
• Li Liu, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., MIT. Neutron scattering, dynamics of hydrated proteins and DNA, nanomaterials. (liue@rpi.edu)
• Bimal K. Malaviya, Professor; Ph.D., Harvard. Fission and fusion reactor physics and technology, biomedical applications, radioactive waste management. (malavb@rpi.edu)
• Antoinette M. Maniatty, Professor; Ph.D., Cornell. Continuum mechanics, mechanics of materials. (maniaa2@ rpi.edu)
• Achille Messac, Professor; Ph.D., MIT. Optimal design, physical programming, design methodology, structural dynamics. (messac@rpi.edu)
• Leik N. Myrabo, Associate Professor; Ph.D., California, San Diego. Energy systems, space technology. (myrabl@rpi.edu)
• Assad Oberai, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Stanford. Multiscale modeling, turbulence modeling and simulation, computational biomechanics, inverse problems. (oberaa@rpi.edu)
• Matt Oehlschlaeger, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Stanford. Combustion, propulsion and energy systems, optical diagnostics. (oehlsm@rpi.edu)
• Aleksandar G. Ostrogorsky, Professor; Sc.D., MIT. Heat transfer and fluid mechanics, solidification, crystal growth. (ostroa@rpi.edu)
• Yoav Peles, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Technion (Israel). MEMS fabrication, design and device testing, design and manufacturing of electronic packaging. (pelesy@rpi.edu)
• Catalin R. Picu, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Dartmouth. Mechanics of solids, micro- and nano-mechanics of crystalline defects, atomistic simulations. (picuc.rpi.edu)
• Michael Z. Podowski, Professor; Ph.D., Warsaw Technical. Two-phase flow and heat transfer, reactor dynamics and safety, system stability, applied mathematics. (podowm@rpi.edu)
• Zvi Rusak, Professor; D.Sc., Technion (Israel). Theoretical aerodynamics, fluid mechanics. (rusakz@rpi.edu)
• Henry A. Scarton, Associate Professor and Director, Laboratory for Noise and Vibration Control Research; Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon. Biomechanics, wave phenomena, acoustics, noise control. (scarton@rpi.edu)
• Mark S. Shephard, Professor (joint with Civil Engineering); Ph.D., Cornell. Development of techniques to reliably automate the finite element modeling process: adaptive analysis techniques, parallel finite element procedures, and automated finite element model generation. (shephard@scorec.rpi.edu)
• Richard N. Smith, Professor; Ph.D., Berkeley. Energy systems. (smithr@rpi.edu)
• Euan R. C. Somerscales, Associate Professor Emeritus; Ph.D., Cornell. Heat transfer. (somere@rpi.edu)
• Robert L. Spilker, Professor (joint with Biomedical Engineering); Ph.D., MIT. Biomechanics, finite element methods. (spilker@rpi.edu)
• Don Steiner, Research Professor; Ph.D., MIT. Nuclear fusion systems, plasma engineering, radiation effects on materials. (steind@rpi.edu)
• John A. Tichy, Professor; Ph.D., Michigan. Tribology, non-Newtonian fluid mechanics, rheology. (tichyj@rpi.edu)
• Daniel Walczyk, Associate Professor; Ph.D., MIT. Rapid tooling, environmentally conscious design, machine design. (walczd@rpi.edu)
• Timothy Wei, Professor and Department Head; Ph.D., Michigan. Turbulence, fluid-structure interactions, biological flows.
• John Ting-Yung Wen, Professor (joint with Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering); Ph.D., Rensselaer. Nonlinear control, robot control, flexible structures control, deformation processes control. (wenj@rpi.edu)
• Xie George Xu, Professor (joint with Biomedical Engineering); Ph.D., Texas A&M. Environmental health physics, health and medical physics, Monte Carlo simulations, anatomical modeling, biomedical use of radiation. (xug2@rpi.edu)
• Lucy Zhang, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Northwestern. Multiscale fluid dynamics, fluid-structure interactions, computational nanotechnology.
• Research and Innovation Initiatives
• Aeronautics: Research is conducted in the performance of fixed-wing aircraft, rotorcraft, and space vehicles, as well as micro-vehicles. The research is supported by fundamental studies in computational and theoretical fluid dynamics, aerodynamics, advanced propulsion, experimental fluid dynamics, energy conversion, vehicle dynamics, and design optimization.
• Energy Systems/Multiphase Phenomena and Heat Transfer: Studies are related to energy conversion and the development of mechanical power, convective heat transfer and freezing, electronic cooling, fouling, heat transfer augmentation, mass transfer, computational fluid dynamics and multidimensional effects in multiphase flow, and heat transfer with applications in nuclear, mechanical, thermal, chemical, biomedical, and pharmaceutical systems; development of mechanistic models; and computer simulation capabilities.
• Manufacturing/Design: Studies revolve around design methodology in general and mechanical engineering design techniques in particular. There are applications in machinery and mechanical systems design, the development of new manufacturing techniques, and operation of manufacturing facilities. Areas of concentration include flexible manufacturing, rapid prototyping, tribology, and system integration.
• Medical and Health Physics: Research in this area has diverse applications including the assessment of radiation dose in nuclear power industry, medical imaging, and therapeutic procedures. These problems are studied by measurement and computational methods, including the use of Monte Carlo codes.
• Multiscale Modeling: With a strong emphasis on computational methods combined with multiscale modeling, basic research is being performed on diverse topics such as advanced material design including nanotechnology, computational fluid dynamics, molecular and multibody dynamics, and biomedical device design.
• Nuclear Science and Technology: Research involves a wide spectrum of issues crucial to the nuclear industries. Investigations are ongoing into the interaction of neutrons and other radiation with materials used in nuclear reactors; nuclear data analysis and evaluation; radiation transport studies; conceptual designs of fusion power systems and their engineering, safety, and environmental implications; plasma wall interactions; and analysis of reactor accidents and safety studies. Facilities include a versatile 100-Mev electron linear accelerator, time-of-flight and associated instrumentation, a critical reactor facility, a three-dimensional laser Doppler anemometer, and miscellaneous nuclear radiation equipment and computational aids.
• Space Technology: Research areas include analysis, design, development, and operations required for space exploration and utilization. Research is ongoing in advanced energetics (laser propulsion), structural dynamics, and optimization.

Correspondence and Information

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Professor Amir Hirsa
Associate Chair for Graduate Studies
Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering
Jonsson Engineering Center 2049
110 8th Street
Troy, New York 12180
Email: hirsaa@rpi.edu