Catalog of Engineering Disciplines

From the blackness of space to the other side of the world, without aerospace engineers, we would never have the change to explore. They design space craft, air craft and satellites. Aerospace engineers helped put in place the satellites that help deliver World cup soccer across the air waves and GPS signals that help you find the nearest restaurant. They even help riders in the Tour de France by helping make their helmets aerodynamic.

For more information on this discipline, visit the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at NC State.

Biomedical Engineering grew out of specialties in mechanical, chemical and electrical engineering that bridge the gap between engineering and medicine. The artificial heart owes its existence to biomedical engineers. These engineers might help design a soccer shoe that would reduce the prevalence of injury in the knees of women soccer players.

For more information on this discipline, visit the Joint UNC-NC State Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME).

Imagine a world without M&M’S® or Nerds® Rope or even chocolate. Chemical engineers imagine ways to help the environment, to manufacture new drugs, new kinds of inks for printers, new polymers for fabrics, to keep food safe and many other things. They work on medical devices like artificial arteries for heart bypass surgery.

For more information on this discipline, visit the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at NC State.

From cell phones to the cruise control in your car, from GPS to iPods, from ultrasounds that let us see unborn babies to alternative energy systems, electrical engineers find ways to use electromagnetic fields to solve problems and improve life. Without electrical engineers, Cochlear™ implants that help people hear would not exist — neither would CDs or cell phones.

For more information on this discipline, visit the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NC State.

Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE) is all about choice. Industrial engineers organize people, energy, materials and other resources for efficient and quality systems, including manufacturing, health care delivery, transportation (like air traffic control) and many other areas. Without industrial engineers, an iPod might cost twice what it does now. Industrial engineers can help reduce the cost of health care and reduce the time you spend waiting in line at Disney World.

For more information on this discipline, visit the Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at NC State.

Mechanical Engineers design things that have moving parts. Without these engineers we wouldn’t be able to keep food cool or heat our homes. There would be no NASCAR and no family car. Many toys owe their existence to mechanical engineers. The track wheel on your iPod owes its existence to these engineers.

For more information on this discipline, visit the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at NC State.

What if you could have a shirt that could change color by flipping a switch? What if you could display changing messages on your back in LEDs that were a part of the fabric of your dress? These are a couple of the more fanciful applications of textile engineering. Textile engineers helped create the Nomex® fabric that keeps firefighters safe and the Kevlar® fibers in bullet-proof vests. Without textile engineers, your favorite pants might need ironing just when you need them.

For more information on this discipline, visit the Department of Textile Engineering, Chemistry and Science at NC State.