Chairman's Message

Matthew A. Franchek Chairman, Department of Mechanical Engineering Director, Biomedical Engineering Program

Welcome to Mechanical Engineering!

Mechanical engineers are unique because we are universal, multi-domain engineers who are trained to see engineering problems as a whole thereby allowing us to invent creative solutions. Our work stretches across a multitude of fields, including medicine, biomedical, aerospace; energy conversion; design of mechanical components and systems; product design, reliability and safety; materials; instrumentation and control processes.

Here at the UH Cullen College of Engineering, we have an extensive program, but we are agile enough to deliver the kind of education students really need in today’s economy. We don’t fall back on the old teaching models that emphasize memorization and regurgitation. Instead, we provide an educational experience that fosters intellectual curiosity and challenges each of our students to learn, to create, and to innovate.

What do we have to offer that most other engineering institutions don’t?

• Smaller class sizes taught by faculty, not teaching assistants
• More one-on-one learning opportunities
• More hands-on experiences interlaced with the theory of engineering sciences
• Innovations in learning laboratories
• Adjunct professors that actually practice in the field
• World-class faculty, including five members of the National Academy of Engineering

The key to our approach is teaching the students to become self-learners, and that attribute makes our engineering graduates very unique. Our engineers keep learning long after they leave the university, which is extremely important now and becoming more important every day because companies are seeking—and finding—more value by hiring foreign-educated engineers for lower wages.

That may be a problem for some, but our graduates are extremely competitive because they have something unique to offer: the ability to assimilate vast amounts of the mechanical engineering sciences to invent new technologies, reshape industries and energize economies. Mechanical engineering stresses the universal, multi-domain vision required in product design and technology development. And the mechanical engineer that keeps learning, growing and creating will always be in demand and out perform his/her competitors.

I would like to extend a warm welcome to all our visitors, and I urge you to explore our website and learn more about the UH Department of Mechanical of Engineering. I hope to see you in one of my classes.

Matthew A. Franchek
Chairman, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Director, Biomedical Engineering Program