Today, the role of the mechanical engineer is ever expanding in order to find innovative solutions for contemporary problems, and to address problems yet to be identified. To meet the growing demands of worldwide energy needs spurred by population growth and dwindling supplies of fossil fuels, for instance, mechanical engineers seek innovations in nuclear energy, biofuels, wind, and tidal energies to build an energy portfolio that exploits these seemingly limitless resources. From design to manufacturing, an awareness of stealth threats to product realization – due to an ever present cyber threat – is in the minds of mechanical engineers. Now more mechanical engineers oversee the operations and management of large systems along with the fiscal and human resources needed to run them.
James Michener once said, "Scientists dream about doing great things. Engineers do them." Mechanical engineers use science to advance technologies and to develop products for the benefit of society, in a discipline which dates back to the earliest of times in civilization. The major in mechanical engineering has three program education objectives, namely:
To expand - through pedagouge, research, and service - the intellectual culture of George Mason University and the Volgenau School of Engineering leading to distinct innovations, beneficial to humanity
The Mechanical Engineering Department is located in the Volgenau School of Engineering named in Honor of Ernst and Sara Volgenau.
Ernst Volgenau is the Chairman of SRA International Inc., a company he founded in 1978. SRA is an information technology consulting and systems inte- gration company primarily serving the federal government. Since its founding, SRA has sustained rapid growth and now exceeds 3,300 employees.
