Departments Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

‘We want to make sure kids are getting health education’

Arunika Makam, a fifth-year mechanical engineering student, heads an organization that helps high schoolers make good choices about sexual health, mental health, and substance use.

by Ian Thomsen September 9, 2020

He’ll donate the face shields he’ll make in his dorm

After the pandemic forced him to leave campus in March, mechanical engineering student Max Seidel joined with a friend to produce and donate 4,250 shields to hospitals, police departments, schools, and other organizations. Seidel returned to campus over the weekend with plans to continue production using a 3D printer from his single room in International Village.

by Ian Thomsen September 2, 2020

Jessica Faust. Photo courtesy of Jessica Faust.

With her help, we can build better bridges (and better bones)

Jessica Faust, a doctoral student in mechanical engineering, has put in numerous hours in labs across Boston to develop better materials for buildings and bone grafts. Her achievements have earned her an Outstanding Graduate Student Award in Research.

by Khalida Sarwari May 12, 2020

Faculty Expert

Babak Heydari

Assistant Professor or Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

Sagar Kamarthi is a professor of mechanical and industrial engineering at Northeastern. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

The future of manufacturing is here. Are we ready?

Sagar Kamarthi, who teaches mechanical and industrial engineering at Northeastern, is helping the workforce prepare for a new landscape. This year, he is one of two faculty to receive Northeastern’s Excellence in Teaching Award.

by Khalida Sarwari April 29, 2020

Image of emergency response tent in Pennsylvania

This model can help hospitals prepare for a surge of COVID-19 cases

Engineering professor James Benneyan helped create a tool to calculate when hospitals might run out of essential resources, such as staff and ventilators, as COVID-19 cases peak.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa April 15, 2020

Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

Which ‘social distancing’ policies are actually working?

Bans on large gatherings. Restaurant and bar limits. School cancellations. Babak Heydari, an associate professor of mechanical and industrial engineering, found out which state policies work best to keep people at home.

by Laura Castañón April 13, 2020

This family business shifted gears to protect people on the front lines of COVID-19

To address the shortage of protective equipment caused by the pandemic, Lacerta, a Massachusetts-based packaging company founded by three Iranian immigrants who attended Northeastern, is producing plastic face shields.

by Linda Matchan - contributor April 8, 2020

What can a rhododendron teach us about robotics?

Moneesh Upmanyu, professor of mechanical and industrial engineering, is studying how and why the leaves of rhododendron plants curl up in cold temperatures. The answer could help him design smart, folding structures and electronics that respond to temperature changes or other stimulation.

by Laura Castañón March 27, 2020

Northeastern graduate Bob Rioux demonstrates one of his inventions at Proven Process in Mansfield, Massachusetts. Rioux holds 110 patents for medical devices. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

He has created 110 ways to treat diseases and save lives

Northeastern graduate Bob Rioux, an inventor with 110 patents for medical devices, has made a career of solving problems for doctors and their patients.

by Ian Thomsen March 16, 2020