It's not uncommon to hear mechanical engineers comment that they didn't know very much about the profession before they started working; perhaps because it's such a broad field, mechanical engineering is difficult to describe.

You can expect to find a mechanical engineer wherever there are moving parts. "Perhaps the one skill that is the mechanical engineer's exclusive domain is the ability to analyze and design objects and systems with motion," according to Vijay Modi, chairman of Columbia University's mechanical engineering department. "To put it simply, mechanical engineering deals with anything that moves."

Traditionally, mechanical engineers have been involved in areas such as automotive and aircraft design, electric power generation, controls, and heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) - and many still are. These "traditional" fields for mechanical engineers are being augmented by opportunities in more diverse fields such as health care and materials science. (See New Fields exhibit and Traditional Fields exhibit).

The mechanical engineering discipline includes mechanical engineering technology, which focuses on the practical application of engineering principles. Mechanical technicians help engineers design, develop, test, and manufacture industrial machinery, consumer products, and other equipment. They may assist in product tests - by setting up instrumentation for auto crash tests, for example. They may make sketches and rough layouts, record data, make computations, analyze results, and write reports.

The world is becoming increasingly integrated by information systems, economic markets and the politics of social issues, and the challenges society faces are growing inherently more complex. Many issues, such as global warming, harnessing the potential of the human genome, and developing sustainable energy systems, require the interaction of different disciplines to investigate complex challenges and identify innovative solutions. A multidisciplinary approach, with important roles for various scientific and engineering disciplines, is becoming more prevalent in engineering.

One of the broadest of the engineering disciplines, mechanical engineering is poised to contribute to and thrive in the emerging multidisciplinary environment. A mechanical engineering perspective is critical in modern society, whether the challenge is creating a functional prosthetic arm or designing a pollution control system. You must be prepared intellectually and professionally to broaden your conceptual framework and to adapt to the constantly changing discipline. This is a period of rapid technological change, and as a mechanical engineer, you have the opportunity to have an active role in that change. More than ever, it's an exciting time to be a mechanical engineer.

In this module, we'll describe the mechanical engineering discipline - the ways in which it's evolving, and the opportunities and possibilities it offers you - and we'll introduce you to the phenomenon of multidisciplinary thinking - why and how it is emerging and its implications for you as a mechanical engineer.