Mechanical engineering

Bridging the gap

Genevieve Coblentz-Strong supports marine science through mechanical design and engages her community through ocean protection organizations

Genevieve Coblentz-Strong, a fourth-year student of oceanography and mechanical engineering, is bridging the gap between her dedication to ocean health and interest in design through research.

“Oceanographers rely heavily on the technologies they use, making a background in mechanical engineering valuable,” she said. “I really enjoy talking with researchers to figure out their needs so I can build something useful.”

FY 23 Research Funding Highlights

Oregon State University’s College of Engineering is the nation’s seventh-largest engineering college and a proven leader in research, with impacts that extend statewide, regionally, nationally, and globally. Research conducted here expands knowledge and creates use-inspired solutions in fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, advanced manufacturing, clean water, materials science, sustainable energy, high-performance computing, resilient infrastructure, and health-related engineering.

Building a better cookstove

Photos courtesy of National Science Foundation

Across the developing world, daily cooking responsibilities are largely held by women and girls who cook — often indoors — on open fires fueled by organic matter like wood or dung. From airy thatched huts in Uganda to snug stone homes high in the Andes, those fires are billowing smoke that they and their neighbors breathe in.

Cassie Steps into the limelight

Jonathan Hurst, associate professor of mechanical engineering, demonstrates Cassie the robot at Amazon's MARS 2017 Conference.
Photo courtesy of Amazon.


Oregon State University College of Engineering’s robotics program is growing rapidly, propelled by breakthrough innovations, and industry leaders are taking notice.

The college has recently spun off one of its first businesses, a company focused on legged locomotion that may revolutionize robot mobility and enable robots to go anywhere people can go.

Partnering for better transit planning

Public transit planners throughout the nation should soon be rolling toward more informed decision making and better service thanks to a partnership between Oregon State University’s College of Engineering and the Oregon Department of Transportation.

The university and state transportation officials have teamed up on an extension to the General Transit Feed Specification, commonly known as the GTFS. The extension is called GTFS-ride.

More early-career standouts for MIME

Three MIME faculty have achieved early-career benchmarks by earning prestigious and competitive research awards from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR). This is the second year in a row that the school can boast three winners in a single year, and it now lists 14 of its 50 research faculty as past winners. Altogether, research funding for this year’s awards totals more than $1.5 million.