This week the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics observes its centennial anniversary.
The department originally began as the Department of Engineering Mechanics and Materials. Considered a "service department," the unit did not grant degrees and was charged with teaching students from other programs about elementary mechanics and engineering mechanics.
Under Dean Harry Hammond, the department's name was changed to the Department of Engineering Mechanics in 1940.
The genesis of the college's nuclear engineering program also began with engineering mechanics. The department taught the University's first courses in nuclear engineering during the 1953-54 academic year as a pair of three-credit electives for juniors and seniors on the topic's foundation.
During that same academic year, the engineering science program was established as an honors program to give undergraduates a more extensive preparation in mathematics, physics and other theoretical subjects, as well as prepare them for graduate school. Promising incoming freshmen were identified and interviewed, with only 50 being invited each year to study in engineering science.
By 1959, Penn State was one of only four schools in the country to offer an engineering science program, with seven other universities offering similar programs under the banner of "engineering physics."
Nearly all students who participated in the engineering science program graduated and went on to graduate school or research and development positions in government or the private sector.
In 1974, the engineering science program merged with the Department of Engineering Mechanics, whose course of study paralleled that of engineering science, to become the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics.
In spring 2000, the department moved into the newly constructed Earth and Engineering Sciences (EES) Building on Penn State's West Campus. Shared with the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, the EES Building contains multimedia classrooms and cutting-edge modern information and communication technologies. As of fall 2005, the department enrolled 46 undergraduates and 84 graduate students.
To commemorate the milestone, the department is holding a series of events for its students, faculty, staff and alumni, including a picnic, recognition dinner, tours and speakers.
The department also has established the Centennial Fellow Award, designed to recognize a select group of alumni who are leaders in engineering disciplines and professions and provide a benchmark of excellence. A total of 84 people will be recognized with the honor.