Finding fusion: an engineer and neurosurgeon unite to improve spinal surgery

Close-up of a model spine with a small, white, rectangular implant between two vertebrae. Red and yellow spinal ligaments are visible.
Professor Jim Schmiedeler with "Ernie," a walking robot.

Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering is building a better world for all, tackling problems that affect human dignity and quality of life worldwide.

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News

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Ornate stone entrance to Cushing Hall of Engineering, with the building name engraved in gothic-style lettering above a large arched wooden door, partially framed by green leaves in the foreground.

The Notre Dame College of Engineering welcomes 9 new members to the faculty this fall

“We are thrilled to welcome this outstanding group of new faculty to the College of Engineering,” said Patricia J. …

Cushing Hall of Engineering relief

Notre Dame Awards Prestigious Engineering Postdoctoral Fellowships for 2025

This fall, the College of Engineering welcomes seven new postdoctoral fellows through the Provost’s Postdoctoral …

Maria Holland

Maria Holland named standing member of NIH Modeling and Analysis of Biological Systems Study Section 

Maria Holland, associate professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at the University of Notre Dame, has been …

Ornate stone entrance to Cushing Hall of Engineering, with the building name engraved in gothic-style lettering above a large arched wooden door, partially framed by green leaves in the foreground.

Seven engineering faculty named collegiate professors

Seven faculty members in the Notre Dame College of Engineering have been named collegiate professors—a prestigious …

Anatomical model of vertebrae with an artificial spinal disc implant.

Finding fusion: an engineer and neurosurgeon unite to improve spinal surgery

It is the summer of 2023, and Dr. Stephen Smith sits face-to-face with a model skeleton in the Engineering North …

A machine to detect certain molecules in air samples. The machine consists of a glass box connected with various wires, with a green air pump on one side.

Airborne disease detection made easier with new, low-cost device

Airborne hazardous chemicals can be dilute, mobile, and hard to trap. Yet accurately measuring these chemicals is …

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Events

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Sep
16

Anatomics: Co-engineering Body and Machine to Improve Bionic Performance

Tyler Clites, UCLA
3:30 p.m., September 16, 2025
Sep
24

Fluid mechanics of riblets drag reduction

Daniel Chung, University of Melbourne
3:30 p.m., September 24, 2025
Sep
30

Advancing Photonics with Tailorable Materials: From Tunability to New Physics

Alexandra Boltasseva, Purdue University
3:30 p.m., September 30, 2025
Oct
7

Harnessing exascale and machine learning to advance fusion energy science

Kelli Humbird, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
3:30 p.m., October 7, 2025

Explore Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering

Mach 6 Wind Tunnel

Facilities and Resources

Hessert Laboratory for Aerospace Research and Hessert Laboratory at White Field are among the world’s finest university-based aerospace research facilities. They feature 19 major high-speed wind tunnels that generate the near-flight conditions for groundbreaking work in aerospace engineering, as well as labs and equipment that support investigations in aero-acoustics, aero-optics, fluid-structure interactions, gas-turbine propulsion, general flow control, hypersonics, multi-phase flows, sensor and flow actuator development, and wind energy.

AME senior student holding RC plane before a test flight

Undergraduate Programs

Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering offers two undergraduate degree programs, one in Aerospace Engineering and one in Mechanical Engineering.

BajaSAE Club team with cart

Clubs and community

Students contribute to campus life and the engineering profession through many clubs and organizations, including the Rocket Team, BajaSAE, NDSeed, Engineers without Borders, the marching band, glee club, liturgical choir, and many others.

Spotlight on Research in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering

Fighting to go faster and farther than ever thought possible

Prof. Tom Juliano works at the next frontier of aerospace research, using the Mach-6 wind tunnel in the Hessert Laboratory for Aerospace Research to solve complex issues in high-speed flight. Plans are underway for a Mach-10 quiet tunnel that will extend research in this area to yet higher speeds.

Fighting to Go Faster and Farther than Ever Thought Possible