MNE Research and Facilities

The Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering actively conducts research to generate new knowledge that will strengthen and support undergraduate and graduate education at Penn State, in the United States and beyond. Our faculty are renowned for their ability to work well and participate in interdisciplinary research with several of the University's consortia, multidisciplinary research with universities across the United States, and also collaborate with many of the academic colleges and research centers within Penn State.

Research Overview

The Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering's research expenditures totaled approximately $25 million annually to support students as well as purchase state of the art equipment for their laboratories. Primary funding comes from both industry and government sources such as the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Agency, the National Institutes of Health, the Army, the Air Force, and NASA.

Research Facilities and Projects

There are numerous research facilities that are made available to students who can experience hands-on experimental techniques as well as modern computational simulations. Two such facilities of particular distinction are the Breazeale Nuclear Reactor, located at the Radiation Science and Engineering Center, and the Materials Research Institute. The Breazeale Nuclear Reactor is the longest-operating licensed university research reactor in the United States. The Materials Research Institute just moved into a new facility that houses numerous experimental facilities that assist MNE faculty in their research efforts. Find out more about MNE's lab facilities and research centers.

Our faculty collaborate with other interdisciplinary programs such as the Materials Research Institute, the Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment and the Applied Research Lab.