Stony Brook University SUNY Korea

It is an undeniable fact that the role of mechanical engineering is continuously growing in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution through new technologies such as AI.

To meet the needs of such a time, Hamid Hefazi, professor and chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department, contributed in publishing the second edition of the Springer Handbook of Mechanical Engineering as a chapter author and also an editor.

This book “provide[s] a valuable guide for all who design, develop, manufacture, operate, and use mechanical artifacts,” and “senior students can use it as a resource for their senior design or other projects”. Students can borrow the copy of this book at the MEC Department! 

Below is Professor Hefazi’s written interview:

[Interview Questions]

1  1) Please introduce yourself. 

I am a professor and the Chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department at the State University of New York (SUNY) – Korea. I received my PhD in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Southern California (USC) in 1985. After working for the McDonnel Douglas Corporation in Long Beach, California for a while, I joined the California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) as a professor and department head, and worked there until 2013.

Prior to joining SUNY Korea I was the Head of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) department at California State University for 12 years and Florida Institute of Technology for 6 years. For more than 35 years, I have been teaching and conducting research on many mechanical and aerospace engineering topics for agencies such as NASA, the Boeing Company, Northrop Grumman Space Technology and the US Office of Naval Research among others. I served as the director of the “Boeing Technology Centre” at CSULB for 12 years.  

I also have an interest in sailing and ship design and served as consultant for Prada 2000 and 2003 America's Cup Challenges in the areas of keel hull and sail performance for race boats. I also have worked extensively as a consultant for wind-energy companies on wind turbine design and have two US patents for Vertical Axis Wind Turbines.

2  2) Could you explain what Mechanical Engineering is to non-ME majors?

Mechanical Engineering (ME) is the most popular engineering major in many industrially advanced countries such as Korea.  It is a foundational engineering discipline, which integrates core engineering sciences with other fields such as computer aided design (CAD), electronics and computer sciences, computer aided manufacturing (CAM), 3D printing, and experimentation, into a dynamic interdisciplinary field. Among various engineering disciplines, ME represents a good balance between theory and practical skills such as design, creativity experimentation, manufacturing skills, etc.

Looking ahead, the role of mechanical engineering is expected to substantially grow in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4RI), through new technologies such as robotics and automation, autonomous systems, sustainable energy, advanced transportation systems, smart materials, bio medical and space technologies, as well as demand for the manufacturing of new generation electronics and AI platforms, to name a few. All of these open new horizons for exciting careers in mechanical engineering.   

3) Could you briefly explain what this book is about?

This book is published by Springer Nature Switzerland AG, which is a publishing company headquartered in Cham, Switzerland. It is an essential resource for scientists and practicing engineers, as well as students during all phases of their studies. 

The first edition of the Springer Handbook of Mechanical Engineering was published in 2008 and was very well received by the mechanical engineering community worldwide. As early as 2015, the publication of an updated second edition of the handbook was discussed with Springer, based on suggestions from authors and readers to include new developments in mechanical engineering. The publication took some time to complete but we are now very happy to present the second edition.  

We have been privileged to work with approximately 100 authors from all around the world to gather selected and useful information about the discipline. A unique aspect of this handbook is that it contains a lot of practical information and data that are the result of the many years of experiences of the authors. A lot of this information is not available in any other sources.

4  4) What is your contribution to publishing this book? 

I have two contributions to this book. First, I, along with Prof. Karl Heinrich Grote from the Otto-von-Guericke University in Magdeburg, Germany are editors of the book. While the chapter authors are primarily responsible for the contents of each chapter, the role of the editors is to establish goals, set the standards and coordinate the content. We also make sure the information presented is useful, accurate and in line with the overall objective of the book.   

My second contribution to this book was as a chapter author. I wrote Chapter 24 of the book on Aerospace Engineering. Aerospace Engineering is a close subset of the mechanical engineering discipline. The information in this chapter is based on my years of experience and includes a lot of information that is not available in any other sources.

5  5) Do you recommend this book to SUNY Korea students and why?

Yes. This handbook is a valuable guide for all who design, develop, manufacture, operate, and use mechanical artefacts. Senior students can use it as a resource for their senior design or other projects.  The mathematics, mechanics and material sections are excellent resources for senior level and graduate students. The handbook can also provide valuable insight into various areas of mechanical engineering to students of other majors, such as technology management students.  They can gain an overview of technical areas without necessarily needing to understand the technical details that are presented. 

6 6) Please add whatever you wish to say about the book or Mechanical Engineering in general. 

Working with a large group of recognized experts in different fields of ME was a very rewarding experience. The wide range of expertise of the contributing authors solidified my appreciation of the discipline and it’s many contributions to improve life and address societal challenges in the past and for the future.

Like many other disciplines, the field of ME has been highly impacted by advancements in computing as well as new electronics, remote sensing, advanced diagnostics and AI technologies. These advancements allow ME to address new and complex areas of societal needs at realistic scales, which were not previously possible. I strongly urge students with interest and passion for creativity, problem solving and leadership skills to consider ME as a career option.