At the end of 2013, a group of students from the UH College of Technology and Cullen College of Engineering formed the IMechE-UH Student Chapter. This was done primarily to address the need for integration and collaboration between the STEM disciplines at the University which traditionally remain separate entities. Additional objectives of the Student Chapter are to supplement the existing curriculum with a series of hands-on workshops, as well as to provide a vehicle for connecting students with potential mentors within the industry.
The formal relationship between the University of Houston and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers began in March of 2012 when then-president Rod Smith visited the UH College of Technology.
During the 2012/2013 school year, the IMechE Texas Group sponsored its first UH senior project: Team Daedalus. Under the instruction of Associate Professor Raresh Pascali, Team Daedalus successfully designed and built a hydrogen fuel-cell powered car that reached 16.67 mile per kilowatt (equivalent to 66.67 mpg) and competed in the Shell Eco-Marathon held that spring.
During the 2013/2014 school year the Institution sponsored Team Vibramatic: another team under Pascali’s instruction working to build an effective platform to conduct structural vibration and modal tests in the newly constructed Northwest Campus laboratory.
The IMechE-UH Student Chapter recruited 17 new affiliate members within the first quarter of 2014 and continues to grow. For additional information contact the current student chair atimecheuh@uh.edu