The Cal Poly Materials Engineering Department offers the only primarily undergraduate materials engineering program of the 53 materials science and engineering departments in the United States. It is student-centered with lots of hands-on learning by doing. Faculty and staff are dedicated to providing a positive learning environment where students learn engineering fundamentals, gain experience with materials characterization and testing equipment, and develop teamwork and professional skills. The MATE curriculum allows flexibility with breadth electives, as well as specialization with technical electives.
Modified from mate.calpoly.edu
Senior Projects from 2013
Simplifying the Testing and Calculation of Fracture Toughness of Thermoplastic and Thermoset Matrix Composite Materials, James Shedden
Grain Size Control in Post-Forged C263 Seamless Rolled Rings, Christopher Smith
An investigation of arabinan and cellulose based nano-composite fabrication methods, Marianne Smithfield, Carl Petterson, and Robert Miller
Evaluation of Forging Strain for Maximum Grain Size in Open-Die Forged 6061 Aluminum, Eric Strehl
Design of a Children’s Earth Science Exhibit for the Exploration Station in Grover Beach, California with an Emphasis on Fog Collection, Kathryn Thomas
Residual Stress Measurement of 7050 Aluminum Alloy Open Die Forgings Using the Hole-Drilling Method, Alexandra Viksne
Interactive Museum Exhibit to Introduce K-6 Grade Students to Circuits and the Electric Conductivity of Various Materials, Thien Vu-Nguyen
Senior Projects from 2012
Design and Development of an Interactive Materials-Based Learning Kit for K-4 Grade Levels, Thomas Agasid, Santiago Caceres, and James Woodhead
Bond Strength Characterization of SU-8 to SU-8 for Fabricating Microchannels of an Electrokinetic Microfluidic Pump, Nash Anderson
The Effects of Concentration, Stir Rate, and Processing Temperature on the Iridescence of Polymethyl Methacrylate Nanoparticles, David Baruela
Residential Water System Circuit Breaker for Monitoring of Abnormal Use, Griffin Beemiller
Characterization and Analysis of Low Room Temperature Ductility Nickel-Based Superalloy 718 Plus for Aircraft Engine Forgings, Jonathon Bracci
The Design and Fabrication of a Silicon Membrane for Electrostatic Actuation, Elizabeth L. Brooks
Improving Solar Cell Performance Using CdSe/ZnS Core/Shell Quantum Dots in a Spectral Conversion System, Buddy Bump
EFFECTS OF ALTERNATE CEMENTITIOUS MATERIALS ON COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF CEMENT MIX DESIGNS., Mitchell R. Bush
Morphology and Roughness of Al2O3 on Ferritic Stainless Steel Foil for Diesel Catalytic Converter Applications, Megan Butala
THE EFFECT OF FORGING TEMPERATURE ON CARBIDE PRECIPITATION AND DUCTILITY OF HAYNES 230 NICKEL-BASED SUPERALLOY, Thomas Chludzinski
Analysis of Failed Forging Saddling Mandrels and Process Improvements for Increased Mandrel Lifespan, Brock Costalupes
Discontinuous Grain Boundaries of Forged René 41, Steven Crump
LunaLight Project: Solar-Rechargeable LED Lantern and Cell Phone Charger, Sean C. Dawson, Michael E. Deagen, Francisco N. Dye, Brian S. Mircheff, and Ryan O. Ramelb
Wireless Temperature Monitoring System for the Cal Poly Pilot Winery, Caitlin Devaney
BIAXIAL & TWIST TESTING OF COMPOSITE CARBON-FIBER SANDWICH PANELS FOR AUTOMOTIVE RACING VEHICLES, Erik Eckberg
Creating a Solar Cell Array from a Single Silicon Wafer, Samyukta Gade and Roderick Marstell
Supermileage Chassis Dynamometer, Jose Garcia, Steve Janning, Timothy Lui, and Kyla Purvis
Fabricating Replacement Glass Prisms for the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse, Daniel Garcken