Welcome from Steven Eckels

Professor and Department Head

Whether you are a student, visitor to our department or an alumnus, I want to welcome you. We work hard to provide the high-quality education that Kansas State University is known for, and we are proud that our K-State family atmosphere naturally fosters lifelong friendships and professional networks.

It’s an exciting time in our department, as students in our degree programs have more options to customize their learning experiences than ever before. Students can choose the nuclear engineering option, minors or accelerated programs. Students can gain exposure to research and creative inquiry that can lead to graduate school opportunities. We recently expanded our accelerated programs, and students may now obtain their bachelor's in mechanical engineering, as well as their master's in mechanical or nuclear engineering, in just five years. Similar five-year opportunities exist for aviation programs or a Master of Business Administration. This is in addition to our offerings of bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering and master's and doctoral degrees in nuclear engineering.

Students, I encourage you to actively engage in every part of your education. Join a club or team and attend K-State events. Introduce yourself to your instructors, ask questions and use office hours. Utilize K-State's resources for research opportunities, internship connections, tutoring support and mental health counseling. Remember that your academic adviser is a great resource and is here to assist you if you have any concerns throughout your time at K-State.

Potential students, we invite you to tour some of our facilities and see the developments that are occurring in our department. For example, take time to view the design space where our competition teams work on many projects including wind power, rocketry, Baja vehicle design, Formula-style racing team and aero team, to name a few.

Alumni, if you are on campus, I hope you will take a moment to stop and say hello in the main office. You may even find a picture from those glory days at K-State.

If you have any questions about becoming an undergraduate or graduate student in the Alan Levin Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, please call or email, as we would enjoy talking with you.

Sincerely,

Steven Eckels
Steven M. and Kay L. Theede Chair in Engineering
eckels@k-state.edu