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A pilot freshman curriculum has been designed and implemented in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The four-course sequence gives freshmen an overview of a broad range of mechanical engineering activities, ranging from system design and project management, electronics and programming, to technical writing and presentations. Students take a two-quarter 'Introduction to Mechanical Engineering Design' course and a two-quarter 'Measurements, Instrumentation, and Controls' course. In each sequence, the first course gives students most of the basic tools they will need and the second is centered on an electromechanical Rube Goldberg design project, undertaken by the whole class. Students develop the design concept, build the system, and prove that it works. They are able to practice skills such as communications, teamwork, time management, and experimentation. The integrated first-year course sequences have been offered for two years and have proved successful. The students were clearly satisfied with their experience.

, being the first woman civilian faculty member in her department. Margaret maintains a research program in the area of advanced thermodynamic analyses and health monitoring of energy intensive systems.

MARGARET BAILEY, registered professional engineer, is the Kate Gleason Chair and Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at RIT. She earned her BSE at Pennsylvania State University in 1988 and her Ph.D. at University of Colorado at Boulder in 1998. She conducts research with students using advanced thermodynamic analyses and neural network modeling applied to various, energy-intensive, complex mechanical systems. Dr. Bailey serves in numerous leadership roles within her college, including Executive Director of RIT's Women in Engineering Program (WE@RIT); ME Department Advocate for Engineering Honors Program; and Member of Multidisciplinary Capstone Design Leadership Team.