Spotlight on Mechanical Engineering
Student highlight
Name: Tim Cheng
Degree: MS and PhD in Mechanical Engineering
Faculty lab: Associate Professor Robert White
Hometown: Guilford, CT
Why Tufts?
I enjoy a smaller school with a diverse set of majors; it really promotes the mingling of knowledge between many fields. So when Professor White approached me with an interesting project that mixed acoustical, electrical, and mechanical aspects together, I was all in.
Favorite thing about living in the Medford/Somerville and Boston area?
Living on the outskirts of Boston, I really get the best of both worlds when it comes to urban and forest environments. One day can be a visit to a world class museum and the next a secluded jog by a wooded lake.
Any advice you’d give to prospective students or new graduate students?
Use the vast resources on campus — talk with professors outside of class, set a personal record in the gym, make a gizmo in the machine shop. Your education is not limited to coursework or just what is in your major.
Faculty highlight
Name: Associate Professor Robert White
Research interests: Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) fabrication, modeling, and testing, acoustic MEMS (microphones, ultrasound), and aerodynamic measurement technologies (skin friction sensors, aeroacoustic sensors).
About Professor White:
Robert White’s core expertise is in acoustic microsystems, microfabrication/MEMS, biomimetic sensing, modeling and design of sensors, and vibro-acoustic experimental techniques. He has been working on microfabricated devices since 1996 and has been with the Department of Mechanical Engineering since 2005. He runs a research group working at the intersection of micro- and nano-scale devices, acoustics, sensors, and aerodynamics.
He is also the founding director of the Tufts Micro- and Nano-Fabrication Facility, which first opened to the Tufts community in 2007. His research interests are directed towards device development and engineering science in micro- and nano-technology, with an emphasis on acoustic sensing, wind tunnel instrumentation, aerodynamic measurements, dynamic systems, and robotic systems.