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The Engineering and Design Department offers four undergraduate Bachelor of Science degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Industrial Design, Manufacturing Engineering, and Polymer Materials Engineering.
Our department has a strong commitment to teaching and scholarship that develops industry-ready graduates through a combination of creative problem-solving, analytical skills development, and experiential learning.
We are located in the Ross Engineering Technology Building - ET
General Events
Student Club Events
Are you a WWU student? Check out our Engineering and Design Student Clubs Event Calendar for upcoming club and department hosted events and meetings.
Visit our Student Clubs page for more info on department clubs or to access the *NEW* online form to reserve space for your next ENGD student club event.
Meet Ermias Hagos, Manufacturing Engineering alum
Ermias Hagos graduated from Western in June with a bachelor's degree in Manufacturing Engineering. Born in Eritrea and raised in Seattle, Ermias found his way to WWU in 2019. Like many new students, when he arrived on campus, he wasn't sure what the end result would be from his years of study in Bellingham, but he found a field of study and future career and made the most of his time at Western outside the classroom. Filling the role of Black Student Union president in 2021-2022, being a standout student in his major, and starting his own podcast titled The Black Experience, Hagos has been a mentor and inspiration to other black students at Western.
Check out the conversation between Ermias and BSU president Tehkia Jones.
Number of Enrolled Students
697
2024-2025
Number of Graduates
82
2023-2024
Funded Research Projects
16
2018-2022
Department Research Funding
$2,034,521
2018-2022
Student Spotlight
Dori Harcharik
SAMPE 1st place research poster
Dori, a senior Polymer Materials Engineering student, attended the University Research Symposium at the 2024 CAMX (Composites and Advanced Materials Expo) in San Diego, California where she presented on the research pertaining to the synthesis of a partially bio-based polyurethane resin. Dori has been working on this project since Summer 2023, under the mentorship of Associate Professor John Misasi and on a team with 4 other undergraduate students. Dori had applied to the URS earlier in the year and was selected as a semifinalist, after which she submitted a full manuscript of her research work, which was reviewed by a panel of judges, after which was selected as a finalist. The national SAMPE organization, which she serves as the WWU chapter Vice President for, paid for the travel to San Diego to the CAMX conference to be a part of the URS. Dori met undergraduate and graduate students from across the country. Dori won 1st place in the undergraduate category of the URS as one of only 5 undergraduates who were selected to participate. The PME program loves for students to get involved in research projects, which are open to anyone interested!
Faculty Spotlight
Kirti D. Mishra
Manufacturing Engineering
Kirti D. Mishra joined the manufacturing engineering program as an assistant professor this Fall. Prior to Western, he served as an assistant professor in the Mechanical Engineering department at the New York Institute of Technology and worked as a post-doctoral research scholar at North Carolina State University. He earned his PhD in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Automotive Systems and Mobility from The Ohio State University.
Dr. Mishra is passionate about applying dynamics and control principles to address societal challenges and integrating the resulting knowledge into his teaching. His previous work spans automotive systems, renewable energy generation, and, more recently, robotics. Currently, his research focuses on human-robot physical interaction and understanding human intention and behavior in these contexts. Additionally, he is collaborating with industrial partners to develop and commercialize automated methods for powertrain control calibration.
Student Spotlight
Thomas O'Brien
Core77 Design Awards
Health & Wellness Category
Student Notable
Congratulations to Industrial Design Senior, Thomas O'Brien, for recognition on his Adaptive Dishwashing Device, Omni.
The Core 77 Design Awards recognize all areas of design annually. The Health & Wellness category features consumer products or services designed to aid users in matters of health or in achieving an enhanced sense of well-being.
Above: A rendering of O'Brien's Omni device in use. Visit Thomas O'Brien's website and Core77 Design Awards for more.