Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge
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This article relies on references to primary sources. (March 2008) |
| Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge | |
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| Established | 1875 |
| Head of Department | Ann Dowling |
| Location | Trumpington Street, Cambridge, United Kingdom 52°11′54″N 0°07′18″E / 52.19827°N 0.121579°ECoordinates: 52°11′54″N 0°07′18″E / 52.19827°N 0.121579°E |
| Website | www.eng.cam.ac.uk |
The Cambridge University Engineering Department (CUED) at the University of Cambridge is one of the largest departments in the university. The main site is situated at Trumpington Street, to the south of Cambridge city centre. The department is the primary centre for engineering teaching and research activities in Cambridge, and is currently headed by Professor Dame Ann Dowling. It was founded in 1875 by James Stuart.[1]
Notable alumni and researchers
- Frank Whittle, inventor of the jet engine.
- Nicholas Patrick, astronaut.
- Alec Broers, nanotechnology pioneer.
- Ian Liddell, designer of the Millennium Dome.
- Andy Hopper, founder of Acorn Computers.
- Harry Ricardo
- Sir Bennett Melvill Jones, demonstrated the importance in streamlining in aircraft design.
- John Baker, developer of the plasticity theory of design.
- Carol Vorderman, former Countdown host and mathematical television personality.
Notable companies and projects founded by students and alumni
- Cambridge University Eco Racing, a student run team which designs builds and races solar electric vehicles.
- Innocent Drinks, best known for the Innocent Smoothie brand.
- Cambridge Consultants, an international technology development and consultancy company.
- Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company, first manufacturer of the scanning electron microscope.[2]
Buildings
CUED consists of several sites scattered around Cambridge:
- The main buildings are located at Trumpington Street on the Scroope House site, where most of the undergraduate teaching in the Engineering Tripos is carried out. The first building on the site was the Inglis building, completed in 1945, and was closely followed by the Baker Building, completed in 1952.
- The Whittle Laboratory (turbomachinery laboratory opened in 1973), the Centre for Advanced Photonics & Electronics (CAPE) and the Institute for Manufacturing (opened in 2009) at the West Cambridge site.
- The Schofield Centre (Geotechnical Centrifuge laboratory) on the High Cross site.
Undergraduate Education
The CUED allows undergraduates to take the Engineering Tripos and the Manufacturing Engineering Tripos and is a pathway into the Chemical Engineering Tripos. The department currently admit in excess of 300 students a year.[3]
Engineering Tripos
Teaching at the Engineering Department consists of lectures reinforced by examples, of which there are several provided every week, and labs, carried out in lab groups of two along with several other lab groups. At present the Engineering Department tries to maintain as few afternoon lectures and labs in the first two years as possible.[4]
The first two years of the Tripos (Parts IA and IB respectively) cover many subjects allowing for the general aspect of engineering to be taught. In the second two years (Parts IIA and IIB) undergraduates choose to specialise into more specific areas of Engineering or can move to the Manufacturing Engineering Tripos which starts in the 3rd year.
