Discover Mechanical Engineering is an exciting program designed to provide freshmen with hands-on introduction to the field and study of mechanical engineering at MIT.

The program consists of five parts:

• Teams of four are placed with a mentor.
• Each participant builds their own soccer-playing robot.
• Participants are grouped into teams for a double-elimination soccer tournament.
• Faculty and Alumni join participants for meals to socialize and answer questions.
• Participants tour interesting places.

The SoccerBot is the core of the program. Participants build their own customized version of the SoccerBot, which was developed specifically for this program. SoccerBots are radio controlled, battery powered robots. It might take a while to learn to drive these little robots, but once you get the hang of it, you'll be driving it all over campus!

At the end of the program, everyone takes part in a double-elimination soccer tournament. Each player controls the SoccerBot he or she built. Teams play in groups of four and try to knock their competitors out of the running.

We provide mentors to guide participants through the program. They will help students build their SoccerBots, answer questions, and help their teams in any way possible. We encourage participants and mentors to form strong bonds that will last beyond Discover Mechanical Engineering.

Every day, participants are given breakfast and lunch. An assortment of faculty, alumni, and upperclassmen will join them. These guests will tell stories and answer questions about mechanical engineering in general and the MIT Mechanical Engineering Department in particular.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering is full of fascinating places to work. Participants will be taken on tours of several of these labs and workshops, where they can see mechanical engineering in action. We will also be taking trips to see non-MIT research facilities and examples of real-world applications of mechanical engineering.

Updates

8/16/03:
• More eduts. If no one else sends me bios by morning, I'm making them all up. :cP

8/15/03: Edits

8/14/03: Random edits! It's like "Where's Waldo"
• Meet the mentors for DME: Orientation 2003
• Meet the run-time staff for DME 2003