The Department of Mechanical Engineering will develop new scientific understandings, launch innovative technologies, and nurture creative engineers that will solve today's societal challenges: improving human health, enabling security, and creating sustainable energy systems. There are eight focus areas for mechanical engineering students enrolled in the Master of Science Thesis program.<br><br>Research and coursework in the Air Quality track encompass a broad range of topics from air quality monitoring, climate change, atmospheric chemistry and dynamics, and health impacts, to air pollution engineering, control and policy. Research addresses monitoring and impact assessment on scales spanning from local (building-scale) to regional and global, from fundamental science to applied social science and community-driven research, and from computational studies to field-based experiments in remote locations. The University of Colorado Boulder is uniquely situated amongst one of the world's greatest ecosystems of academic institutions and national labs engaged in atmospheric research. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are located within 30 minutes of CU Boulder.