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Release Date: 
Monday, February 3, 2020

HFC program sets course for “engineering culture” at new home on the East Campus

Dr. Hassan Nameghi, left, holds a “Scuumba,” an underwater vacuum robot used to clean fish tanks. This apparatus, created by HFC students in  fall  2019, is equipped with water jets to move it around the fish tank. At right is the M-TEC building, the new home of engineering at HFC, on our East Campus where Schaefer Road meets Rotunda Drive.
Dr. Hassan Nameghi, left, holds a “Scuumba,” an underwater vacuum robot used to clean fish tanks. This apparatus, created by HFC students in fall 2019, is equipped with water jets to move it around the fish tank. At right is the M-TEC building, the new home of engineering at HFC, on our East Campus where Schaefer Road meets Rotunda Drive.

Henry Ford College's pre-engineering program has forged a path as one of the best in the nation in just a few short years.

The pre-engineering program began in 2003. In 2014, Dr. Hassan Mohseni Nameghi was hired to spearhead growth and innovation. By 2019, thanks to Nameghi’s efforts, the program has become the largest among community colleges in the state of Michigan and one of the largest in the nation. To accommodate demand for the program, in Fall 2019, the pre-engineering program moved to a new home in the M-TEC Building on the East Campus. More than 1,000 students are currently enrolled.

“We needed a culture of engineering here at the College, not just classrooms and labs. We needed a place where students can get together, study together, hang out together, and come up with innovative ideas,” said Nameghi.

New Engineering Innovation Center and first electron microscope

The new Engineering Innovation Center within M-TEC is a designated space for students to work on their engineering projects. The room will be equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, including computers, robotics/electronics equipment, and 3-D printers.

Nameghi is excited that HFC will install an electron microscope later on this semester – the first ever at the College. An electron microscope uses a beam of accelerated electrons as a source of illumination. As the wavelength of an electron can be up to 100,000 times shorter than that of visible light photons, electron microscopes have a higher resolving power than ordinary microscopes and can reveal the structure of smaller objects. With the addition of the electron microscope at HFC, students will be able to look at nano-structures.

Seven sections of Intro to Engineering this semester

For the Winter 2020 semester, there are seven sections of ENGR 130: Introduction to Engineering. This class offers hands-on experiences at an engineering competition held on campus each semester. In Fall 2019, 17 teams competed. In Winter 2020, 35 teams will compete, more than double from last semester.

HFC’s Pre-Engineering courses transfer to the following colleges and universities:

• Wayne State University
• The University of Michigan Ann Arbor
• The University of Michigan-Dearborn, one of HFC’s largest engineering transfer partners
• University of Detroit Mercy
• Lawrence Technological University
• Michigan State University

HFC is currently working on a transfer agreement with Arizona State University for students to complete an online program in engineering.

Expanding the pre-engineering curriculum

In Fall 2020, Nameghi will roll out an ambitious plan for the pre-engineering program by expanding the curriculum with two new courses:

• ENGR 121: 3-D design/3-D printing
• ENGR 125: Introduction to Computation for Engineers

The HFC pre-engineering program already offers specialized engineering courses, such as statics, science of materials, mechanics of materials, and circuits.

“The faculty and students are very excited about the new space on the East Campus,” said Nameghi. “Students will have room to work on more elaborate projects. Down the line, we will offer hands-on experiential learning for visiting high school students and will host conferences.”

For questions or more information about the pre-engineering program, contact Nameghi at (313) 317-1746 or hnameghi@hfcc.edu.