Other mechanical engineers work closely with trainers, coaches, and athletes on the design of sporting equipment. It would be hard to find an area or object in everyday life that was not in some way affected by a mechanical engineer. Mechanical engineers are men and women who design machines, products, and systems essential to everyday life. Mechanical engineers design complex systems such as airplanes, automobiles, satellites, power plants and also simple devices like doorknobs, and fishing reels. In fact, mechanical engineers play a role in most of the things that people use.
Mechanical engineers are concerned with the principles of motion, energy, and force.
Generally, a machine converts one form of movement into another. It is the responsibility of engineers to design machines whose parts and assemblies function in a safe and reliable, efficient, and predictable fashion. Indeed the numerous laws and principles developed by scientist are everyday tools of the mechanical engineer. Anything the engineer does that is related the motion and dynamics of heat, gas, air, fluids and solid materials requires the understanding and application of science. The University of South Alabama offers a four-year program leading to a bachelors of science in mechanical engineering.