Acknowledgements

No textbook springs fully formed as an original contribution from the mind of an author, and this book is no exception. Although the author had long considered the use of an integrated approach in teaching thermodynamics, heat transfer, and fluid mechanics, the Texas A&M group broadened his conception of how an integrated approach could unify engineering science education. Charles Glover and Louis Everett were especially helpful in sharing ideas and encouragement.

On the Rose-Hulman campus, the faculty and students on the SEC team developed an approach that has served us well. Special thanks are due those individuals who taught ES201 in the early years: Howard McLean, Phil Cornwell, Jerry Fine, and Fred Berry. Their comments and concerns about the approach were shared freely and are reflected in the current text. Bruce Black provided critical insight into how this approach meshes with traditional circuit analysis. More recently, Mallory North, Tom Adams, Jim Mayhew, Richard Layton, and Clark Merkel have provided feedback on the course and the text. Thanks are also due the sophomore electrical engineering and computer engineering students who inaugurated the SEC in the fall of 1995. Their comments were many and varied, and the program is better today for their willingness to speak out.

The author is especially grateful for an invitation to join the local Rose-Hulman/Foundation-Coalition management team in spring of 1993. The support of that team—Jeff Froyd, Gloria Rogers, Brian Winkel, and Jim Eifert—and their ongoing friendship over the years has been a significant source of encouragement. The author also wishes to thank the Foundation Coalition for supporting these efforts through the Engineering Education Program of the National Science Foundation (Award Number EEC-9802942). The Foundation Coalition is a network of extraordinary people who care about engineering education, and it has been a privilege for the author to work with this group. The author wishes to thank the administration, staff, and faculty at Rose-Hulman for its commitment to undergraduate education and for nurturing and supporting innovative efforts like this textbook and the SEC. Rose-Hulman is a unique educational institution because of its unwavering commitment to quality undergraduate education in the sciences, mathematics, and engineering. This does not happen without a continuing effort by the entire Rose-Hulman community.

Last but definitely not least, the author would like to thank his wife and daughters—Martha, Abby, and Emma—for their love and support.

Donald E. Richards, Professor of Mechanical Engineering
November 2001

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Fall 2007 Edition: Although this textbook has been in continuous use from its first printing, this represents the first printed version with corrections in the typeset copy. The comments of students and colleagues have been incorporated in this version. Special thanks go to Kevin T. Nelson, Stephen DuPaul, and T. J. Kelly—three students who carefully and critically read the text.