The Department of Aeronautical Engineering was founded in 1942 at the suggestion of Daniel C. Sayre, who found himself the Department's first and only faculty member. The department remained small until the conclusion of World War II, however the expansion of the faculty and an increased emphasis on original research and experimentation culminated in the department's recognition as a leader in the field by the mid-1950s. In 1963 in recognition of overlapping interests, the Department merged with the Department of Mechanical Engineering to form the Department of Aeronautical and Mechanical Sciences. The name was subsequently changed in 1978 to its present form, the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Today the Department offers degrees on the undergraduate and graduate levels, and continues to play a leading role in fluid modeling and measurement, propulsion, combustion and aircraft dynamics.
From the description of Department of Aeronautical Engineering Records, 1941-1992. (Peking University Library). WorldCat record id: 74214090
