<p>*SUNY Maritime Academy: small school on Long Island Sound. Very good ME department and students are not required to join the cadet corps.
*U of Portland: surprisingly good job placement, including NASA and the JPL, for example.
*U of Maryland-Baltimore County: No longer a secret.
*U of Akron: outstanding research in polymers
*U of Tennessee-Knoxville: new engineering building and $$ investments in research
*Illinois Institute of Technology: ample student research opportunities
*S. Dakota School of Mines & Technology: Rigorous</p>