UDM expands mechatronics curriculum
A $174,000 grant from the National Science Foundation will support UDM’s expansion of its mechatronics program introduced in 1999. Mechatronics is an interdisciplinary curriculum designed to address the automotive and other industries’ need for engineers who can design systems with integrated mechanical and electrical components.
A NSF grant received in 1999 funded UDM’s development of an introductory mechatronics course offered for seniors and graduate students in electrical and mechanical engineering. The grant also supported a pre-college outreach program for students in disadvantaged areas, and integration of mechatronics activities in several freshman and junior-level college courses.
The new grant will be used to develop two new advanced, project-based courses to supplement the introductory course. They will focus on modeling and simulation of mechatronic systems and sensors and actuators, with emphasis on state-of-the-art devices such as smart sensors and micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS) devices now used in many vehicle functions. Both courses will be offered as technical electives for upper-division engineering students and will also be available for graduate students. It is expected that these courses will help develop student expertise in the area of design and development of the mechatronic systems of tomorrow. An advisory committee, comprised of industry and faculty experts, will help the primary investigators ensure relevancy of the course content. A strong outcomes assessment component is an important feature of this effort. Some of the overall goals of the mechatronic initiative continue to be increasing participation of women and under-represented minorities in engineering and focus on improvement of teamwork and lifelong learning skills.
Faculty investigators for the courses are Shuvra Das, associate professor of Mechanical Engineering; Sandra Yost, associate professor of Electrical Engineering, and Mohan Krishnan, professor of Electrical Engineering.