NSF Award
1842642
Mechatronics and Robotics Engineering is a new engineering discipline that is experiencing tremendous, dynamic growth. Mechatronics and Robotics Engineering professionals are shaping the world by designing smart and autonomous systems and processes that will improve human life and welfare. This requires an interdisciplinary knowledge of mechanical, electrical, computer, software, and systems engineering to oversee the entire design and development process. There have been many educational efforts around Mechatronics and Robotics Engineering in higher education such as courses, minors, and degree programs, but they have not been well integrated or widely adopted. The educators in this nascent community continue to re-invent content modules, courses, and curricula instead of adopting and improving existing content. With the rapid increase in demand for robotics and automation engineers, now is the time for Mechatronics and Robotics Engineering to coalesce as a distinct and identifiable engineering discipline. This project consists of a series workshops on the future of Mechatronics and Robotics Engineering education at the bachelor's degree and postgraduate levels. <br/><br/>The workshop series serve to solidify the emerging community of current and future educators, promote diversity and inclusivity within the community, gather community input, and identify thought leaders for future community activities. Participants will include a wide range of educators teaching courses such as mechatronics, robotics, dynamics, controls. PhD students seeking academic careers in mechatronics and robotics, and industry professionals desiring to shape the future workforce. As a result of these workshops, the will begin standardization of educational components such as frameworks, curricula, course outlines, experiments, and assignments. Furthermore, the workshops will be stepping stones towards building a diverse and inclusive community of educators and professionals from a broad range of colleges, universities, and industries with the ultimate goal of shaping the future of Mechatronics and Robotics Engineering Education and increasing its widespread adoption.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
