In its pilot year, the Robotic Worx program has engaged hundreds of local students with real world engineering challenges, helped manufacturers find solutions to labor shortage and production needs, and fostered a public/private partnership that is building a future automation workforce ready to solve tomorrow’s engineering problems, today.
“”If I had to pick on word to sum up the whole experience…. it would have to be priceless.”
-Duncan Garvin, Automation Intern, Robotic WorX Program.
A joint initiative between Precision Cobotics, LLC, (PCI) and Millersville University (MU), the Robotic WorX program equips high school and
undergraduate students with the opportunity to address genuine manufacturing problems through automation and robotics. Directed by John Bridgen of PCI and Dr. John Haughery of MU, the program links STEM education to real-world careers and helps manufacturers tackle labor and production issues through workforce development and innovative processes.
Continue reading “Robotic WorX: Cultivating Tomorrow’s Engineering Innovators Today”
Preparations are underway for a fun-filled summer packed with Technology and Engineering fun at Osburn Hall on the campus of Millersville University. Dr. Len Litowitz leads his collective of engineering experts to bring a wide variety of interesting and challenging topics for your summertime camper to experience during these week-long day camps.
There’s a new competition underway in Pennsylvania called, Farm in the Classroom. The competition is the result of a collaborative effort between Dr. Sharon Brusic, Professor in Applied Engineering, Safety & Technology (AEST), and Tommy Kuhns, undergraduate student in Technology & Engineering Education (TECE) who is serving as the contest facilitator.
The Farm in the Classroom competition was designed by Brusic & Kuhns to promote more awareness and interest in sustainable agriculture – specifically hydroponic and aquaponic systems. Hydroponics is the practice of using nutrient rich water to grow plants. Aquaponics is an extension of hydroponics that utilizes the waste that fish produce as nutrients to support plant growth. Brusic & Kuhns received funding through the Agriculture and Youth Grant program through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture to organize and implement this innovative contest for Pennsylvania middle school and high school aged students. The competition invites student teams to design, build, and test a hydroponic or aquaponic system.
Upon completion of the systems, the second phase of the project will begin. Dissemination is a key aspect of any project and as such the Marauder Eco-filament team will take a multifaceted approach to sharing the work. One dissemination strategy is sharing through the academic community. Our team aims to presenting our work at Made in Millersville as well as producing several academic articles designed to suit the 3D printing and education communities. Additionally, plans for the systems will be drafted and shared with the 3D printing community. The spirit of open-source sharing is a foundational component to this work and our initial designs were sourced in the 3D printing community. Given this, the Marauder Eco-filament team is committed to sharing our knowledge and findings with those who can best use and innovate on them as we have done.
On December 1, Millersville University’s student chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) successfully concluded its second annual winter clothing drive for families in need at the MU Ware Center in Lancaster City. The NSBE student chapter at MU collaborated with Millersville University Applied Engineering students, the American Society of Safety Professionals club, the Construction club, the Robotics club, the Lancaster STEM Alliance, the Bright Side Opportunity Center, the Young Women’s Christian Association, and the Lancaster Food Hub. This collective effort resulted in the collection of over 100 different coats, hats, and gloves, all of which were donated to the Lancaster Food Hub for distribution to individuals and families in the Lancaster area.
I originally prepared my comments for the last faculty meeting of my term as department chair. Those of you who know me best know that I am highly emotional and it would have been a difficult meeting for me to preside over. So, I’m offering my comments in writing as we navigate this changing of the guard. But first, time for a little more baseball talk, just like when Donna Hernandez retired. One reason I like baseball is that it is about impossible to get good at. For example, win 6 out of 10 games all year long and you have likely won your division. Bat .300 and you are considered a very good hitter. Bat .325 and you are an all-star. Approach .350 and you are the league MVP. And bat .400? It has not been done in the modern era of specialty pitching. Ted Williams did it last – in 1941. So, why I would have ever headed into the department chair role thinking that I would have been able to accomplish everything I set out to do? I am not sure. But I did – chalk it up to unbridled optimism, I suppose. What I found out was that my baseball analogy is a good metaphor for life. Do we ever really accomplish everything we set out to do? It certainly didn’t work out that way for me. The last several years have been particularly challenging. I would not have predicted getting upended by a pandemic, a cyber-hack, and in recent years, a constant fight to even keep the building properly climate controlled, no less get some faculty lines back.