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Research may soon fly forward in Osburn Hall, thanks to a recent donation. Millersville ‘University’s Department of Applied Engineering, Safety and Technology (AEST) recently received industrial networking and controls hardware from Todd Huber of Airline Hydraulics. The donation will be used within the Osburn Hall Automation Lab.
The donation includes industrial controls and networking hardware including variable frequency drives, electric motors, proximity sensors, motor contactors, power supplies, managed and unmanaged Ethernet switches, safety switches, programmable terminal blocks, pushbuttons, pilot lights, enclosures, cabling and an industrial PC. The equipment will be incorporated in multiple automation and controls courses at MU with the help of Dr. John Haughery, an assistant professor in the AEST program.
Haughery will also collaborate with three undergraduate students to leverage the equipment for research focusing on advanced automation and networking technologies; the same types of technologies currently allowing essential U.S. industries to meet the nation’s demands with reduced workforce numbers due to COVID-19 constraints. All three of the students will use the technology to further their research within their future fields.
“This research group will extend the Osburn Hall Automation Lab’s technical capability and provide rich educational experiences with technologies driving the United States economy,” says Haughery.
Robert Kiesel, a junior, is conducting research that integrates human-machine interfaces, programmable logic controllers and industrial robotic agents to communicate and automatically control an industrial process. Katherine Pelcin, a senior, is researching to develop and deploy a facility-wide control and data collection system to facilitate remote connectivity technologies. Eathyn Brennan, also a senior, is developing training modules to support effective setup, configuration and implementation of the hardware and software being used by Kiesel and Pelcin.
“The AEST department could not educate its students to this degree without collaborators, supporters and sponsors like Todd Huber and Airline Hydraulics”,” says Haughery. “The equipment donation, valued at over $2,000 represents the Airline Hydraulics’ ongoing support of the Department’s Applied Engineering & Technology Management and Automation & Intelligent Robotics Engineering Technology majors”.
Learn more about the AEST program here.
