The National Science Foundation recently awarded a grant through the Engineering Education and Centers (EEC) unit for a new REU Site on cybermanufacturing. The site will engage participants in the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program in high-quality research, enrichment and development experiences through a 10-week long summer research program.
Dr. Bimal Nepal, associate professor in the Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution at Texas A&M University, will serve as the principal investigator of the group to increase enthusiasm and research skills in advanced manufacturing among early stage undergraduates. Dr. Satish Bukkapatnam, Rockwell International Professor in the industrial engineering department, and Dr. Prabhakar Pagilla, James J. Cain Professor in mechanical engineering, will serve as co-principal investigators.
“The REU projects will leverage the diverse cybermanufacturing efforts and testbeds of the Institute of Material Science faculty members to provide the students with a broad perspective of cybermanufacturing with a specific on three critical areas,” said Dr. Nepal, Holleran-Bowman Faculty Fellow. “These are design and planning, in situ prognostics and process control, and enterprise-wide optimization and coordination.”
Ten students from across the nation will be accepted each summer to participate in the program, which will equip them with professional skills to enter the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce or to pursue a graduate degree. The grant will begin May 2018 and end in April 2021, totaling $358,850.