Workforce Development in Mechatronics

Dr. Ram Nunna, Interim Dean
Lyles College of Engineering
California State University, Fresno
Lyles College of Engineering
Email: rnunna@csufresno.edu
Phone: (559) 278-8111

The Lyles College of Engineering (LCOE) at California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is requesting support from the California Space Grant Consortium (CASGC) to support two multi-disciplinary workforce development projects in mechatronics currently in progress:

–Project 1: Phase 3 of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Project (UAV)

–Project 2: Year 2 of the The Lowell Neighborhood Project

The UAV project’s phase 3 goals are: Integration of auto-pilot into existing flight systems to allow way point flight and autonomous take-off and landing, video image processing and shape recognition, design of a Carbon Fiber Faraday cage and structural airframe parts, and competing in the National Student Unmanned Air System Competition. The Lowell Neighborhood Project’s goals are for LCOE Honors Students to mentor the 16 fifth grade students that were introduced to Lego Robotics during Year 1 of the project so that these students will gain competence in robot construction, programming, communications, team work and research skills, and compete in the 2011 regional competition. The funds requested will support students and faculty associated with these two projects. These projects have been partially funded previously by CaSGC and significant progress has been made as a result of the funding. This proposal aims at extending the progress.