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Session 1463

INDUSTRY-UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIPS IN MECHANICAL AND MANUFATURING ENGINEERING AT TUFTS UNIVERSITY

Anil Saigal and Vincent P. Manno

Department of Mechanical Engineering Tufts University Medford, MA 02155 Tel: 617-627-2549 Fax: 617-627-3058 email: anil.saigal@tufts.edu

Abstract

The Department of Mechanical Engineering at Tufts University has a long history of industry-university partnerships. Up until the late 1960’s, these interactions focused on education programs such as apprenticeships leading to associates degrees. Growing emphasis on government-sponsored research and full-time undergraduate study directly after high school reduced the organization and substance of industrial interactions during the 1970’s and the early 1980’s. This paradigm began to change around 1985 and new partnerships have continued to expand to this day. One major influence that stimulated this reengagement was the growth and integration of manufacturing engineering within the mechanical engineering curriculum, instigated by renewed industrial interest in sponsoring employees for continuing education to keep current with changing technology. The need for practical relevancy led to the establishment of our Industrial Advisory Council with members from several companies and the US government. New programs emerged such as the Certificate Program in Manufacturing Engineering and a part-time Masters of Engineering degree program with a project focus. Other collaborative activities include joint responsibility for the Annual Thermal Manufacturing Workshop, industrial sponsorship of senior design projects and providing outside feedback as part of our ABET EC2000 continuous improvement process. The current level of collaboration is good but can be improved. For a university in which most of the students attend classes full-time during the day, meeting the needs of the students from industry and part -time students requires not only additional commitment of resources but also fundamental infrastructure changes. Finally, on the research side, the differing time scales and priorities of academe and industry always pose a challenge.

Proceedings of the 2002 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2002, American Society for Engineering Education

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Saigal, A., & Manno, V. (2002, June), Industry University Partnerships In Mechanical And Manufaturing Engineering At Tufts University Paper presented at 2002 Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada. 10.18260/1-2--10666