Paper Authors

Abstract

NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract

Main Menu 2463

MANUFACTURING SYSTEM DESIGN EXPERIENCES FOR ENGINEERING STUDENTS: MEANS TO ADDRESS COMPETENCY GAPS

Bradley A. Kramer, Farhad Azadivar, Jeff Tucker, Richard Windholz

Kansas State University/University of Massachusetts @ Dartmouth/KSU/KSU

Abstract – Engineering students are employed to design and improve manufacturing systems at the Advanced Manufacturing Institute at Kansas State University (KSU). AMI created the Manufacturing Learning Center (MLC) to accomplish a two-fold mission: to enhance the education of engineering students and to promote economic development in the state. During the past two years, with support from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) MEP program, we have developed the capability to accomplish this mission by employing engineering students to design, improve, and operate real manufacturing processes and systems for client companies under the tutelage of experienced engineers. This paper presents the KSU AMI model and discusses how it is used to close the SME critical competency gaps.

1.0 Introduction Since 1995, the Advanced Manufacturing Institute (AMI) at Kansas State University has developed a manufacturing education and training entity, the Manufacturing Learning Center (MLC). The MLC was patterned after the teaching hospital model used in medical schools. To enhance the education of engineering students, the MLC provides internship opportunities for engineering students to work on real engineering projects for client companies. These projects have resulted in new products and machines and improved production processes and systems. Ultimately, AMI projects have increased sales, saved and added jobs, and reduced costs for Kansas companies. The experience gained by students working in the MLC fills many of the competency gaps identified in the SME/MEP Critical Competency Studies. In this center, undergraduate and graduate students from engineering, computer science, and business colleges work as interns on product and process development projects contracted with industrial partners. An interdisciplinary group of interns is assigned to work under the supervision of an experienced staff member to accomplish each project. This operation provides a unique and innovative active learning environment for students from several engineering disciplines. Students learn to perform as members of an interdisciplinary team, develop communication skills and realize the business side of engineering activities.

Last year, the MLC employed more than 70 undergraduate and graduate student interns to work on real design and manufacturing engineering projects. Since its inception in 1995, the MLC has employed more than 300 students from 56 of the 105 counties in Kansas. They have worked with more than 250 different companies from 37 Kansas counties and have accomplished more than 1100 projects. Proceedings of the 2002 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2002, American Society for Engineering Education

Main Menu

• Citation

• Format
  • APA
  • APA - LaTeX bibitem
  • MLA
  • MLA - LaTeX bibitem
  • Bibtex
  • EndNote - RIS

Kramer, B. (2002, June), Manufacturing System Design Experiences For Engineering Students: Means To Address Competency Gaps Paper presented at 2002 Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada. 10.18260/1-2--10643