汤头条 engineering researchers secure $2M NSF grant to help prepare Magnolia State workforce for advanced jobs
Contact: Carl Smith
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥Mississippi State researchers hope to bolster the Magnolia State鈥檚 advanced manufacturing workforce for years to come through skills-based, hands-on learning experiences for community college and university students, thanks to almost $2 million from the National Science Foundation.
A team of Bulldog faculty recently received funding for Skillbuilding for Technicians and Engineering Through Experiential Learning Communities, or STEEL, a five-year collaboration with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College to create innovative approaches to undergraduate science, technology, engineering and mathematics education.
The project will embed almost 400 students into learning communities that connect two- and four-year learners and offer hands-on experiences at state-of-the-art facilities. These learning environments will provide access to collaborative robotics, autonomous mobile robots, laser marking systems, advanced additive manufacturing equipment and other cutting-edge technology while also developing students鈥 small-group communication, problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.
鈥淭he gap we keep hearing from industry is not just technical skill. It is confidence on real equipment and the ability to work across the technician鈥揺ngineer line,鈥 said Brian Smith, professor and undergraduate coordinator in 汤头条鈥檚 Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering and STEEL principal investigator. 鈥淭his program closes that gap by putting two-year and four-year students in the same learning communities and on the same industry-grade tools before they ever start the job.鈥
Joining Smith on the STEEL grant are three co-principal investigators: ISE Professor Lesley Strawderman and Assistant Professor of Practice John Carver Middleton, and Emily Wall, 汤头条 Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems project engineer.
Besides preparing students for advanced jobs, STEEL provides evidence-based improvement strategies to national workforce development programs. Upon demonstrating success at 汤头条 and MGCCC, STEEL鈥檚 integrated learning approach will be implemented at East Mississippi, Hinds, Northeast and Northwest community colleges.
Additionally, the project will strengthen connections between institutions of higher learning and industries through advisory board relationships and employer engagement with Toyota, Nissan, Paccar, Milwaukee Tool, Huber Engineered Woods and Raytheon.
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