Manufacturing Engineering
Georgia Southern Manufacturing Engineering Students and Faculty Receive Accolades at EPA Student Design Competition
The goal of this project (Additively manufactured novel media for the enhancement of biological in situ stormwater remediation, link) was to develop and test a biofiltration module that uses a novel 3D-printed media that provides a very high surface area for microorganism attachment and development, which can be used as part of an existing or new biofiltration device to enhance nutrient (N and P) removal in runoff from urban or agricultural watersheds.
A team of senior design and capstone students from the Manufacturing Engineering department (Nicholas Wolf and Michael Jones) and the Civil Engineering department (John Collins, Corina Fluker, and Brendon Roberson) was working on this project under the supervision of Dr. Kamran Kardel (PI), Associate Professor of Manufacturing Engineering, and Dr. Francisco Cubas (co-PI), Associate Professor of Civil Engineering. The project and designed and fabricated biofilter was presented at the 18th annual EPA P3 (People, Prosperity, and the Planet, link) Conference in Washington D.C. and received very good attention from the EPA and other industry and federal agency visitors of the event.
About Manufacturing Engineering at Georgia Southern
Georgia Southern University received approval to offer the Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Engineering on its main campus beginning August 2015. The program is unique in that it provides a substantial hands-on, kinesthetic approach to learning compared to traditional engineering programs. Classroom instruction is enhanced with many hands-on laboratory experiences to train the students in the areas of fundamental and advanced manufacturing, such as additive manufacturing, advanced materials, robotics and automation. The Manufacturing Engineering Program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET. Manufacturing engineering graduates are highly sought and find employment before or immediately upon graduation in variety of manufacturing organizations.
Why study Manufacturing Engineering at Georgia Southern?
The State of Georgia, the southeastern region and the entire country are experiencing strong resurgence and advancement in manufacturing capacity. At the same time, we are confronted with an aging workforce of trained manufacturing engineers. Georgia Southern University is ideally situated geographically and experientially to form a regional hub in applied engineering education – one that naturally includes a BS in Manufacturing Engineering to address the current and future needs of manufacturers. Such a program will complement our continuing cultural hallmark of engagement that bridges theory with practice, while also reaffirming a commitment to advancing the state of Georgia and the region through the benefits of higher education. The state economy is in dire need of young, innovatively prepared manufacturing engineers, and the potential synergy with our existing applied engineering programs makes Georgia Southern the ideal campus in the University System of Georgia to serve this need.
The University recognizes the benefit of supporting (and promoting) a regional and statewide resurgence in manufacturing, especially with regard to the economic development of the region we serve. Based upon past and recent programmatic experience and successes, Georgia Southern is ideally suited to provide such a program. Absent another comparable ABET accredited program within a 450-mile radius of the University, it is critical that Georgia Southern take the lead in providing the essential regional and statewide leadership by educating the next generation of manufacturing engineers for high paying, professionally rewarding careers.
See the Manufacturing Engineering Department Chair, Dr. Cox, discussing the program with Savannah CEO online.
